Chrysler LLC Knows How to Make a Cool Car

By Logan Utsman on Saturday, July 7th, 2012

While the editors of Consumer Guide are usually occupied with finding quality and reliability, they are not immune to the art of being cool. Recently, the product experts mostly concerned with cars and trucks pieced together a list of all-new rides that are positively cool but, there was a catch. In order for the list to not be filled with 458s and 911 Carreras, a price cap was implemented in the decision-making. With the field narrowed down to a “top 10″, Chrysler LLC was pleased to find three of their vehicles on the list of cool.

To be considered for the running, each new vehicle had to have a base MSRP under $18,000. With that in mind, the 2012 Fiat 500, 2012 Jeep Patriot and 2013 Dodge Dart all made the list. Instead of concentrating on overall quality, subjective features such as outward appearance, interior styling, fun-t0-drive factor and aura were taken into consideration by the Consumer Guide editors. “We chose cars that were cool to look at—interior and exterior—fun to drive, and reasonably practical,” said Tom Appel, publisher for Consumer Guide Automotive.

The 2012 Jeep Patriot managed to take the number 10 spot with its aggressive styling, innovative interior and four wheel drive bragging rights. “Allowing you to say you drive a Jeep is reason enough,” said Rick Cotta, managing editor for Consumer Guide Automotive. Bringing home the number 2 spot was the all-new and recently released 2013 Dodge Dart. Turbo power, tidy handling and a truly unique design inside and out make the Dart honestly cool. If making the list simply wasn’t enough, the little Fiat 500 managed to earn the guide’s first place finish for being, without a doubt, the coolest car under $18,000.