After heavily investing in a 2015 redesign, Chrysler are discontinuing their midsized sedan, the 200, alongside the Dodge Dart. Does the abrupt axing of the 200 mean it was a bad car? Not really. In fact, it was better than its predecessor in every conceivable way, and sales were high. GM have just chosen to shift focus to their faster-selling Jeeps and trucks.
So where does that leave the 2016 Chrysler 200? While plenty of other automotive pundits have highlighted the car’s merits and misfires, I wanted to cover some new ground and point out five little things I loved about the top-trim, 200C.
1) The Bling in the Steering Wheel
For a paltry $995, Chrysler will give your 200 a full-leather treatment, a bronze/wood interior trim, and ventilated seats. But my favorite part of the “Premium Package” upgrade is the chrome ring they inserted into the heated leather steering wheel. This shiny halo gracefully adds to the car’s overall bling factor.
2) The Sandwich Shelf
Like Matt LeBlanc, I love when a car has a sandwich shelf, and the Chrysler 200C has one of the best. Since the car has an electronic transmission control, the engineers have hollowed out the area between the driver and passenger’s seat and fitted a little rubber mat featuring the Detroit skyline. It’s tall enough to hold the manliest BLT.
3) The Loud Lane Departure Warning
Lane departure warning technology varies widely between cars; some gently flash a little orange triangle in the side mirror as if to say hey you’re about to hit somebody, or whatever. The Chrysler 200, on the other hand, takes this situation a little more seriously. If you flip on your signal while another driver is hiding in your blind spot, the car will emit loud warning beeps, as if to say LOOK OUT, FOOL! It’s prominent yet unobtrustive, and will surely save owners from a few side-swipes over the life of the car.
4) The AC Outlet
Cars generally don’t have AC outlets because they require high power output and an inverter. But Chrysler have gone the extra mile and fitted one anyways, so you can charge your laptop or grill a panini on the sandwich shelf.
5) All That Blue
Last year we learned that blue is the world’s favorite color, and has been known to instill feelings of calm, serenity, and friendliness. Chrysler must know this, because they’ve bathed the 200C in it. The infotainment system, the dashboard, the tach, and the speedo are all cobalt-coated, surrounding the driver by visual therapy.
If the opposite is true and red dashboards instill aggression, we may have a new theory for why BMW drivers are the biggest road-bullies.
*Welcome to spa Chrysler* versus *ole! ole!*
Overall, Chrysler’s midsized swan song, the 200, is worth a look, especially considering lease prices will undoubtedly drop following the car’s discontinuation. Few other cars are so sandwich and laptop-friendly.
