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We went ot buy one and my wife thought that the newer seats were totally cheapo looking and feeling and refused, she did not want it. There were some other things inside that seemed ot be really cheapened compared to older ones. We got a used full sized conversion van instead.
We went ot buy one and my wife thought that the newer seats were totally cheapo looking and feeling and refused, she did not want it. There were some other things inside that seemed ot be really cheapened compared to older ones. We got a used full sized conversion van instead.
Was she talking about the front or rear seats? The seats on the Stow n' Go equipped ones are a lot thinner and flimsier to allow them to fold into the floor. It's one of the major complaints on those vans. Not that the front seats are anything special either, but the rears are pretty bad for adults on long trips.
Wow! Went and drove a Touring yesterday. Really smooth ride! Loved the bells and whistles... can't get over the difference 7 years make in the technology advancements... holds over 4200 songs in the hard drive - WOW!!!
Wow! Went and drove a Touring yesterday. Really smooth ride! Loved the bells and whistles... can't get over the difference 7 years make in the technology advancements... holds over 4200 songs in the hard drive - WOW!!!
Chrysler is proving, vehicle by vehicle, that the problems they had during the Daimler era were the result of poor management, and had little or nothing to do with the designers and engineers.
Chrysler is proving, vehicle by vehicle, that the problems they had during the Daimler era were the result of poor management, and had little or nothing to do with the designers and engineers.
Many of us are still waiting for them to come out with a non-Daimler era platform and hard bits to see what they can do. They are finally starting to refine the GEMA engines built with Hyundai and Mitsubishi during the DCX days to provide a better overall package, more similar to what Hyundai has done with those motors. The Pentastar family looks like a winner and is their first inhouse effort in awhile. Their transmissions are still DCX holdovers as are all of their platforms that have received minor tweaking under Fiat, but are still largely DCX era.
They've come a long way compared to themselves, but are still lagging behind the rest of the industry even with their latest entries.
Many of us are still waiting for them to come out with a non-Daimler era platform and hard bits to see what they can do. They are finally starting to refine the GEMA engines built with Hyundai and Mitsubishi during the DCX days to provide a better overall package, more similar to what Hyundai has done with those motors. The Pentastar family looks like a winner and is their first inhouse effort in awhile. Their transmissions are still DCX holdovers as are all of their platforms that have received minor tweaking under Fiat, but are still largely DCX era.
They've come a long way compared to themselves, but are still lagging behind the rest of the industry even with their latest entries.
The platform really shouldn't matter since all a platform is is a set of fixed points in space. If you can engineer parts to fit those fixed points, then you can have two entirely different-looking and -feeling cars on the same platform. As for the hard bits, the only Daimler-era hard bit left on the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 is the five-speed automatic transmission, and that's about to change for the V-6 models when they get the new eight-speed automatic transmissions. (It'll change for the V-8 models once Chrysler's new transmission plant opens in Indiana.)
The GEMA engine is a good engine as Hyundai and Mitsubishi have proven, but Chrysler's GEMA engine is another casualty of Daimler-era cost-cutting. If they can refine it a little bit, then they can get by with it until they have the resources to design and engineer their own four-cylinder engines. The Pentastar V-6 shows what Chrysler engineers are capable of when they're actually allowed to do their jobs. Every automotive review I've read talks about how powerful and refined the engine is, and when you consider that it's a naturally-aspirated engine with standard technology, then just imagine what it's capable of with some added technology.
Chrysler has now gone 15 consecutive months with year-over-year sales increases. The brand-new vehicles have all been home runs, and the updates to the existing vehicles have made them pleasant enough to be a reasonable purchase even if they still aren't class-leading. Everything that has been done since its bankruptcy has been for the better, and I wouldn't be surprised if people view them as positively in two years as they view Ford now.
The platform really shouldn't matter since all a platform is is a set of fixed points in space. If you can engineer parts to fit those fixed points, then you can have two entirely different-looking and -feeling cars on the same platform.
