The new Chrysler 200 is a revolutionary improvement of the midsize sedan.FAST FACTS* Model: Chrysler 200 Limited* Exterior color: Bright White* Interior color: Black* Engine: 2.4 liter, four-cylinder* Horsepower: 184* Transmission: 9-speed automatic* Fuel economy: 36 miles per gallon highway, 23 mpg city* Dealer: Moss Motor Company in South Pittsburg, Tenn.* Price (as tested): $23,996
Sometimes new-car upgrades are evolutionary, modest tweaks to an already refined product.
But sometimes they’re revolutionary, huge leaps in quality and performance designed to vault a middle-of-the-pack model into the upper echelons of a class. The new Chrysler 200 midsize sedan, a clean-sheet redesign by Fiat Chrysler, is definitely in the revolutionary category.
Chrysler has transformed a plain-Jane fleet car into a worthy competitor for the traditional heavyweights in the class: the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, Ford Fusion and Nissan Altima.
In a recent comparison test involving midsize cars by Motor Trend magazine, the 2015 Chrysler 200 placed ahead of both the Camry and Accord but behind the Mazda6 and Kia Optima. Having driven all except the new Kia, and not accounting for predicted reliability (a big caveat), I would slot the 200 just behind the fun-to-drive Mazda6.