Chrysler's PT Cruiser

[BrianS]

I’m just back after spending a week in the US. I used to enjoy the range of cars on the roads over there but its getting a bit boring now. It seems that everyone is going for the family van type of thing. 8 seaters for the kids, dogs, goldfish, golf-clubs and food (lots of food). On the other hand, there is an huge amount of Chrysler’s PT Cruiser on the road. It was reviewed on Top-Gear or Drive a few months ago and I didn’t really take to it on the little screen. I’m very partial to old hot-rods from 50’s & 60’s USA but I thought this retro-auto would be tasteless. How wrong I was though. Maybe it was the sunshine or the tree-lined roads but in the flesh, I am very impressed with it. Without wanting to sound too American, it rocks!

It could well be that it only suits the US though. Do you folks reckon it would sell over here? I think its available in the UK for about 20K sterling, depending on the model. In the US, it would be comparable to the amount of Ford Focus on our roads. There’s a lot of them around.

Have I no taste? What do you think of it? : http://www.ptcruiser.com

Take Care,
Brian

[Junior]

There was a Waterford Reg'd PT Cruiser floating about there not so long ago, I think they are gorgeous looking although could do with a GTi type effort.

[WhipLash]

I quite like the retro look of the PT Cruiser. It looks quite spacious inside, and while its probably not as versatile as say a Scenic, it certainly has the looks to stand out and make heads turn. Its priced quite high though as far as I can remember, and with a 2.0 litre engine being the smallest powerplant available (right?), this should keep the exclusivity factor high (in theory anyway).

On the downside, with the reviews of the car itself, I think that the engine has been slated for being too gruff and underpowered at low revs, although the overall performance figures are quite good (140bhp, 0-62 in 9.6 secs). The fuel consumption is pretty poor too, with only 25 MPG approx, but I suppose this isn't a problem in the States. Also, the quality of interior materials are said to be inferior to European ones. My main worry would be how long would the car last on Irish roads before the car starts to deteriorate into the land of squeaks and rattles - will its overall build be reliable enough? Only time will tell.

[Anders]

Have you guys seen the GT Cruiser? I don't know if it ever made production but I remember when the PT Cruiser was all new I saw it at the Chicago Auto Show, and they also had a bunch of GT Cruisers. I can't remember what made the GT Cruiser different, but it was very mean looking in comparison to the PT Cruiser.

[WhipLash]

I had a good look at a PT Cruiser while on hols last week. The looks are certainly retro, both inside and out, and the car does certainly stand out immediately. The one disappointing aspect I found though was its size – IMHO it actually looks quite small!! Maybe its just the appearance of the car, but a Renault Scenic actually looks bigger and more spacious inside.

Do many (or any?!) exist on Irish roads yet?

[Junior]

I actually saw three the weekend in Waterford, two were English reg'd and one was a Dublin reg me thinks

[Junior]

One of my mates has decided to get rid of his Tipo DGT [Anyone want a digital dash ?], so we went looking about yesterday lunchtime for some machinery, and what did I spy on a forecourt but a PT Cruiser it looks like a scaled up Yaris [Puke now]. Inside it looked small enough, but then again I wouldn'y like to pass judgement without having some time in it. As the car was going in for a polish and a clean we didn't get to sit in it but had a good look round the outside. I will go back and try and get a test drive .. [probably make up some eF Flashy ID]. Only off putting thing would be the 25 grand price tag !!

[BeCos]

I think they're quite nice machiines although they are smaller in the flesh than you'd imagine. I've seen quite a few out my way and one has the optional Sports kit /Chrome kit, whatever it's called but it has huge chrome wheels and trim and really looks the part.

However I didn't think they were so expensive, I kinda thought about £18K would cover it and maybe £23K tops for one with all the goodies.

I think when compared to the Sceneic type vehicles, the PT's glass area is a lot smnaller and makes it look like a smaller class of vehicle. More a case of form over function....quite the opposite to your average people carrier. Although in the US the people carriers are a much bigger vehicle altogether so maybe it's just the Europeans who pigeon hole it into the wrong slot!!

[Justin]

My wife thinks its ugly - thats the end of that, then.

[Phil]

Hi all,

Just to let you know you can get all the facts and figures on the new PT Cruiser here:

PT Cruiser Feature (http://www.eforecourt.com/body.htm?pid=109&catagory=feature)