Chrysler PT Cruiser

When Chrysler launched the PT Cruiser six years ago I was among the crowd who went: "Wow!" Put simply, I thought it was perhaps the single bravest move an automobile company had made in many years.

The concept of taking an old Hot Rod style vehicle and turning it in to an every day usable vehicle was intriguing and the retro styling, inside and out, was definitely an attraction to me, and to many other road users.
...
...main vents. Even worse, Chrysler continue to adopt the same inane automatic window system that plagues most American vehicles - the auto switch, which allows the windows to go down with just one touch meaning that the driver can return their hands straight to the wheel while the window continues to lower, does not automatically raise the window fully again at one touch. Instead, you have to hold the switch to close the window all the way. Why do ... more

When Chrysler launched the PT Cruiser six years ago I was among the crowd who went: "Wow!" Put simply, I thought it was perhaps the single bravest move an automobile company had made in many years.

The concept of taking an old Hot Rod style vehicle and turning it in to an every day usable vehicle was intriguing and the retro styling, inside and out, was definitely an attraction to me, and to many other road users.

It took me some time to get my hands on one of these cars, and eventually I ended up putting my Jeep Grand Cherokee into the garage for some extensive (not to mention expensive) repairs in order to achieve my goal and drive one of these cars for a few days.

And what a disappointment it was.

The exterior design is still as bold and exciting as ever. It oozes uniqueness and says something about the driver's desire for individuality; I used to drive a Lexus because it wasn't a BMW, but the PT Cruiser is starting to look a bit like a car that someone has said "well, I'd like something different but all I can afford is a Ford Focus so this was the alternative."

Having said that, the style of the bodywork is the least of your worries if you get one of these cars. Get inside and you are smacked in the face by the fist of a man from Fisher Price who was clearly brought in as a consultant to put the interior together. The garish fascias surrounding the dashboard dials and the passenger airbag match the colour of the outside (in this case, some rusty red) and can reflect the daylight badly, the switch gear feels too plastic and the controls to switch the air vents on and off look like they were stolen from some child's Lego kit. The toggle switches for the four electric windows are made from cheap moulded plastic and mounted awkwardly, high up in the centre of the dashboard between the two main vents. Even worse, Chrysler continue to adopt the same inane automatic window system that plagues most American vehicles - the auto switch, which allows the windows to go down with just one touch meaning that the driver can return their hands straight to the wheel while the window continues to lower, does not automatically raise the window fully again at one touch. Instead, you have to hold the switch to close the window all the way. Why do the designers do this? Why can't the auto switch work for up as well as down? Do we not need to fully close the window again once it has been fully opened?

The seats - cloth in this particular model - are hard and unsupportive. The base and back are quite flat, meaning there is nothing to hold your body in place and they feel as hard and unwelcoming as a plastic chair in a Doctor's waiting room. The model I had included armrests for both the driver and the passenger seat, and while it was quite comfortable to have the armrest down during long journeys, I found it needed to be up for town driving or anything that remotely meant I needed access to the gear lever or handbrake.

The steering wheel felt too large for the vehicle, giving the impression that you are at the helm of an ocean liner rather than a compact family car, and the feel through the wheel is rather disconcerting: the car offers very little feedback to the driver whilst on the road and to turn a corner requires an inordinate amount of turning from the steering wheel. The power steering is quite light, mind you, and once you're used to the amount of lock you need to use to manoeuvre the car it is quite easy to drive. The gear lever is perhaps the most unique retro part of this car, being as it is a long silver rod of metal protruding from the floor with a small white ball attached to the top. It's somewhere between a Hot Rod must-have accessory and a blinged-up Magician's wand.

The boot space is quite large, more than adequate for a car in this particular class, and the rear seats have an intriguing 'tray' system that they sit in when in place or that allows them to fold up neatly to increase boot space. Cabin space, however, for the passengers is perhaps a little cramped. The driver and passenger seats are quite close together and to fit three across the rear bench seat would be possible but perhaps you ought to spend a night at a swingers' club with your passengers before you all go out for the day in the PT Cruiser.

Equipment levels on the PT Cruiser are more than acceptable for the price and class of this vehicle: you get all-round electric windows, power steering, air conditioning and a CD player with prices starting from a Focus-fighting £12'995 on the road, going up to £18'970 for the top-spec Limited Cabriolet version.

On the road, this used 2.0 litre petrol model was more than capable of holding its own against regular traffic, although the interior does suffer from wind noise once you get up to, and over, sixty miles per hour. If you're in a hurry the motor will wiz you to sixty in a little over ten seconds and on to just over 120mph where permitted and disc brakes will soon have you safely back to a standstill when you need them. The engine does whine and clatter a little at high revs, so if you're in the mood to push it then expect some complaints from the car. The handling is respectable when you remember that, despite its Hot Rod looks, it isn't a racecar. It doesn't suffer unduly from understeer, which is nice to note, but you wouldn't want to spend too much time throwing it around country lanes. The large steering wheel and lack of feedback, coupled with some typically American wayward suspension, could mean that you'll end up in the ditch quicker than you expect to. Despite all this, the little car returns a more than admirable economy figure, average 35mpg; not bad for a two litre petrol.

The new versions of this car no longer have this particular engine; instead, your choices are between a rather hefty and tuned-down 2.4 litre petrol and a respectable 2.2 diesel that will offer similar performance to the petrol with documented economy figures approaching an impressive fifty miles to the gallon.

Without question, however, the issue of parking the damned thing is a big no-no. Visibility from the small wrap around windscreen is limited and the odd shape of the car's nose means you can't actually gauge where the front is. Looking through the rear window is even worse, regardless of whether you use the rear view mirror or crane your neck to look behind you. The rear window is small to the point of useless and the three headrests protruding from the rear seats block your view. And that's before you even put passengers in it, or before you remember the long turns of the steering wheel needed to navigate the thing. Couple that with a woefully poor turning circle that meant it couldn't navigate its way out of the Costco car park in Milton Keynes without selecting reverse gear a couple of times - along with a few choice words - and it makes navigating car parks and tight spaces something of a nightmare. Honestly, my lumbering Grand Cherokee could turn around several times in the space the tiny PT needs to make the same turn.

The PT Cruiser, then, is a good low-budget alternative to the mainstream offerings from Ford and Vauxhall, but its build quality and reputation pale in to insignificance alongside those other two manufacturers. If you're looking for a cheap second car then 2001 models can be found with prices starting at £3'000; a good second hand version should cost you around £6'000 for a 51-plate (September 2001 to February 2002). If, however, you're looking at spending between £15'000 and £18'000 on a new (or nearly new) car then I would recommend looking at some of the alternatives from Ford, Vauxhall, Volkswagen or even Skoda. Their build quality is much better, their prices are not too dissimilar and they're invariably much more reliable.

Despite it's faults, however, I don't like to be too mean to the PT Cruiser. I like what it's trying to be, I admire the vision of its designers, and I think a soft-top with a cream interior and the wild metallic purple paint they offer it in can look really cool with the Black Eyed Peas playing loudly on the stereo. And because I like it for daring to be different I want to try and find something really positive, something I really like about it, to leave you with.

So I'm going to pick the gear change. The clutch can be a bit squeaky, but the shift from one gear to the next is quite smooth.

I quite like that bit.
 

...less