Gay Car Geek :: 2015 Chrysler 200 Has Pretty Face and Good Body

I'm a sucker for a pretty face. And with its clean grille and Audi A5-like LED running lights, the all-new 2015 Chrysler 200's face definitely qualifies as pretty. The 200 has a good body and great ass, too, if I may go there.

But it's more than beautiful on the outside, it's spacious and stylish on the inside, too, especially in high-zoot "200C" form, which contains top-stitched leather and artfully bent wood veneers evocative of the famous lounge chair designed by Charles Eames in the 1940s. Among my favorite features are a gorgeous floating instrument cluster with backlighting - I'm all about good lighting - a clever center console with sliding cup-holders, and the availability of 3G Wi-Fi connectivity.

Alas, there's a lot we will forgive on account of good looks, but with this car, you won't have to forgive much. If there's anything on its list of demerits, the 200 is quite heavy, and has rather dull road manners, even in the ostensibly sportier "200S" model.

The fuel economy numbers are respectable with up to 36-mpg highway for the four cylinder, 32-mpg highway for V6 models, and 29-mpg for all-wheel-drive V6 models. Prices range from around $25,000 to about $39,000 fully loaded, which is on the premium side for mid-sized sedans, but not unreasonable for what you get.

2015 Chrysler 200

Base Price (including destination): $22,695
Power: 2.4-liter four cylinder (184 hp, 173 lb-ft of torque); 3.6-liter V6 (295 hp, 262 lb-ft of torque)
Tranny: 9-speed automatic with manual shift mode
Fuel Economy, city/hwy: 23/36 (4-cyl); 19/32 (V-6)

Or you could buy:

Honda Accord
Ford Fusion
Mazda 6

Renowned automotive journalist and gay car geek Steve Siler has turned his life-long love of cars into a fruitful and enthusiastic career traveling the world to test thousands of new vehicles as they are introduced. Siler is s regular contributor to Car and Driver Magazine, Edmunds.com,AutoTrader.com, AOL Autos and Yahoo! Autos, and also pioneered automotive writing for the LGBT community more than a decade ago.