2008 Chrysler PT Cruiser Interior Review

The driver faces three white-faced gauges set in individual cylinders, with speedometer center, tachometer right, and fuel and water temperature left. Accessory switches are concentrated in the center panel, with radial-type climate control dials at the bottom. Window switches are high in the center stack, inconvenient for quick operation, forcing the driver to search for them. The door levers have a nice action, and the switches operate with good tactile feel, though they're not world class. The standard stereo sounds tinny; we haven't tried the Boston Accoustics system. Also, there's a separate Set button for the station presets. It's fussier than simply holding the preset down.

A bonus of the Cruiser's tall profile is its upright seating position, with a fairly high view ahead, somewhat like a sport-utility vehicle or minivan. The front seats have a reasonable amount of bolstering to keep driver and passenger from sliding side to side. The leather package offers a rich appearance given the Cruiser's price, with suede inserts in the doors and along the lower cushion edges.

The center console incorporates a sliding armrest. The PT's console also includes a covered tray for concealing small items, a storage bin that holds six CDs, a coin holder and fold-out cupholders for rear-seat coffee consumers.

Roominess is a virtue in the Cruiser. The wagon's 120.5 cubic feet of interior volume is comparable to that of large cars such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Lincoln Town Car, though it certainly doesn't have the ambience of those cars. Much of that space is a function of the Cruiser's height.

To take advantage of this, the rear seat bottoms are higher than those in front. This theater seating, as it's called, affords the back-seat passengers a better view forward. Rear passengers also can stretch their legs underneath the front seats, which are mounted on tall boxes. A 6-foot, 9-inch passenger can fit comfortably in the front or rear seats.

The cabin of the PT Cruiser wagon can be configured 26 different ways. This flexibility stems from three features: a 65/35 split rear bench that can be folded flat, tumbled forward or removed, a movable parcel shelf in the cargo bay, and an available front passenger seat that folds flat. The rear seats are anchored with quick-release attachments for easy removal. Suitcase handles and steel wheels make it easy to stash the rear seats in the garage and move them about. The smaller portion of the rear seat weighs 35 pounds, but the larger section weighs a hefty 65 pounds.

With both rear seats out, the Cruiser provides 62.7 cubic feet of cargo volume. A mountain bike fits with the rear seats removed; take the front wheel off the bike and you can leave the rear seats in place. The load floor measures 40 inches between the wheelwells, not wide enough for four-foot building materials, but still enormously useful. Folding the front passenger seatback flat forms a table next to the driver, or makes room for an eight-foot stepladder or a load of two-by-fours.

The convertible doesn't stand as tall as the wagon. It offers just 84.3 cubic feet of interior volume (compared with 120.5 for the wagon). Head room and hip room are significantly reduced, front and rear. It's fine up front, though. The convertibles get sportier seats with more side bolstering. The chair-like rear seats in the convertible have lots of leg room making them very comfortable, though it's tight around the hips and shoulders. The convertible's seats can be configured nine different ways, suggesting practicality. Trying to load something into the back seat is annoying, however. You have to set down whatever you're trying to load, use both hands to flip the front seatback forward, pick it back up and put it inside.

To say the convertible does not offer the practicality of the wagon would be an understatement. With the rear seats upright, there's a scant 7.4 cubic feet left in the trunk, eliminating one of major compelling features of the PT Cruiser. Worse, the trunk is exceedingly awkward to access, requiring you to bend down to get at it, and the trunk lid flips out and is right in the way. It's sort of like trying to look into the engine bay of a 1960s-era VW bus. We found loading a 40-pound bag of dog food difficult and hard on the back. The 7.4 cubic feet isn't bad by convertible standards, but the trunk opening is small. In terms of practicality, it might be the worst trunk on the market. However, the rear seats are split 50/50 and fold and tumble to create a pass-through to the trunk and 13.3 cubic feet of cargo space. The pass-through is tiny, but can really help when trying to haul something larger than a briefcase; we were able to load a pair of eight-foot lighting tracks in through the back, something you can't do in some sedans.

Chrysler calls the hoop behind the PT convertible's front seats a sport bar to distinguish it from a roll bar. It's not a safety feature, in other words. The bar features integrated dome lights, an unusual touch in an open car. The convertible's rear window is glass and an electric defogger is standard. Rearward visibility in the convertible is limited whether the top is up or down. The tiny rear window limits sightlines with the top up. The lowered top and boot limit visibility with the top down.

In either model, Bluetooth technology brings hands-free telephone operation to the PT Cruiser while leaving your cell phone free to travel with you when you get out of the car. The optional UConnect system works when you set your mobile phone down anywhere inside the vehicle, tying it into a microphone and a voice-recognition interface when you press a button housed in the rearview mirror. You can even continue a conversation while entering or exiting, without disrupting your call.

Chrysler knows how to make cupholders, and the Cruiser's are solid and mounted low, easily holding your cappuccino. next page