2000 Chrysler LHS (278)

Overview:
Right out of the chute you have to notice the forward thinking styling of this 2000 Chrysler LHS. You may not like it, but you have to notice it. That’s one thing I sensed immediately. And although I’ve heard it said, you either love it or hate it, my personal experience is that I only heard positive comments. Me – I love the overall design and styling.

Chrysler introduced the LHS as a 1994 model year to cover the full-size sedan segment of the market. They say its “paperless” design CATIA (Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application) trimmed eight months off the total development time for the new LH models. It comes in a single trim so decision making is made simple, especially since there are so many standard features.

Chrysler products were not my cup of tea in years past, and in fact I thought mom’s Dodge, with that old push button transmission, was a piece of junk. I thought it was cheaply made and obviously lots of other folks did too. That fact or at least the publics perception of poor quality took its toll on the company. If it hadn’t been for the efforts of Lee Iacocca at that precise time in history we would have lost one of the Big 3 American automakers. Some thought we should have anyway. Why bail them out? The cries were loud from both sides but there were lots of people who would have lost their jobs if the company went out of business.

Today it is a different story and you have to give credit where credit is due. Chrysler is a contender in the “Rocky” sense of the word. It’s a scrappy company that successfully fought its way back. They seem to have “no fear” when it comes to design and innovation. And because they are state of the art in design techniques, they have kept the prices down to sane levels. One has to wonder what effect Daimler will have on the new Chrysler company in the years to come. But as of now, they produce cars that are extremely competitive.

Bravo, Chrysler, you get the award for tenacity over these many years of rebuilding. Yes, I know time is the test of all things and long-term quality of the new sedans remain a question mark. But, I can only judge based on the many cars I drive. I don’t notice all that much difference in higher priced cars in or out of class. I have encouraged family and friends to look at buying American because they are the best values on the market and have been for the past five plus years. That gap has to close, but it hasn’t yet.

The styling is different but in addition to having sweeping clean lines, the design is practical. It has a spacious interior, limousine-like rear seat, better than average visibility, large doors for wide easy entry, large front seats, quiet and well insulated, elegant interior feel with leather upholstery and nice touches such as a classy looking analog clock in the center of the dashboard, and wood trim. On the negative side I found the seats a little less comfortable than most and I think Chrysler needs to look at the seat design.

In keeping with the LHS being a full sized sedan with a roomy interior, the trunk is huge and even has a pass through to the rear seat. The opening of the trunk, however, is a little high which makes putting stuff in a little more difficult, but not bad. And in spite of the fact that it is a larger sedan, it’s not a boat. Remember American cars of the past that oft times road like boats. The suspension systems were so soft that when you went over a dip the car would float up and down for another block. Well, not so for most bigger cars in today’s world. This is true of this LHS with handling that more closely resembles a sports car.

The LHS shares its platform with the Concorde, 300M and Dodge Intrepid, and all are assembled in Canada.

The competition:

Buick Park Avenue $31,725-36,800, Infiniti I30 $29,465 – $31,540, Lexus ES 300 $31,405, Lincoln LS $30,915 – $34,690, Mazda Millenia $24,995 – $30,995, Mitsubishi Diamante $27,199, Pontiac Bonneville $23,680 – $31,635, Saab 9-3 $25,900 – $44,995, Volvo S70 $27,500 – $33,600.

Good News:

Roomy, classy interior, futuristic design, large rear seating area, fast, smooth ride, large car feeling with small car handling, well priced.

Bad News:

No side airbags, stigma of Chrysler poor quality in early years.

Standard Equipment:

3.5-liter, 253-horsepower V6 engine, four-speed automatic transmission, 4-wheel antilock disc brakes, traction control, speed sensitive steering, climate control, power widows, locks, cruise control, tilt leather wrapped steering wheel, memory settings, keyless entry, AM/FM cassette and CD system, security, 8-way power heated front seats, auto headlights, fog lights, power mirrors and 17” aluminum wheels.

Gas Stats:

18 City and 26 Highway MPG.

Pricing:

MSRP $28,090

Your comments are welcomed. My e-mail is joe@atthewheel.com