The best & worst things to come out of the Daimler/Chrysler alliance?

"LJ909" (lj909) 08/03/2015 at 18:45 • Filed to: None

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We all know how screwed up the Daimler/Chrysler alliance was. If you do research into it (especially on Allpar) it makes for a great and insightful read. Bad things came out of it but there was also some good thats still around. But at the same time alot of what came from that doomed marriage was a great idea, but just shitty execution. Take for instance the Crossfire.

It was a looker. Almost like a concept car and it had all the right things going for it: design, long hood short deck, rwd, optional supercharged V6 in the SRT version sourced from AMG. But at the same time it was basically an old SLK underneath which lead it to have bad driving dynamics, and that interior was HORRIBLE. Ive set in a few of them and its bad. What other things from the Daimler/Chrysler era were good, bad or both?

AM > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 18:52

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Worst: Anything Chrysler because Mercedes sucked them dry.

Best: Anything Mercedes because they had their profit plus any profit Chrysler made.

LJ909 > AM 08/03/2015 at 18:53

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Yea but they shafted Chrysler. The 300 is still pretty good. Like Ive said before, you have to spend way more to get a car of that size with rwd and a V8.

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 18:56

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If your interested in the merger look into this book. http://www.amazon.com/Taken-Ride-Cri…

I havent read this one yet, but I did read another book by him called Once Upon a Car and it was fantastic. So I can only assume this one would be good too.

AM > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 18:56

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They completely screwed Chrysler by sucking them dry then dropping them before they hit bankruptcy. You know, kinda like Fiat is going to do to them.

The 300 is a good car and the new 200 is fantastic (best in class I think).

Grindintosecond > AM 08/03/2015 at 18:57

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True! I remember before the prom night purchase, Chrysler announced how profitable it was and how much money it had in the bank. Suddenly they were bankrupt and for sale after Daimler dropped Ketamine in their Zima purchased them.

dogisbadob > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 18:59

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The best would be the LX cars. Obviously a success, and they’re still using that platform to this day under Fiat. Hard to hate on a fun RWD V8 wagon!

Worst: the Pacifica, which was the first American-brand DaimlerChrysler car to use Mercedes parts.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > AM 08/03/2015 at 18:59

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I’m not sure Fiat is going to do that. Seems like it is in their interest not to, at least until they manage to get their brand restablished stateside. That is something that Mercedes didn’t have to do.

LJ909 > AM 08/03/2015 at 19:00

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Yea your right. I think I read somewhere that Chrysler was sitting on a huge amount of cash when they merged with Daimler. 200 is best in class, but it goes mostly unnoticed. Its the pretty smart girl in a class of sexy sluts.

LJ909 > dogisbadob 08/03/2015 at 19:01

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The Pacifica used MB parts? I didnt know that. It was a good idea though for the time. Especially that in-speedo navigation screen. But like I said, its another example of good idea, bad execution.

AM > Grindintosecond 08/03/2015 at 19:01

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Yup! They stole from Chrysler’s piggy bank and when it was finally empty, they said ok bye and dumped their ass.

Mercedes’ cars somehow got a lot better than they had ever been during this time.

El Rivinado > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 19:04

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Best: Easy, the LX Platform, particularly the first gen 300. One of the few cars made after 2000 I would not mind owning at all.

Worst: The W210 E-Class, I’m sorry but there’s no excuse for a car like an E-Class to be built that shoddily and poorly. When you have a high level Mercedes Benz developing rust after only a couple years on the road, something is very wrong. This was the point when Mercedes had lost any and all reputation for impeccable build quality and became a car manufacturer that built stuff to a price point instead of a standard.

AM > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 08/03/2015 at 19:09

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I feel like it’s coming eventually. The minute Alfa and Maserati start to gain a lot of traction in North America, Chrysler will be forgotten and dropped just like they’ve been before.

I really hope that’s not the case though, they have a seriously good lineup right now. I’d drive just about every car they sell.

AM > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 19:11

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You would be correct, Chrysler had a large sum of money saved up to keep it in the green and somehow it all disappeared after the merger took place.

I think the 200 doesn’t do so well because the name has been hampered by the first gen. It’s a real shame because I’d take one over anything else in the class. I like the analogy you used as well, that was a good one.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > AM 08/03/2015 at 19:19

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Eventually, but it seems to me that they would be better off expanding their marketshare on cars that the average buyer can afford. In the long view, customer’s brand loyalty should be more profitable than immediate short term profits that their luxury brands can offer.

LJ909 > El Rivinado 08/03/2015 at 19:20

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You hit the nail on the head. That shitty build quality seen in the E class makes no sense especially considering the fact the amount of money that MB bought Chrysler for, and the influx of cash they got from the merger.

