"The communication and follow up we received from Mike Fallon was timely and specific. We had a great experience overall while making our vehicle selection, and purchase. Mike did not try to sell us a vehicle, he listened to what we thought we needed, provided information around those needs, and let us buy the vehicle we wanted. If that was a sales tactic, then great, it worked for us. We did not feel like we were being pushed in one direction or another. Mike, thanks for being a professional!!" 9/16/2011

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2012 Chrysler 200 West Palm Beach

See Our New 2012 Chrysler 200 West Palm Beach, FL

The Chrysler 200 is an affordable midsize car that offers exceptional value. Available in sedan and convertible versions, it's smooth and quiet and feels solid. Two excellent engines coupled to the sweet 6-speed AutoStick automatic both get good gas mileage. The 2012 Chrysler 200 LX comes with cloth upholstery, air conditioning, cruise control, acoustic laminated glass windshield and front windows, halogen headlights, heated folding sideview mirrors, illuminated keyless entry, power door locks and windows, manual driver's seat adjustment with lumbar, 130-watt sound system with CD/MP3 radio, steering wheel controls, adjustable steering wheel, ambient LED lighting, 60/40 folding rear seat, 17-inch steel wheels.

Chrysler 200 Touring upgrades to automatic temperature control, eight-way power driver's seat, Electronic Vehicle Information Center and trip computer, satellite radio, six speakers, automatic headlights, premium headliner, universal garage door opener, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-wrapped shift knob with chrome accent, 17-inch aluminum wheels.

Chrysler 200 Limited upgrades to leather upholstery, heated front seats, upgraded interior trim, remote start, touch-screen display, compass, outside temperature reading, 430-watt sound system Media Center CD/DVD with 40-gig hard drive, iPod input, Bluetooth, U-Connect hands-free phone, fog lamps, 18-inch polished aluminum wheels.

Chrysler 200 S comes standard with Boston Acoustics sound system, leather, special front seats with suede inserts, heated front seats, perforated leather-wrapped steering wheel, 18-inch polished aluminum wheels with black trim, body color mirrors and door handles, and special trim: black-barred grille, headlights with black background, unique foglight bezels, and a black-inlayed winged Chrysler badge.

2012 Chrysler 200 Design

The Chrysler 200 front air dam is clean: low, thin, and horizontal. Its halogen headlights appear small from head-on, but flow around the front corners into the bulging fenders, creating a line that widens to the rear of the car.

 

Powering the 2012 Chrysler 200

The 283-horsepower V6 engine is a brand new design that will power many future products, and in this application, coupled to the 6-speed but working manually in third and fourth gears through the mountain two-laners, it showed class-leading power and acceleration, not something we ever have said about the Sebring's old engines. It generates almost 1.3 horsepower per cubic inch, and has every one of the latest technologies except for direct fuel injection. Chrysler says the new V6 generates more than 90 percent of its peak torque from 1600 up to 6400 rpm, and our mountain driving showed that it always had plenty of torque coming off of slow corners. The engine has a nice, powerful growl when it's working, and you can't hear it when it's not.

Interior of the 2012 Chrysler 200

The Chrysler 200 cabin is nice, with seat coverings and trim that feel soft and luxurious. The seats feel supportive and should be comfortable for long periods behind the wheel.

The instrument panel contains the usual three round gauges, with gray-on-gray graphics that are pleasing to the eye, while its white accent lighting is wonderful at night. The three-spoke steering wheel has a thick leather-wrapped rim and padded hub with controls for the sound system and cruise setting. Armrests are soft, and door pockets roomy. Some models have two USB ports, handy for phone and laptop charging. The cabin is one of the quietest in the segment, thanks to new sound absorption materials, as well as an acoustic glass windshield, laminated side glass usually found in higher priced vehicles, and new engine mounting for the 2.4-liter engine.

Conclusion

The 2012 Chrysler 200 and 200 Convertible do carry over with the Sebring's skeleton and structure, but they eliminated the overextended styling, low-buck interiors and unyielding ride. The only thing that kept the original Sebring going was fleet sales. And good thing it remained alive to give birth to the reformulated 200. This car is a better realized vehicle that Chrysler should have put on sale four years ago. the 2012 Chrysler 200 is not perfect, but it's a good match for a style conscious, comfort oriented driver.

Some information for this review was obtained from NewCarTestDrive.com