Chrysler’s PT Cruiser has finally grown into the car it deserved to be in the first place. When the retro-styled little car was first launched in this country three years ago it arrived with a two litre petrol mated to a five speed manual or three speed auto gearbox, and the combination didn’t really blow anybody’s hair back. I loved the concept and the styling, but had reservations about the car’s performance in speed-crazy South Africa. Left-hand-drive markets saw more powerful versions on offer, but we civilised folk who inherited our road system from the Poms were restricted in our options.
Now, with the arrival of the PT Cruiser 2.2 CRD things are looking considerably brighter. The Mercedes-Benz-derived four cylinder 2,2 litre turbodiesel delivers 89 kW of power at 4 200 rpm and a very generous 300 Nm of torque from 1 600 to 2 600 rpm. Top speed is claimed to be 183 kph, and the 0-100 sprint should be all over in well under 12 and a half seconds if the factory is to be believed. The engine has also benefited from the addition of balance shafts, making it smoother and quieter than the version used in Mercedes-Benz’s own vehicles.
At the Cape Town launch I found the car’s power delivery to be hugely superior to that of the petrol version. There’s tons of grunt across the rev-range, and the Cruiser gets up to a healthy gallop with very little effort. As in the petrol equivalent handling is taut and ride quality European. Spec levels are high, with ABS brakes, traction control, four airbags, a decent sound system, electric windows and all the rest. There’s also the matter of the seats that offer 32 different and very usable combinations
The diesel PT Cruiser CRD Limited sells for R229 900 – very close to the price of the petrol version. For us there’s simply no contest – function has finally caught up with form, and I don’t know why anybody would even consider the petrol model. The importers tell us that the diesel PT Cruiser is the first Chrysler model to showcase the engineering advantages of the American company climbing into bed with Mercedes-Benz. Next up will be the Chrysler Crossfire. We can’t wait.