News Source: topspeed.com

Ah, the Chrysler 200  — the “luxurious” champion of rental car fleets the nation over; successor to the equally rental-esque Sebring, that sedan, coupe,  and two-door convertible  that lived from 1995 till 2010 when the then-new 200 picked up the baton for the 2011 model year. Though the 200 was a marked improvement over the Sebring in nearly every way, its styling was on the boring side of stodgy. Its interior, however, began to show off Chrysler’s  helpful Fiat  influences. While not stellar, the first generation 200’s innards were on the right track.

Now for 2015, Chrysler’s Fiat ownership is fully realized. The all-new 200 is a far cry from that rental lot appliance of yore. Its swoopy exterior design is considerably up-market in its styling while its interior looks as if it rolled off a Volvo  assembly line. Perhaps if anything, it’s a tad overdesigned, attempting to overcompensate for the egregious fashion faux pas of years gone by — but that’s nothing to hold against the car.

I recently spent a week getting to know the new 200. My tester was the sportier flavor, the 200 S. It came well equipped with the range-topping, 3.6-liter V-6 and all-wheel-drive. The fantastic 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment system and a very stylized gauge cluster dominated the dashboard while its sloping center console carried all the right knobs for safe, eyes-on-the-road driving.

So how’d it measure up after getting past its pretty face and improved interior? Well, continue reading to find out.

My tester came dressed in white with 19-inch Hyper Black aluminum wheels. Save for the colored lenses of tail and side marker lights, the car looks as if it lives in its own black and white movie. I like that though, as the crisp lines of the black front fascia, glossy-black window surrounds, and black rear bumper accent gives the car an uncluttered appearance. Bright-chrome accents do appear on the dual exhaust pipes and model badging.

The front end is accented by some swanky LED daytime running lights. At night HID headlights take over and quad fog lights down low really help light the road. Their aim is extra wide, assisting with sharp turns onto dark roads.

While it might be trivial, I also really like the shape of the side mirrors from inside the car. The glass is cut in an interesting way that adds character without sacrificing vision.

Things inside the 200 S are rather nice. The S trim comes standard with cloth seats with leather trimmings. Leather also covers the three-spoke steering wheel, center console, and door panels. Other materials include soft-touch plastics and satin-chrome accents. It’s a very competitive cabin in relation to its competition.

My tester came equipped with Navigation and Sound Group I package. That includes the 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment system and a nine-speaker Alpine  sound system with SiriusXM. The 8.4 Uconnect has been my favorite infotainment system out of every system I’ve sampled. Its simple layout is clean and easy to figure out — so much so, I’m confident even the non tech-savvy would be able to move about its menus.

In keeping with the easy-to-use theme, Chrysler has included real-life physical knobs for the most used controls down on the center console. They include all the major HVAC controls and the radio volume and tuning. Simple, large buttons, and smartly placed. Thanks Chrysler.

Also easy to use is the rotary dial for the nine-speed automatic transmission. While it might take a few days to stop turning up the radio volume when switching gears, the learning curve is rather small.

I did have a few complaints about the interior. For me, the grayish-blue accent leather and plastic dash accents don’t look the best; just a personal preference. Secondly and more objectively, there always seemed to be a glare on the lower corners of the gauge cluster, even in low light. Also, the nine-speaker Alpine sound system and its 506-watt amplifier completely overpower the interior’s ability to remain snapped together. Inch up the bass and parts start rattling like a tin can. With the radio off, the interior returned to being church-mouse quiet, even on rough roads. Lastly, the rear headroom is rather cramped, especially when entering the back seats. I gave myself a pounding headache when my temple slammed against the sloping roofline. Ouch!

Under the hood of the 200 S lies Chrysler’s omnipresent 3.6-liter, Pentastar V-6. Mounted in a transverse position, the engine connects to a nine-speed, yes nine-speed transaxle that, in this case, powers all four wheels. Front-wheel drive comes standard for those who don’t need the extra traction. In this application, the V-6 makes 295 horsepower at 6,350 rpm and 262 pound-feet of torque at 4,250 rpm.