While the heated seats are very comfortable and supportive, I was not fond of the fabric and leather-trim combination – the multi-toned, multi-textured approach seems too busy and isn’t very nice to look at but looks are pretty subjective. Front and centre is the square 8.4-inch uConnect touchscreen. I think it’s one of the best systems out there – well laid out, good menus and access to functions. Phone, media, navigation, climate control and vehicle settings are all managed here and the only controls other than the touchscreen are two knobs and a back button. Nice and clean. The Alpine-branded stereo sounds good, but when the volume was even slightly turned up, we heard a terrible rattle with every bass note – even when the bass was turned down.
    2015 Chrysler 200 S centre stack, center console, shifter, Alpine sound system. Click image to enlarge |
The centre console houses the rotary shifter dial. It works fine and looks like a nice knurled piece of machined metal, but it’s actually an insubstantial piece of plastic that feels very cheap and jiggles around in its spot. Overhead is a massive panoramic sunroof – the front section tilts and slides open and the whole thing can be covered with an electric sunshade. Driver assistance comes from a blind-spot monitor, a rear-view camera and a cross-path detection system. The remote starter is nice too.
Chrysler adds a nifty innovation for the centre console – the dual cupholders can be moved back and out of the way, exposing a nice deep storage well, where you’ll also find 12V, USB and auxiliary plugs. There’s also an open “shared” storage area under the centre console, which both the driver and front passenger can access.
You’ll find three seats in the back, each with a headrest and seatbelt. I thought the seats weren’t that comfortable and thanks to that swoopy roofline, head room is at a premium – I am 5’10” and my carefully-coiffed hair was touching the headliner. The leg and foot room, however, are quite generous. The rear middle position is almost useless – narrower than most, straddling a large floor tunnel and bumping up against the back of the centre console which protrudes rearwards, it’s enough to nullify any kind of comfort for this passenger. The others get to play with adjustable air vents, and the middle seatback folds down to become an armrest with two cupholders and a lidded storage compartment.
   2015 Chrysler 200 S front seats, rear seats, trunk. Click image to enlarge |
We got our three kids back there a couple times, but it’s one of the few cars where none of our kids wanted to sit in the middle because even little people are treated poorly in that seating position. There are two sets of LATCH anchors for child seats if you need them.
The trunk is a good size at 411 litres, and the rear seats fold down, splitting 60/40, if you need to add a little more cargo capacity. There is also a pass-through allowing you to keep your rear passengers in place while you’re transporting longer, skinnier items.
