The PT Cruiser has been on my shortlist of cars to replace my BMW 3-series lease but a recent drive in a 2003 PT Cruiser shows that there are some rough edges that Chrysler should address.

Overall
The PT Cruiser is a 4-door wagon, retro-styled to look like a hotrodder of the 1930s or 1940s. From the company that brought us the Plymouth Prowler, the PT Cruiser is a fun looking vehicle with a highly practical interior.

The Interior
I rented a 2001 PT Cruiser a couple years ago (see my review) for a weekend drive from LA to San Francisco and I was then impressed by the room-efficiency of this vehicle but surprised at some flimsy interior pieces. The 2003 vehicle I rented seemed much better - trim pieces were solid and the wishy-washy center console vents are much more solid than I remembered.

You sit higher up in a PT Cruiser - almost mini-van/SUV-like. That has mixed benefits. You get a commanding view of the road but in the Touring Edition I drove, you definitely feel the turns and lane changes since the center of gravity is a lot higher.

I personally didn't like the faux suede and leather trim. It looked like a cheap way of calling the interior upgrade 'leather' when, in fact, you were only getting leather trim on the edges of the seats.

Much has been said about the highly functional interior - the backseats fold flat, the rear deck shelf tray can turn into a picnic table, etc... It's interesting to note that for 2004, it only took GM 3 years to catch up with their very similar shelf/tray arrangement in the new Malibu Maxx.

The Exterior
Nothing looks like a PT Cruiser and I think the styling is still wonderful. In the right colors, the car looks very aggressive. The fit and finish of these cars are quite impressive as well - especially as they are actually made in Mexico! Mexican-built VWs and Fords have a reputation for poor quality so I guess the Chrysler plant in Mexico is much better run.

Driving
When I first drove a PT Cruiser a few years ago, I was impressed with its highway mileage and its peppiness - all this with the base 2.4L 4-cylinder engine that is rated at 150hp.

Now, driving a PT Cruiser around the city, I'm still thinking that the 2.4L 4-banger is adequate, power-wise - as long as you drive stickshift. But I noticed a number of things that I didn't recall in the 2001 model. First of all, although the car is responsive and drives quite nicely, the turning circle seems quite large for such a small car. For what are fast U-turns in my car, the PT Cruiser needed a 3-point turn. To put this in perspective - a PT Cruiser is half a foot shorter than a Honda Civic! And the city gas mileage was worse than my 6-cylinder car!

The car's high stance makes it comfortable to sit in traffic but the wagon configuration creates some large blind spots. Also, after a full day of city-driving, I didn't feel that the Touring Edition seats were perfectly shaped for spirited driving. Lack of side bolster supports only added to the leans whenever you make a hard lane change or turn.

Since its introduction in the 2001 model year, what has Chrysler done to improve the car? Well, they added a pricey GT Turbo model that gets even worst gas mileage but does have a host of suspension and wheel/tire upgrades. But overall, I was disappointed that Chrysler had not done much to improve each model year with a steady stream of improvements. It's clear that the PT Cruiser is a cash cow for the company - basically a Neon Wagon - so they're not going to sink in any more money on a car that already sells very well with only paint color changes each year. Most outrageously, the top-of-the-line PT Cruiser, the Dream Cruiser, is just a paint scheme upgrade!

Suggested Areas of Improvement

Gas Mileage - Chrysler needs to either put a hybrid engine in the PT Cruiser or figure out a different gasoline engine to improve the gas mileage of this car. The PT Cruiser is a small 4-cylinder car - there's no reason for it to fare so poorly.

Smoother manual transmission - the cueball shifter looks cheap to me and the shifting action isn't particularly smooth - a constant reminder that the PT Cruiser is not a sports car! Shouldn't Chrysler have access to some nice German-engineered manual transmissions from its Daimler parent? VW transmissions are much sportier.

Year to Year Differentiation - Was I sitting in a 2004, 2003 or 2001? I couldn't really tell. Invest some money and change the shape of the headlights or try different wheels. The age of the original Beetle - where a car company could manufacture the same car for decades - is past!

Better fender protection - though the PT has small rubber riblets along its lower flanks, the stylish bulging fenders are vulnerable to other car doors!

Interior stylingThough PT's can have color dashboard glove box inserts to match the color of the car, the dash itself isn't particularly interesting. When you look at other retro-mobiles like the Beetle or the Mini, you get very stylish interiors.

Overall
I still like the PT Cruiser so not as much as when they first came out. They are a good driving car for 70% of the population and the GT Cruiser clearly tries to address the next 20%. Nothing beats the functionality of its interior. But overall, I was disappointed that after 3 years of consumer feedback that there wasn't more dramatic improvements to this very capable car.

The PT is still on my short list but there are a lot of other interesting cars coming up. The Honda Element is one. Chrysler needs to keep improving the PT Cruiser to fight off the competition because it's something like gas mileage or interior refinement that could make or break a decision for me.

Amount Paid (US$): 19000