The sleek saloon with dark windows slinks out of a heavily barred gate and into the rainy night. As it passes under a streetlight, you catch a glimpse of the big square bonnet and the expansive wheel arches with the running board. The driver has the collar of his trench coat pulled up to touch his low-slung trilby hat, and his passengers are carrying suspicious-looking violin cases. It’s a scene from any classic gangster movie, and it’s the style that the Chrysler design team wanted to capture in the PT Cruiser.

There is no doubt about it – the Chrysler PT Cruiser is certainly a vehicle that stands out from the bland crowd of boxes on wheels. Love them or hate them, the retro-looks of the Chrysler PT Cruiser are very eye-catching in any colour of the palette available, be it Cool Vanilla, Dark Plum or Inferno Red. Putting a modern twist on the 30s style saloons featured in cinema noir classics, the Chrysler PT Cruiser has a certain quirky charm that grows on the beholder. I could compare its appearance to that of a Staffordshire bull terrier – plug-ugly and stocky at first sight, but over time, revealing nobility, character and a lot of attitude. Four basic variants are on the market, the GT Touring, the Classic, the Cabriolet and the specially badged Route 66 Chrysler PT Cruiser.

No matter what you think of the retro-styled looks on the Chrysler PT Cruiser, there is nothing retro about its performance. The 2.4 litre Classic version, just to take one example, wrings a good 105 kW of power out of the 4-cylinder motor at 5200 rpm, and a credible 214 Nm of torque at 4200 rpm. The 2 litre version is a responsive and willing motor, with the manual version having a top speed of 190 km/hr and being able to get from 0-100 km/hr in 11.1 seconds. The fuel economy in the 2 litre version is also quite respectable – this isn’t a heavy drinker – the manual version consuming an average of 8.4 litres per 100 km. In spite of the gangster looks, there is nothing dubious or shady about the handling, either. The low speed traction control and the ABS braking do wonders in keeping the car snugly on the road.

Comfort levels inside the Chrysler PT Cruiser have also come a long way since the 1930s cars it resembles. Keyless entry enables you to get in and make a quick getaway, while the rear 65/35 fold-and-tumble removable seat allows you to stash plenty of loot in the back. Air conditioning and solar control glass (which is not bullet-proof. The gangster image only goes so far) keeps you cool, as if the Chrysler PT Cruiser wasn’t cool enough already. And what else would you play on the 6-speaker CD/cassette/radio sound system but the Nat King Cole jazz classic “Get Your Kicks On Route 66”? Especially in the Route 66 variant. The Chrysler PT Cruiser can seat the driver and four cronies quite comfortably, so there’s room to take the whole family. And because while thugs and crime are all very well in movies but not so much fun in real life, even the basic Classic version of the Chrysler PT Cruiser comes with a Sentry Key® Theft Deterrent System as standard.

Put on your trench coat and trilby (or your opera gloves and evening dress) and take this American beauty for a spin. It’ll steal your heart.

The current model series includes the:

• Chrysler PT Cruiser Touring GT Manual
• Chrysler PT Cruiser Touring GT Automatic
• Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited Manual
• Chrysler PT Cruiser Limited Automatic

For any more information on the Chrysler PT Cruiser, or for that matter any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181. If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Chrysler dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours. Private Fleet – car buying made easy!

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