The 2015 Chrysler 200C. |
But this---this is what can happen when you have time, taste and money all devoted to building a new mid-size sedan.
2015 Chrysler 200C. |
Our tester was the top-of-the-line 200C AWD. Base price $30,195, it comes with a 24-valve, 3.6-liter, 295 horsepower engine and a nine-speed automatic transmission. EPA estimate is 18 city/29 highway. Standard features include keyless entry, pushbutton start, dual-zone automatic temperature control, a six-speaker audio system, Uconnect voice command with Bluetooth, SiriusXM satellite radio, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats (8-way power for the driver with a four-way power lumbar adjustment), a 7-inch color driver information center and USB.
2015 Chrysler 200C interior. |
As usual, our test car had options. $1,295 for Customer Preferred Package 26N (Advanced brake assist, rain-sensitive wipers, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, automatic high beam control, full speed forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, blind spot and cross-path detection, parallel and perpendicular park assist)...$995 for the Premium Group (premium leather-trimmed vent seats, premium leather seat cushion, ventilated front seats, luxury door trim panels, memory exterior mirrors, seat and radio memory, heated steering wheel, and wood and bronze interior accents)...$1,395 for the Navigation and Sound Group (GPS navigation, an upgrade to a nine-speaker Alpine audio system with HD Radio and a 506-watt amplifier, and an 8.4-inch touchscreen display)...and $795 for the Premium Lighting Group (HID headlamps with LED running lights and LED fog lamps).
With $995 destination charge, the as-tested price was $35,670. That is a sizable amount of money, and more than $2,500 higher than our class-leading Mazda 6. But the 200C has more than 100 additional horsepower and much more tech. Given the company's history, it will be interesting to see how many takers there will be at this price point.