In general yes, the platform is just a hunk of metal things get bolted to. However, the overall design of that platform determines a lot of things about the car and what can be done with the overall package. All of the current platforms were designed and built in the DCX era and many of them are now pushing 8+ years without any changes. Chrysler will be relying heavily on Fiat platforms moving forward as they roll out new product. They simply haven't had the resources to build a new platform before now.
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As for the hard bits, the only Daimler-era hard bit left on the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 is the five-speed automatic transmission, and that's about to change for the V-6 models when they get the new eight-speed automatic transmissions. (It'll change for the V-8 models once Chrysler's new transmission plant opens in Indiana.)
This is incorrect. The entire front and rear suspension systems, rear differential, wiring harnesses, braking system, electronics (with the exception of the radio/nav), AWD system and stabiliy control systems are all from the DCX partnership days. The only hard part that isn't DCX is the current Pentastar engine and the upcoming transmission. Outside of that the interior and current sheetmetal are the only things that aren't DCX.
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The GEMA engine is a good engine as Hyundai and Mitsubishi have proven, but Chrysler's GEMA engine is another casualty of Daimler-era cost-cutting. If they can refine it a little bit, then they can get by with it until they have the resources to design and engineer their own four-cylinder engines. The Pentastar V-6 shows what Chrysler engineers are capable of when they're actually allowed to do their jobs. Every automotive review I've read talks about how powerful and refined the engine is, and when you consider that it's a naturally-aspirated engine with standard technology, then just imagine what it's capable of with some added technology.
Their priority needs to be the GEMA engine right now as that motor is the key to their future success. If you haven't noticed MPG is king these days and across the board in every category Chrysler vehicles are at the bottom of the pack in their class. This has to be fixed. The Pentastar is a great engine and first step, but V6's are going to be niche engines in the next 3-4 years, not the bread and butter.
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Chrysler has now gone 15 consecutive months with year-over-year sales increases. The brand-new vehicles have all been home runs, and the updates to the existing vehicles have made them pleasant enough to be a reasonable purchase even if they still aren't class-leading. Everything that has been done since its bankruptcy has been for the better, and I wouldn't be surprised if people view them as positively in two years as they view Ford now.
In all honesty, there wasn't much room for sales not to increase. Further, as GM and Ford have been dialing back their fleet sales, Chrysler has been pushing harder into that market. Roughly 40% of all Chrysler sales are to fleets. Compare that to 25% for GM and 29% for Ford. While those numbers seem high, you need to remember that those two absolutely dominate the fleet truck market with the F-series and Silverado/Sierra, which make up a large amount of those percentages. Chrysler meanwhile is the largest single provider of rental cars in the industry, something GM and Ford have worked hard to back out of do to how unprofitable that market is.
Their brand new vehicles are much improved on the surface, but as I said we need to wait and see what they do with the parts underneath and in particular with their long term reliability. All of their current models are pretty much the old models in a better wrapper. You said that their current cars are good but not class leading. To rephrase that, they are good compared to the models they replaced, but they are not good compared to what the competition has out. When the "redesigned" 200 is basically kneck and kneck against the now 4 year old Malibu in comparos (comparos not made by Chrysler, lol) with most sources giving the nod to the Malibu, that's not good. Especially considering the Malibu slots behind the newer Fusion, Sonata/Optima, Altima, Camry and Accord.
Chrysler has made great strides since the bankruptcy, but they still have a long way to go and they simply can't afford a single screw up. They simply don't have the resources for any of their models to flop. At this point they are around 5-8 years behind the rest of the industry on the development cycle. They are releasing "new" models to compete against the models other manufacturers are phasing out and replacing with updated ones.
As for Ford and Chrysler being seen in the same light, I hate to say it, but I'll believe that when I see it. In order to get in the same league as Ford is today, they have to get passed Toyota, Honda and Nissan as well as a resurging GM and a very hot Hyundai/Kia. Companies that are all well ahead of Chrysler in terms of vehicle development and the all important fuel economy front.
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