chikoo

I am with you on this one. It is definitely a good/great car that I would not hesitate recommending to someone looking at that segment.

TangoRed

Interestingly enough, Sergio said today in his investors presentation that the 200 and Dart will "run their course" and they'll be looking for partners for next-gen models while they focus on crossovers, pickups, and hybrid powertrains.

Aron9000

That would send a huge red flag to me if I held their stock or bonds.

That's basically admitting defeat. He said in so many words that the company is incapable of designing a competitive small car that would turn a profit. That also shows me that Fiat is in pretty sad shape since that is what the company has always specialized in, building small, economical, cheap to own cars.

mikez

Well the cruz is kind of down there in terms of price and who it competes with, so I just meant that for a entry level / border line luxury car to feel the same, its pretty bad

Not to mention I also had 2 other co workers in the cruz, and we were driving up and down the hills of SF, while I drove the 200C in the flat lands of Atlanta haha

TangoRed

That's one way to take it. The other way is that this is consistent with what he's been saying all along- the overhead of creating cars in hyper competitive segments (midsize, compact) is enormous and it doesn't make sense without cooperation with other automakers.

Fiat does indeed do great with small, economical, cheap to own cars in global markets. Those aren't the same midsize cars and small vehicles we see fit for consumption here in the US.

Fizzboy7

Oh please, here we go again with more corporate BS for the public. The sloping roofline is NOT the reason the car is not selling well. It is not selling well for the exact same reasons all the past Chysler sedans have not sold well- poor execution in most other areas. Engine being on top of the list. Hyundai and many others have done perfectly fine with the sloping roofline sedans, so there is no way that can be used as an excuse.

It really irks me when we are fed these stories, and the general public goobles it up like truth. When one does a small amount of research, reads car reviews, follows the industry, and sees the patterns, the real reasons are clear.

BrownPride

I have a lot of background history with the American "Big 3" automakers including Chrysler and this report doesn't surprise me one bit. Behind the facade of a really sharp looking body and improved interior compared to Chryslers of the past, the 200 is still a POS. The Japanese, despite making more mundane sedans, make the best sedans. People aren't stupid for flocking to Toyota and Honda dealerships.

evident

I had a 200 rental the other month. It simply was the worst car I've ever driven, ingress egress was the last thing I could complain about of that vehicle.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I dunno, the Sebring and Caliber before it were just awful

Stereorob

sebring was absolutely disgusting. so were pretty much all other late 90s 2000s Chrysler products. kind of surprised they made it this far. the 300m was a pile of garbage right from the rip. I worked at a Chrysler dealership back in 2003 and remember the 300 "special" M's coming off the truck still wrapped in plastic already falling apart and pissing fluids.

always sort of liked the 2nd gen intrepids and concords, no idea why. the sebring was a pile of garbage but atleast most were convertibles so it made them fun to drive.. sort of. lol

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I oddly liked the Intrepid too

chikoo

Is there a picture or video of how badly the ingress is?

mmarshall

Thanks.....but I really didn't really come up with anything remarkable. It doesn't take a degree in physics, when you look at a humpback-whale rear roofline and a couple of six-footers, to see that the two won't mix. (And I've bumped my own head enough times reviewing many vehicles with them LOL).

And......back to Marchionne. You'll notice that all of his own American-market Fiat products (except, off course, the Miata-based Spyder) have tall roofs and plenty of headroom, even the minuscule 500. Perhaps that's one reason (among several) why Pope Francis chose a 500L to ride around D.C. in instead of a traditional limo.


On the rest of the 200, though, I myself thought the old 200/Sebring/Cirrus was shoddily-made, with cheap materials (and, yes, I've panned that car for years). But, despite the low rear roofline (and, yes, I agree that roofline s**ks), my overall opinion of the latest 200 is much better. Like other recent Chrysler products, it has made great strides in fit/finish, material quality, drivetrain refinement, and overall driving enjoyment. I did a full-review of the latest 200 not long ago, and was generally impressed with most things on it (it was a V6, not an in-line 4) except for the quirky rotary-**** shifter, which I haven't liked on Jaguars and Land Rovers either.

But the major design error on the new 200, IMO, was in dropping the convertible. The convertible was probably the best thing about the previous design (perhaps the only good thing about it LOL). It was a decent-sized convertible that, unlike most of today's ragtops, actually offered room in the back for two adults. Most convertibles can only squeeze small kids in back (if that)? because of the space needed for the fold-down roof. It also, unlike many ragtops that size, had an affordable price. Now, of course, Chrysler has lost that market, and the upcoming Buick Cascada convertible, though a little smaller than the 200, is set to grab the former Chrysler convertible market.

mmarshall

Lots of comments here, BTW, from posters, about what a POS the 200 is. Don't mix apples and oranges, though. That WAS true of the last 200, and its Dodge Stratus counterpart. But, except for the roofline, one or two minor design goofs inside, and not carrying forward the old convertible (which IMO was a mistake), the new 200 is FAR better than the old one in almost every way....especially with the V6 and the new transmission.

mmarshall

But it's also one of the main reasons the Acura ZDX failed.........