LJ909 > AM 08/03/2015 at 19:22

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Mercedes used it all up on their programs and gave Chrysler engineers whatever was left. Thats why alot of the stuff from that era had horrible interiors.

I would take a 200 too though. I think it has character, while everything else in the class is an appliance to a certain extent (the Japanese). Thanks on the analogy compliment.

Logansteno: Bought a VW? > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 19:23

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Nothing good came out of the Daimler/Chrysler “alliance” unless you’re a Daimler executive. The Mercs of that era weren’t good, Chrysler’s were plastic jokes with generally crappy engines and reliability because all Daimler did was take their profits and pump them back up to them. Hell, even my dad who worked at a Chrysler supplier didn’t get anything good out of it since he got laid off after Chrysler had to shudder their St. Louis plant when Daimler dumped their asses after they sucked them dry.

My hatred for Daimler goes down to a very deep, personal level and I can assure you they’ll never get a cent of my money. Never will anything with a pointed star be parked in my driveway.

AM > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 19:33

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Chrysler interiors were absolute nightmares until the all new lineup began to roll out in 2011 during the Fiat takeover.

The 200 really is a better car. It has the best interior in the entire mid-size segment; it’s handsome; it’s relatively cheap to buy/own; the V6 has lots of power and sounds great; there’s an AWD option. It also has a sportier character similar to the Mazda 6 or Fusion with 2.0 ecoboost.

Milky > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 19:35

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Just saying, I’d drive a Crossfire before you say they have “bad driving dynamics”.

Also, 1997 MB interior > 2004 Chrysler interior.

AM > Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. 08/03/2015 at 19:35

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I think they should focus on the more affordable brands first like you said. Make the crossovers and trucks some of the best in class because those two segments is where the real money is.

Once they do that, then start introducing new Alfa’s and Maserati’s.

LJ909 > Logansteno: Bought a VW? 08/03/2015 at 19:37

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I can tell it angers you. Its sad how they did Chrysler though. I always thought some sort of government investigation should have been done to bring out what really went on.

LJ909 > AM 08/03/2015 at 19:39

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I kind of have that feeling too. Seems lately that the focus of Fiat has been on the other brands while the newest thing we’ve seen from Chrysler is a refreshed 300. The lineup of 2 sedans and a minivan doesnt really give a vote of confidence.

LJ909 > Milky 08/03/2015 at 19:42

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I have. At the limit the Crossfire is horrible and the ride is unusually rough, even for a sports car.

That interior is horrible too, but the public didnt care. We all know the Sebring was the face of Americans convertible market for years. You really couldnt find many convertibles that could actually seat 4 people with enough room for them to be comfortable.

AM > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 19:44

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Jeep and Ram are bringing in a lot of sales right now but the Grand Cherokee and Ram are both going to need a redesign soon. The Ram has been out since 2009 with only a mid-cycle refresh and the GC has been out since 2011 with a mid-cycle refresh.

Dodge has been doing good with the Charger/Challenger but they need to update the rest of the lineup now.

Chrysler, well I don’t know what they’re doing. They have literally 3 vehicles.

Milky > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 19:52

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IMO seems weird to say you’ve “ set in a few” instead of driven, but either way. The SLK wasn’t a good handler so Chrysler made it stiff at an attempt to make it good at one thing.

Im not saying the interior isn’t horrible, but relative to Chrysler its not out of place.

LJ909 > AM 08/03/2015 at 19:56

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Thats exactly my point. Nothing is happening with Chrysler. Ram just got the Pro whatever small euro vans and go the Eco Diesel ram and different Ram variants, Jeep has the Cherokee and the Range Rover fighting Grand Wagoneer coming soon, I think Dodge has some stuff coming like the SRT Dart and the Viper has been getting updates, but nothing for Chrysler. Last thing that was supposed to come for them, the 100, got canceled.

AM > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 20:00

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Yeah I think Chrysler has the new Town&Country coming for next year but that’s it. They should be spending more money into Chrysler because 3 models is a joke. They need a new crossover or two, a compact car and maybe a coupe of some sort.

AMC/Renauledge > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 20:51

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The interior was identical to the prior SLK’s. Literally the exact same except the satin nickel inserts.

AMC/Renauledge > LJ909 08/03/2015 at 20:59

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The rear suspension was Merc E-Class. That’s one of the reasons it was canceled shortly after the Cerberus takeover. Daimler wanted (and took) their tooling back.

Chrysler could have used a midsize FWD based V6 crossover at that point, even if the Pac was 5 years old when production ended. Had it gone in for the major updates the rest of the line saw in 2010-11, it would have been viable a few more years.

MuchWagon > LJ909 08/04/2015 at 04:32

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Am I forgetting the timeline or is the JK replacing the TJ and the cancellation of the XJ the worst thing to come from daimler Chrysler.