Faults:

Nothing, but seats stain bad.

General Comments:

I bought the PT Cruiser to replace my old Volvo 850 wagon. The Volvo was getting old and needed repair frequently, and I needed a new small car that would provide versatility and good fuel economy.

To tell the truth, I was a little wary of buying an American car given their overall poor reliability record, but they have been getting better as of late. The reviews I had heard about the PT were exceptional and reliability was above average, so I caved and bought one.

I purchased the base model (with and automatic transmission and a/c being the only two options) at a price of about $16,700. That was not a bad price at all considering what this car has to offer.

One of the cons I have heard about the PT was that the powertrain (150hp 2.4 Liter 4 Cylinder) is too small and underpowered. Quite frankly, I think that it is quite peppy. I drove this car on the highway during a family vacation and frequently had to take my foot off of the accelerator pedal because I was going too fast.

The automatic transmission isn't bad either, and shifts smoothly enough. I like the fact that Chrysler designed the car so that you selected overdrive by moving the gearshift, and not pressing some button on gear lever itself. I have had cars in the past with this feature and when I went to go shift the car it would pop out of overdrive because I accidentally hit the button.

The build quality of this car is very impressive and rivals the top Japanese makes. The PT has a heavy, quality feel not usually seen in small cars today. Soft touch plastics garnish the interior and the doors and exterior features feel solid.

I love the exterior design. The chrome grille strakes and large Chrysler emblem add a sense of elegance to the car. I also like the enormous liftgate (useful for loading wide objects) with the electronic touchpad. All I have to do is give a gentle press on the pad and the liftgate swings open. Ingenious!

On the inside, the PT is even more amazing. The gauges are large and easy to read, while the color keyed bezels surrounding them match the exterior color of the car. I think that this feature is particularly nice because it brightens up the interior. The center stack is logically laid out, with all of the controls right where you expect them to be. The placement of the window switches here may seem a bit awkward at first, but when you think about it, this is a good place for them to be. The salesman at the Chrysler dealership told me that when most power windows fail, it is actually the switch itself and not the window mechanism and that is why Chrysler put them there.

I have never seen such a great center console in a car. It has two large storage bins for CDs, pens, and cell phones, along with an integrated armrest. There are also cup holders for all five passengers. The seats in this car are comfortable as well. The fabric is nice looking, but I have had a hard time keeping it clean. RAIN will stain these seats. Why isn't there any protectant on these seats to begin with? Anyway, I got a can of stain protectant at the local auto parts store and am in the process of coating the seats.

I can store tons of items in the cargo area, and the removable 60/40 split rear seat is a marvel of engineering. We went on a 2 week vacation recently and I didn't even have to fold the seats down! I was still able to install the cargo shelf as well, so nobody could see our luggage.

Overall, this is the best small car on the market you can buy right now in my opinion. It is cool looking inside and out, fun to drive, and supremely reliable. The dealership I have been going to has excellent sales and customer service as well.

The PT Cruiser has everything you could ever want in a car.

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with the car to date.

General Comments:

This is my first Chrysler product. So far, I am very impressed with the build quality. There are no rattles and the car rides and handles very smoothly.

Having come from a larger car, the driving position has taken some getting used to. The seats are mounted higher than in a conventional passenger car. They are very firm and comfortable and upholstered in a very durable fabric.

All of the controls are logically placed, with the exception of the power window switches, which are mounted in the center of the dashboard. Once you get used to them, it becomes second nature. All other controls are placed on stalks on the steering column. The trip computer is a useful function. However, it is not possible to reset the average fuel economy to zero. It resets itself to "re-average" from the last reading. It also does not provide an "instant economy" function.

My car has the optional sunroof. It does not take up any additional headroom. During moderate temperatures, you can just open the sunroof and turn on the fan without the a/c and stay comfortable.

The standard stereo system is OK, not much bass, but is acceptable for most users. It also has a plug in for a MP3 player.

The climate control system is wonderful. Both the A/C and Heat perform their functions well. The rear defogger works well, clearing the window quickly and can also be helped along with the rear wiper.

The paint seems to be of higher quality than previous GM and Ford models I have owned. Same for the quality of the interior materials, which have an upscale look to them and are color coordinated appropriately.

The engine runs smoothly, with a nice growl on acceleration. The transmission shifts a little clunky from 1-2 but smoothly through the other gears and downshifts smoothly for extra oomph when needed.

The headlamps illuminate the road well on low beams and light up the night on high beams.

Gas mileage is very poor so far. 18 around town and no more than 22 on the highway. I have heard it gets better as it gets broken in.

The turning radius is a little wide for a smaller car, but is not that noticeable once you get used to it.

The only other negative I can think of is that there is no remote function for the rear hatch.

All in all, I am quickly growing quite fond of my little Marine Blue cruiser. It is totally different than most cars I have owned. At 16,900, after rebate and that price includes Automatic, Sunroof and Side Impact Air Bags, the car was a great deal. I will continue to post updates as the miles accumulate.