by Cheryl Eldridge
Chrysler has a new flagship that has arrived. It looks like its cousin the Sebring, but is the offspring of the Chrysler 300.
The 2014 Chrysler 200 Limited Convertible was just my cup of tea. I couldn’t wait to experience my one-week tester.
My tester was a beautiful deep auburn pearl coat with a light frost beige leather interior. This automobile was definitely a sight for sore eyes.
To drive a 200 is to fall in love with a 200. The convertible was equipped with a retractable hardtop at the push of a button.
I was able to travel out of town for a round trip of about 218 miles to Normal, Alabama. The gas mileage was really what I needed with 29 mpg on the highway and 19 mpg in the city. I gassed up one time for about $35 and came back on half a tank, no pressure here.
The car delivered a smooth ride and composed handling. It was anyone’s dream, that is, if you like smooth driving.
The 2014 Chrysler 200 is available in midsize sedan and convertible body styles. The sedan comes in LX, Touring and Limited trim levels, while the convertible comes in Touring, Limited and S trims. A power-operated cloth top is standard on all 200 convertibles; a body-colored, power-retractable steel roof is available on Limited and S models.
The LX sedan comes standard with 17-inch steel wheels, full power accessories, heated mirrors, cruise control, air-conditioning, a height-adjustable driver seat, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a 60/40-split-folding rear seat and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack.
The Touring sedan comes with 17-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, automatic climate control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, an eight-way power driver seat and a six-speaker sound system with satellite radio. The optional Cold Weather package adds heated front seats and remote ignition. Optional on the LX and Touring sedans is the Uconnect Voice Command package that contains Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, an iPod/USB audio interface and an auto-dimming mirror. You pretty much tell the Uconnect system what you need and it will respond in a quick response.
The Touring convertible comes with a few more features. In lieu of an eight-way power driver seat, it has six-way power driver and front-passenger seats. It also comes standard with an enhanced version of the Uconnect package that features a 6.5-inch touchscreen interface, a 40GB hard drive (with 28GB available for owners’ personal media storage), a CD/DVD player and an auxiliary audio jack in addition to Bluetooth and a USB input. These items are available via an option package for the Touring sedan. Eighteen-inch wheels are optional on all Touring models, and a sunroof is available on the sedan.
My tester, the Limited sedan adds a V6 engine, foglights, leather upholstery and an upgraded Boston Acoustics sound system, but the 6.5-inch touchscreen interface remains optional – it’s available via the Sun/Sound package that also includes a navigation system and the sunroof. The Limited convertible has all of the Touring convertible’s features, plus the V6, foglights and leather interior; however, the Boston Acoustics stereo is optional. Navigation is also optional in the Limited convertible.
The 200 S convertible adds standard polished 18-inch wheels, a black grille treatment and headlight surrounds, special exterior badging, S-badged leather seats and the Boston Acoustics stereo. The S convertible’s exterior add-ons are available via an option package for the Touring sedan, and the Limited sedan is eligible for the interior and exterior enhancements via an option group.
On the safety side, my 2014 Chrysler 200 tester comes standard with antilock brakes, traction and stability control, active head restraints and front side airbags. The sedan gets side curtain airbags and the convertible gets front-seat-mounted side airbags with head protection.
My tester ‘s price tag was $36,700.
Until next week, drive safe and buckle up, and don’t text and drive, it’s the law.
