Car fans of the early 1990s, remember the era when Chrysler was thought of as the most progressive of Detroit's Big Three automakers? Back then, the five-pointed star was emerging from its association with lack lustre models such as the K Car and began penning some pretty outrageous projects for its time- the most exotic of which was the Dodge Viper.
Then came the cab forward sedans, whose design theme pushed the wheels to the four, far corners of a car's platform to maximize interior space.
Buyers of the Intrepid and Concorde enjoyed quite a purple patch as Ford and GM didn't really have an answer to the suddenly seductive charms of Chrysler.
Well, it's about a quarter of a century later and the manufacturer is at it again with the release of the re-worked, 2015 Chrysler 200.
In the ultra-competitive market of mid-sized sedans where most offerings - be they import or domestic - have trouble standing out on the dealer lot, the 200 cuts a pretty impressive figure.
The 200's profile lines give it a solid look, much of which is achieved from the B-pillar rearward.
That's where the roof line starts to gracefully flow into the rear window and trunk that features an elegantly upturned lip that gives it a sporty spoiler appearance.
From some angles, it appears some of the lines are similar to Audi's new design theme.
So, if there is a bit of mimicking going on here, Chrysler sure picked a decent nameplate from which to borrow some ideas.
Design lines aside, the new 200 has some pretty decent technology under its sheet metal skin, starting with the introduction of a ninespeed - that's right, one less than 10 - automatic transmission.
Chrysler says the 200 is the first in its class to offer such a number of gearing options. And it does so using a rotary shift selector which is not too unlike the one in Jaguar's XF sedan.
But why nine gears? Chrysler explains it helps provide a 26 per cent improvement in fuel economy over the previous model, which judging by the stratospheric prices we are currently paying at the pumps could prove to be a very welcome saving for new, 200 owners.
Official highway figures over the standard 100 km distance is estimated to use 6.4 litres of fuel.
All of that frugality comes with the 200's 2.4 litre Tigershark, inline, four-cylinder engine which produces 184 horsepower and 173-pound-feet of torque.
To help put that to good use, those opting for the Sport Mode on the transmission get - Chrysler insists - sharper steering feel and throttle response, as well as pushing gear shift points higher in the rpm range for improved acceleration.
Why that has to be an option, only the folks in marketing can explain, I suppose; why not put that into every new 200? The same can be said for the availability of all wheel drive, although that can add extra weight to a car, and decrease fuel economy - not a good combination. Still, the 200 has that as an option on what is a reasonably priced product.
Base sticker is $22,495 for the 200 LX. Drop another $2,000 on the 200 Limited and you get heated, power seats, a multimedia centre with hands-free communication, 17-inch wheels, and a more aggressive, lower front grille.
