CHRYSLER PT CRUISER 2.2 CRD CLASSIC
Who Would Have Thought It? A Sensible Chrysler PT Cruiser. This 2.2 CRD Classic Model Adds Up As A Great All-Rounder, Thinks Jonathan Crouch
Once upon a time, Chryslers PT Cruiser was in short supply. Not any more. European production has meant plentiful UK supply in what is after all Chryslers most profitable overseas market. Hence the raft of cashback and special offers and the existence of the model featured here the entry-level 2.
2 CRD Classic.
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The diesel version of this car was launched in 2002 but at around £17,500 for the admittedly well equipped Touring version, it wasnt cheap. Customers in the growing
mini-MPV sector this car inhabits were certainly prepared to pay a little extra for the PT Cruisers undoubted charms, but how much extra? Between £2,000-£3,000 more than a decently specified
Vauxhall Zafira,
Renault Scenic or
Citroen Xsara Picasso was pushing things a bit. The price of the Touring was subsequently slashed to £15,700, showing just how closely keen pricing is linked to success in this sector. Hence the importance of the model we feature here, the PT Cruiser 2.
2 CRD Classic. Here is a PT with the diesel engine everyone seems to want and a price most people seem to be able to afford - £14,220. Standard equipment includes front airbags, side airbags, ABS, seatbelt pre-tensioners, electric heated door mirrors, air conditioning and day/night rear view mirror: pretty much everything youd want in other words. But what of that 119bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine? Well, the output tells you a great deal for a start, given that rival Vauxhall and Renault units can manage only 99bhp and 100bhp respectively. As a result, the PT Cruiser makes sixty from rest more quickly and is faster flat out.
Despite this, the Chrysler is only slightly more thirsty than the Vauxhall with a combined fuel economy figure of 41mpg as opposed to 44mpg. Its slightly further behind the Renault Scenic dCi (48mpg) but even this is likely to be a price worth paying for many buyers, taking into account the PT Cruisers street cred, high residuals and greater reserves of power.
"More torque than in any other mini-MPV at any price."
If youre comparing the purchase of a CRD PT Cruiser with buying the 143bhp 2.4-litre petrol version, then youll need to know that the diesel returns around 10 more miles to each gallon. Whether than makes the diesels £1,200 purchase premium worth paying will of course depend upon the mileage youre expecting to do. However, there are other factors to take into account.
Like most diesels, this one offers far greater reserves of torque than its petrol counterpart (more in fact than any other petrol or diesel mini-MPV at any price) making all the difference when it comes to pulling power through the gears. You really notice this around town where its necessary to change gear much less frequently. On the debit side, this isnt the quietest engine of its kind. You pays your money This was the very first compact US hatchback to be fitted with a diesel engine, so Chrysler engineers worked hard to make sure that the installation was a good one.
Derived from a
Mercedes-Benz design, the CRD engine uses common rail technology and a tiny IHI turbocharger to develop its 119bhp. Down to practicalities. The little Chrysler Neon provides the basic platform for this car but you wouldnt know that from a glance inside the far more spacious cabin. Its a bit of a shock to climb aboard and find that here, things are a lot more conventional though various efforts have been made to jazz the atmosphere up a bit.
Some of it works - the pool ball-style manual gear knob is a nice touch but much doesnt. The body-coloured plastic inserts glued around the instruments and on the passenger airbag cover are in dubious taste and the thin four-spoke steering wheel feels a bit cheap. From a practical perspective however just where you might expect the car to be at its least impressive the PT Cruiser is hard to fault. Though there are only two rows of seats, the cabin is extremely well thought out, with no fewer than 26 different interior combinations.
For a start, the second row can be removed completely and has rollers to make the task easier (why has no one apart from Chrysler thought of that before?). They split-fold 65/35 and fold flat on the
seat cushions when they do so. Even more clever is a parcel shelf that, as well as acting as a security lid for the estate compartment, also has five other uses. You can fit it at three different heights (so your dog can sit above three different sizes of shopping as long as he or she doesnt weigh more than 100lbs).
Or you can pull it out and add a central support leg to create a picnic table with its own shelter (the rear hatch opens to a height of six feet). Finally, you can mount the shelf as a vertical load restraint, which saves you having to take it out completely when youve bulky loads. As already suggested, theres a surprising amount of room inside for a car just 169 inches in length certainly enough for five adults and their luggage. Theres 19cuft of space behind the second row seating area, a figure that rises to 64cuft should you choose to clear it.
Mind you, thanks to the fold-flat seats, you may not need to: expect to be able to carry an eight foot ladder or a 2.4-metre-long surfboard should the need arise. All this versatility is thanks mainly to the very upright nature of the design and the way that the interior planners have used seats that will have everyone sitting up straighter than they normally would in a conventional car. Not that this is uncomfortable: the seats themselves are quite supportive and theres more headroom in the cabin than most will ever need. This, together with the glassy design, gives a feeling of spaciousness unusual in a mini-MPV of this size. Rear seat passengers sit a little higher than those at the front, thanks to stadium-style seating. Nice touches include a front passenger seatback that folds forward to become a table for your laptop, a 12V power socket for the kids GameBoys and a floor box with four cupholders.
Overall, this Classic version of the diesel-engined PT Cruiser is probably the best all-rounder in the entire range. Certainly, its the variant dealers would have liked to have had from the start. As it is, even new PT converts have now enough sensible reasons to give it a whirl.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Chrysler PT Cruiser 2.2 CRD Classic
PRICES: £14,220 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 12
CO2 EMISSIONS: 185g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 113mph / 0-60mph 11.9s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [urban] 31mpg / [extra urban] 50.4mpg / [combined] 40.9mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Driver, Passenger and Side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4288/1705/1601mm
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