*insert obligatory joke about rental cars*

"Van Man, rocks the Man Van" (jacoboconnell) 05/14/2016 at 09:14 • Filed to: None

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The annoying thing was, this car actually wasn’t that bad. We had it yesterday while the Odyssey was having its alignment and suspension done. The fact that everyone says this car is among the worst in the class shows how far cars have come, because it was a pretty good vehicle.

Pros:

- drove surprisingly well

- very smooth powertrain

- lots of front seat space

- didn’t feel slow or sluggish at all despite having less than 200 horsepower in a heavy car

Cons:

- disappointing fuel economy considering the 4 cylinder/9 speed auto combo

- tiny rear seat

- plastic EVERYWHERE in the interior

Note on the transmission: it’s nowhere near as bad as everyone says it is. You don’t notice the shifts at all, but the gear selection is really strange. It tells you what gear you’re in in the center display, which is really annoying because it’s gear selections are weird. I would have no complaints if it didn't tell you what gear you're in because the transmission shifts really smoothly otherwise.

hike > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 05/14/2016 at 09:16

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Sounds like you would like a 200C with a V6. The V6 is really just as efficient as the 4 cylinder because it doesn't really need to work hard to move the heavy car. Still a cramped back seat though.

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > hike 05/14/2016 at 09:21

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My dad’s 280hp TL gets 27 mpg on his 2 hour round trip commute, and the 184hp Chrysler with 3 extra gears only got 28 mpg. A V6 AWD 200C sounds like a nice car though.

Alfalfa > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 05/14/2016 at 09:47

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You may be thinking of the first gen 200, that was mercilessly ripped by enthusiasts and reviewers everywhere. Many say the new model is much better. I think there’s even a Hardibird article that mentions he didn’t mind driving it.

Van Man, rocks the Man Van > Alfalfa 05/14/2016 at 09:57

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I've read lots of reviews saying that this one still not that good, so I was pretty surprised when it wasn't bad.

Alex B > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 05/14/2016 at 10:41

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Maybe if you actually were the driver the transmission might annoy you?

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 05/14/2016 at 10:51

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You need to drive the first gen. Total piece of shit.

dsigned001 - O.R.C. hunter > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 05/14/2016 at 11:39

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The 200 is basically the dart with Chrysler stuff. The non-rental interior can be much better (my in laws have a dart with a decent trim package and I’ve never felt it was bad- leather and aluminum everywhere).

Also, the v6 and it the manual make the car much better. The v6 they (again my in laws) have in the caravan- 280 HP. The manual they have in the dart (with the 1.4 turbo).

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 05/14/2016 at 11:44

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A colleague of mine had one as a loaner a few months ago when his ram was in the shop getting the transmission fixed under warranty for the second time in under 10k miles. Anyway, he couldn’t understand how someone could actually spend money on one and ended up taking it back and renting a car on his own.

hike > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 05/14/2016 at 12:13

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Yeah, the joy of an underpowered 4 cylinder. The 9 speed really can't even make use of 9th with that amount of power. The V6 is just as efficient because of how little in needs to work in comparison. The 200c really is a nice car though. The competition is just so good as well.

Racin'Jason001 > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 05/14/2016 at 18:55

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I LOVE THE 200.

You should have rented the 2017 Pacifica if it was available!

http://racinjason001.kinja.com/the-2017-chrys…

pjhusa > Van Man, rocks the Man Van 06/28/2016 at 13:23

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“plastic”