AUTO RED BOOK REVIEW: 2012 CHRYSLER 200

On The Cover Review: 2012 Chrysler 200

Chrysler can make some pretty nice stuff. The Chrysler 300 is a brash, popular sedan, they build one of the best minivans in the business, and they have solid hits with their Dodge brand. But the Chrysler Sebring wasn’t one of them. While the Camrys and Malibus of the world were making waves, Chrysler’s lackluster midsize was barely keeping its head above water. The 200 is the replacement for the Sebring, and it is certainly better. It has all kinds of nice touches, like LED lighting and a vastly-improved interior. It handles better, and the two engine choices—a 173-hp, 2.4-liter four or a 283-hp, 3.6-liter V6—both pull harder. But in the end, the 200 is a significantly refurbished Sebring, and it’s not that hard to tell. No doubt about it, it’s a better car. But it still looks like a Sebring, and it carries the stigma of the least impressive midsized sedan sold in America. Maybe as people tire of offerings from Toyota, Honda, Ford, and Chevy, they will be dazzled by the newly-discovered glitz of the new 200. If they think this is the same car as the one it replaces, they at least owe it a second look.