Chrysler never had a world-class mid-size sedan. Period. If you wish to differ, we can argue the fine points of the K-Car-derived LeBaron, cab-forward Cirrus, or dud Sebring (both generations). After merging with Fiat, the Chrysler team fixed most quirks to evolve the second-gen Sebring into the quite decent 200. An all-new 200 for 2015 proves Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is finally serious.
Most of those cars were unworthy to suck a Honda’s tail fumes, but they weren’t ugly. OK, the LeBaron bordered on Baroque, but the Cirrus won acclaim two decades ago. And, the last 200S was rather handsome as a sporty starting point. But, the new 200 is sculpted and preened in ways no Chrysler has been since the Airflow.
While Chrysler will have you thinking the 200 is an American take on the modern sport sedan, it is actually an American-Italian take on trends started by BMW a decade ago and taken to their recent zenith by the Ford Fusion. As a sculpture, it’s beautiful with pinched nose, broad shoulders, and high streamlined rump—all finessed for fuel-saving aerodynamics.
Planted under those shoulders are 19-inch Hyper Black alloy wheels. I didn’t care for the narrow grille and headlamps at first, but they’re growing on me. Adding in LED running lamps helped. From the rear, she’s gorgeous. I’m a big fan of the light claytastic Ceramic Blue Clear Coat paint on our test car.
