We baby boomers on the Edmund's staff
remember with a certain fondness the family cars of our
childhood days. Full-size cars such as Ford Galaxie 500s,
Chevrolet Impalas and Plymouth Furys were typical of what
one would find in the driveways of early-1970s suburbia.
Unlike the kids of today, who sit in velour captain's chairs
in mom's minivan and enjoy CD sound (and even video tapes),
we boomers sat on flat, vinyl, bench seats and usually had
only an AM radio for audio entertainment on long trips. |
While there is no
denying the popularity of minivans as the vehicle of choice
for families, the full-size American family car lives on,
albeit now with a lot more standard features and a higher
price tag than those mainstays of our youth. Case in point:
Chrysler's Concorde.
Available in base, LX and LXi trim levels, the Concorde is a
well-equipped car. Even the base version has A/C (with ducts
for the rear passengers), tilt wheel, cruise control, power
everything (including driver's seat), keyless entry, a
decent stereo with cassette, full gauges, and a 200-horsepower
V6 engine. The LX adds a power passenger seat, upgraded
stereo with eight speakers, a trip computer and larger (16-inch
versus 15-inch) tires. The LXi ups the ante with antilock
brakes, traction control, leather seating, alloy wheels, a
CD deck in place of the cassette deck, and an anti-theft
system. We tested a green LXi with beige leather interior
and the optional 3.2-liter V6 sporting 225 horsepower.
The first thing we noticed about the Concorde is its
stunning looks. This is a flat-out gorgeous car; from any
angle the shapes flow together. And the egg-crate grille in
front reminded a few of us of some Ferraris of the 1960s.
Rent "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and you'll see what we mean.
There are three other cars in Chrysler's stable that share
this same platform: Dodge's Intrepid and the more upscale
Chrysler LHS and 300M. The Intrepid is a near twin to the
Concorde in terms of pricing and equipment levels, while the
LHS and 300M are more expensive and both feature a 253-horsepower
V6 not available on the Concorde or Intrepid. Ironically
though, most of us preferred the style of the less costly
cars to the LHS and 300M. One editor noted that "the
Concorde is clean and tasteful where the 300M's front end is
just plain bizzare." |
