MSNBC says Chrysler will build the PT Cruiser through 2009, After that, not. Originally planned as a Plymouth (remember them?), the PT was a big hit in its model year '01 debut. Flash forward seven years and sales are faltering in the face of competition from trendy CUVs and cute utes. As Volkswagen discovered when it brought back the Bug, it's hard to update a model defined by its styling. Chrysler's executive vice president of product development says his people are planning a new small crossover that will provide PT-like functionality. "It's a new market now," Frank Klegon opines. "We think the new vehicle that we're coming with behind it [the PT] will play the role with a different style." Oblivious to '50's film noir, Cerberus' minions will attempt to sustain PT sales to the bottom of the sales pool with the eleventh "special edition:" the Sunset Boulevard Edition. Perhaps they should have called it the "Sunset Edition" and let it go at that.
Find Reviews by Make:
Read all comments
Too bad.
The PT is practicle, affordable, and stylish (or was anyway).
I guess Chryslerberus is over saturated with this type of car however, what with the PT, Calibur, Patriot, and Compass all providing the same basic package.
I seriously consider one if the gas mileage was better.
It is completely beyond me why Chrysler didn’t update the PT on the Caliber’s platform. Chrysler is desperate for a sophisticated fuel efficient vehicle, and it has been staring them in the face for years.
Instead, they built the Aspen and dilly-dallied for 3 years over whether to build the Imperial.
Rudderless and ridiculous.
When it first came out I thought the PT Cruiser was great looking. Now I gag at the sight of them. Why not a major refresh in ’05?
I thought the Dodge Caliber was the lame answer to “What do we make after the PT Cruiser?” Or was that the HHR, GM’s Me2 Cruiser?
Plans for the end of 09?
What a shame. The PT feels higher-quality and is far more pleasant to drive than the Caliber, Compass, and Patriot that kinda sorta take its place. Why, oh why didn’t they share the PT platform instead?
Chrysler seems determined to rid itself of competitive products. The Pacifica will also go the way of the dodo in 2009-2010. What takes its place? The Nitro?
interesting observation about the difficulty in updating the PT and the new Beetle when the model is defined by its styling. a shame because (unlike the Beetle) the PT is an incredibly sensible and practical vehicle – albeit in a totally goofy-ass package. IMO this over-emphasis on style is what leads to abortions like the PT convertible. similarly, scion ruined the Xb by emphasizing “box style” over “box utility”. . . .
@taxman100
In Europe, we get the PT Cruiser with a Mercedes 150hp diesel engine. More grunt and better economy than the gasser.
The PT feels higher-quality and is far more pleasant to drive than the Caliber, Compass, and Patriot that kinda sorta take its place. Why, oh why didn’t they share the PT platform instead?
The PT was (is) based on the Neon platform. It was long in the tooth when they introduced the PT and it’s even more outdated now. If anything, they should have developed a totally new platform for the PT and the Caliber independently of Mitsubishi and kept it at that instead of bastardizing Jeep in the process. They could have differentiated them by style and market placement like they’re attempting to do with the Sebring and Avenger – but a lot more successfully, I would hope.
i thought that the interior packaging was great – but i never liked the outside. I like retro tho, when are we gonna retro some tail fins? That I’d like!
This is one of the ugliest cars in current production. Now, if Cerberus would just stop whoring out Jeep with all its CUVs, I might be able to like Chrysler again.
Having just gotten back from visiting the in-laws in Maine, and having lived with one of them for a week, it’s a pity they can’t update the car. I found it to be a nice driving (although bland, then again, it IS just a plain old sedan under all that styling), well built, and comfortable. Only disappointment was being unable to get better than 25mpg.
My mother-in-law drove it for a day – she’s now looking at getting rid of the Explorer.
Definitely a underrated car. Guess if it would have been built by Toyota, it would have gotten a lot more positive acclaim.
The PT was a band-aid for Chrysler on a wound requiring stitches. It helped out for a while, but it was not enough and because of its nature, it wouldn’t last forever. Probably one of the better products in Chrysler’s line-up, but it’s hard to update something that’s supposed to look classic. Oh well, I won’t lose sleep over it.
The original PR pictures looked awesome, the original car not so much. However, I apprechiated the times I was in one for its space. I didn’t apprechiate it for its gas mileage or power, when shopping for a new car, though.
A shame to see it go, it was distinctive.
“Definitely a underrated car. Guess if it would have been built by Toyota, it would have gotten a lot more positive acclaim.”
Toyota already built something that was better, the xB, and it didn’t have to have lousy fuel mileage or a nasty looking interior.
P.J. McCombs:
If the PT is more pleasant to drive than the Caliber/Compass/Patriot I dread to imagine how poorly those 3 car/suv/whatever triplets drive.
Back in March when I was getting a new car I sold my old one privately instead of trading it in. There was a period of about a week when all the paperwork for the new car had to be completed, so the dealership rented me a PT Cruiser to drive around so I wouldn’t be totally without transportation
I can say that the PT Cruiser is unequivocally the WORST car I have ever driven in my entire life. It is the only car I’ve driven that actually made me feel like I was putting my life in danger by driving it. The (non-independent) rear would step out of line over the tiniest of bumps and throw the car around every which way. I was doing about 65mph on the freeway when I hit an elevated expansion joint and the car switched lanes on me with the steering wheel pointed straight ahead. I later went over that same joint in a Chevy Aveo (I had some the ‘opportunity’ to drive some real stellar cars while I was waiting for my new arrival) and the Chevy’s composure over that bump was S-Class-esque in comparison.
The PT Cruiser I was driving was a 2007 model with no more than 20,000 miles on it too. That car disgusts me
Uh, wasn’t “Sunset Boulevard” the movie about the has-been actress who was once admired but who clings to delusions of popularity?
Is someone at Chrysler being funny here? Or sadly prescient?
I can see it now, the Norma Desmond Edition . . . .
According to that consumer magazine, the tired old PT Cruiser rates higher than the new Dodge Caliber and Jeep Compass, which is disappointing considering how much older the PT Cruiser is. Chrysler had what? Six years to come up with a replacement and then when they bring it out it’s a step backwards.
thetopdog, I drove the living hell out of a rental PT and gave it a good endurance run and didn’t experience any of the problems you had. Next time your in one, give it good doses of full throttle blasts, attempt to lock the brakes up on stops, and also attempt burnouts on every take off and best of all, get the tires to howl when you take corners at full speed. That’s the only way to get any good driving excitement out of a vehicle. I’m one of those jackanapes who speeds and peels out in my daily beater Ford Ranger. I’ll admit it, I don’t care.