Automakers need to bring a lot to the table
these days, and the 2013 Chrysler 200 Limited is Chrysler’s attempt to
offer you more than you were expecting. After all, the auto industry
lately is all about bang for your buck: You can get a Ford that looks
like an Aston Martin, a Hyundai that’s truly elegant or a Mercedes for
$30,000. For 2013, Chrysler stepped up the 200 sedan with new suspension
and more aggressive looks, in an affordable compact luxury package. All
that for a sticker of $27,000. Is the 200 well qualified to represent
The D? Let’s find out.
Designer’s Touch
Chrysler didn’t have a
very high bar to clear when it aimed to replace the Sebring, which, from
a design standpoint, the 200 does easily. Especially this Limited model
with dual chrome exhaust tips, projector headlamps and LED taillights;
and more especially the S package that includes a blacked out grille,
big 18-inch wheels and all-season tires for only $495. All those extras
create a very attractive package that fits the car well, and matches
Chrysler’s brand image as a kind of blue-collar refinement. The 2013 200
Limited is like Detroit on a job interview.
But that doesn't mean it’s
out of place on the west coast. On date night in downtown Los Angeles,
not only did the shimmering paint and blacked-out swagger attract a few
stares, but the 2013 200 Limited shone under the glamorous lights of LA
Live. Parked in the shade of financial firm skyscrapers, the 200 Limited
proves that luxury doesn't have to be ostentatious. Here, a silver
Bentley or bright blue Porsche will barely turn heads, yet people in
suits and flip-flops alike take a second to linger over the strong lines
of the 200.
