"It's PhaT!" - discusses DaimlerChrysler's 2001 model PT Cruiser - Brief Article

Automotive Industries, Jan, 2000 by Gail Kachadourian

The attention to trim detail extends to the interior as well. The PT's got easy-to-read round gauges with chrome surrounds. One piece of interior "jewelry" that many observers seem to love is the car's "cue ball" gearshift knob -- it's got a simple coolness that you notice immediately.

"We didn't want to do what VW did with the New Beetle and Ford did with the new Thunderbird," Cadell explains. "We didn't want to take an old design and make it new. But we wanted it to have the feeling and comfort of having an older design in it." Listening to the voice of the customer paid off in subtle features, such as occupant security. "People didn't want to have others able to look in," Cadell explains, "so we raised the rear decklid and darkened the windows for a feeling of privacy and protection."

Their product should satisfy young and old buyers. The PT offers easy ingress and egress, thanks to seats with a higher H-point (vertical height of the occupant's hips in relation to the road) than the Dodge Neon's. This also increases road visibility. Cargo room is surprisingly ample for groceries, or home improvement supplies -- 19.0 cubic feet behind the rear seat with the shelf panel removed, and 76.0 cubic feet with the rear seat removed. There is 120.8 cubic feet of total interior volume.

The seating is also extremely flexible. It can be quickly transformed from a one-passenger to a five-passenger vehicle, and has three child tethers in the rear. "There are 26 different ways to reconfigure the seats," notes Tom Edson, director of interior systems engineering for small car platform.

The PT's 65/35 split folding rear seats can be folded forward in two positions, or removed for a flat load floor. In addition, the front passenger seat can be folded down for use as a tabletop for the driver, or to provide enough space to load an eight-foot ladder from the rear. For college football enthusiasts, there is even a tailgating shelf in the rear.

PT boasts "theatre seating" in the rear, created by higher seat mounting and an H (hip)-to-heel point that is somewhere in-between that of a Neon and the current-generation minivan.

The center console is neat and simple, stressing a less-is-more minimalism. The dashboard material picks up the vehicle's exterior color, another slick retro cue that recalls when car interiors had lots of painted metal. Only one interior color is offered, a two-tone taupe -- cloth in the Luxury Touring Group editions and a leather-and-suede combination in the Limited Editions. Edson says the single-option interior color helps keep build complexity (and cost) down.

DaimlerChrysler's risky PT offers flexibility and functionality at a reasonable cost. However, only time will tell if drivers decide that the appeal of goin' cruisin' in this millennium-made hot rod will stick around as long as the lava lamp.

RELATED ARTICLE: 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser FWD unibody 4-door light truck

General Data

Program code          PT
Description           FWD, unibody,
                      4-door light truck
Trim levels           Luxury Touring Group Ltd. Edition

Assembly

Plant location        Toluca, Mexico
Plant capacity        180,000/yr.

Fuel Consumption

EPA city/hwy (est.)   automatic
                      20 city/27 hwy.
                      manual 23 city/28 hwy.

Interior Dimensions

Headroom (in.)        f/r 40.4/39.6
Legroom (in.)         f/r 41.0/40.9
Shoulder room (in.)   f/r 54.6/53.9

Brakes

Front (in.)           10.94 x 0.9 discs
Rear (in.)            8.66 diameter drums
ABS                   Continental Teves

Transmission

                      5-speed manual,
                      4-speed automatic
                      Optional traction control

Engine

Type                  Inline 4-cylinder
Displacement          2.4L (148.2 CID)
Valvetrain            DOHC 16-valve
Bore x stroke (in.)   3.44 x 3.98
Compression ratio     9.5:1
Claimed horsepower    150 hp @ 5,600
Claimed torque        162 lb.-ft. @ 4,000
Fuel injection        sequential multipoint

Chassis

Front suspension      MacPherson strut

Rear suspension       twist beam
                      coil springs, Watts linkage

Steering              power rack-and-pinion

Turning diameter      15-in. tires and manual transaxle: 36.5
 curb-to-curb (ft.)   16-in. tires and automatic transaxle: 39.7