2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser review from North America

A pickup truck owner decided to ram the back of the thing, dislodging the plastic bumper, and scratching it badly.

Whether or not it was on purpose I will not know, because it happened while the car was parked.

This is, without question, the best looking set of wheels on the road. Every time I park the car, people come up to me and say "Hey! Cute car!" or ask me what I thought of it. And it wasn't uncommon to have people ask if they could have their picture taken in front of it. Hell, on a road trip someone offered to BUY the car from me for MORE than I paid for it! (PT Cruisers were in very short supply there!)

Inside, the car is every bit as unique. When you're in it, you feel like you're in a minivan... a short but cool minivan! There's plenty of headroom, and the car feels nice and roomy. It's also very quiet inside on highways, usually most of the noise comes from the air conditioner.

The stereo is terrific! But the treble/bass controls might as well not be there at all... they don't do anything!

Cargo space is a real challenge. If your family is going on vacation, bring compact suitcases. The design of the cargo area requires you to be flexible on larger loads. Otherwise, getting all of your family's stuff back there requires careful maneuvering.

There needs to be a passenger's side armrest as STANDARD! I ended up sticking a briefcase in between the seats because of this.

The layout of the controls is nice. But the dashboard is cheap, ugly, plastic that is molded to resemble leather. It doesn't, and I hate it. WHY!??? Coming from a Ford Taurus, I had quite a bit of trouble warming up to this.

I also would like to know why the automatic transmission has to look so boring... why can't it be as colorful as the manual?

There were also some minor panel-fitting hiccups. I could stick a credit card in the gap between the stereo & the trim.

Air circulation in this car is terrific. The kids never whine at all about not getting enough air!

The stereo's screen (the one that displays the station/track number) needs to be dimmer at night.

I like the fact that the windows can all be operated in the center of the dash, but I'm not wild about where the rear window controls are located... too close to the floor. The window lock is a necessity.

The car has tons of useful cubbyholes throughout! The map pockets are USEFUL!

Novelty aside, the price really needs to come down on this car, or Chrysler need to improve the quality of certain materials. But other than that, this car is sheer proof that you can mix form with function, and get the best of both worlds!