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QUALITY | 8 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
The front seats proved comfortable during a couple of hours driving Highway 1, and later while navigating through heavy traffic in San Francisco.
Popular Mechanics
...The interior—which started as that shiny plastic nightmare—has a soft yet solid look and feel.
Popular Mechanics
Despite Chrysler's best efforts, some of the badness from the Sebring carried over, like the toy-feeling HVAC controls and the incredibly cheap sun visors.
Motor Trend
Not only is this interior classier, but it should wear better...
Car and Driver
Chrysler also made some waves about how much quieter the interior of the 200 is supposed to be compared to the Sebring, though we noticed plenty of road and wind noise during our stint behind the wheel.
Autoblog
Go by official cabin dimensions, and the 2012 Chrysler 200 stacks up really well against segment leaders like the Hyundai Sonata. The 200 has superior headroom numbers and roughly equal legroom figures, once you factor in the Sonata's super-long front-seat travel.
Somehow, as many might find, the 200's interior can impress as smaller or tighter than most other sedans in this class, even if it isn't; that's likely because of the tall dash, big/wide front seats, narrower glass areas, and wide rear pillar. Front seats are a little odd to get into and out of. The seats themselves have huge lower cushions and are very wide, but they lack much support and our backs were feeling it after just a few hours on the highway. In back, the seats are quite easy to get into, and there's enough headroom and legroom for a couple of adults--though again, the high beltline results in a somewhat more claustrophobic experience.
While ride quality isn't anything remarkable--the 200 tends to bound over pavement irregularities, especially in the V-6 when cornering--the 200's cabin is a remarkably civilized place. Chrysler has stuffed the 200 with more sound deadening than the former Sebring, which does the most good to mute out most road noise and wind noise. Four-cylinder models seem to ride even better, but there you get the still-unmasked drone (and vibration) of the raspy four-cylinder engine, which is often calling for higher revs and downshifts on even modest highway grades.
On the 200 Convertible, it's noticeable how the seats backs are flatter than bottom cushion. Even with the roof lowered, road noise is acceptable--and there's a moderate ruffling when the windscreen is snapped into place behind the front seats. The Convertible's rear seats actually are usable by adults for short trips, but any ride back there of more than an hour should get a doctor's approval (and a chiropractic appointment). As for trunk space, there's still enough when the top is stacked for a couple of weekend bags.Trunk space is one weakness for all versions of the 200; in the sedan, it's several cubic feet smaller than most of the mid-size rivals.
Conclusion
The Chrysler 200 sedan is surprisingly spacious, quiet, and comfortable; meanwhile, the tight-fitting rear seats in the Convertible offer a bit more space than the competition.
