All new for 2007 is the Chrysler Aspen. Chrysler is trying to fill a unique niche with it, in that it's luxurious without all the price, big without all the size, and comfortable without being a land yacht. The total package didn't impress me too much until I saw the sticker. At that point I was pretty much sold.
Don't let the silly name fool you; the Aspen is not a soccer mom mini-van. It's a well appointed, plus sized SUV. It's the sort of all purpose vehicle you'd have expected from a 1992 Suburban. You can putt around town or tow a building over, and do all of it while still looking good behind the wheel.
I liked the styling of the Durango in its day, and this is no different to me in terms of appeal. In driving it, I turned more heads than I expected, but with a more mainstream design and better slipstream drag coefficient, this isn't the same "matter of taste" that the Durango was, this has a all around appeal that's impossible to deny.
There were three things that impressed me about the Chrysler Aspen, and none of them were listed in the promotional material.
First was the range of engine packages available. Not everyone needs a Hemi, but it's there for the taking, and at a mere $1200 it's worth considering. You can go basic, save the grand, and up your fuel economy if you like, but if you want raw muscle or tons of towing capacity (and I do mean tons), the upgrade is an easy choice.
While accelerating under normal driving conditions, you'll find yourself above the speed limit before you know it, and without even making a sound. I never got the engine past 3,000 RPM, and I'm not timid, it's just that I never needed to. When it comes to dragging weight, you've got an effortless button click on the shift lever that will take you into towing mode, and that, I imagine, is where you'll really realize the power this thing has to offer.
The second thing that impressed me was the value. I've driven Durangos with well over 100,000 miles on them, and they were nice. Mopar is making good cars these days, and has been since the mid 90s. Anything you buy from them, especially since the Benz merger, should offer you years of trouble-free operation so long as you keep up on your maintenance. That's well and good, and what should be expected, but the Aspen, with all its comfort, curb appeal and power, comes priced from the low $30,000s. That's a harder combo to find than a hot girl who won't ask you which shoes look better with her outfit.
If you bought a 1998 Durango and didn't thrash it, you'll notice it's still solid today and has great resale value, even in this age of high gas prices. This has a comparable MSRP, more universal appeal, and is better appointed than the Durango, and that's not even accounting for its superior engineering.
The third thing that struck me, and it struck me most, was the array of options available. The base model is all the car you could ever need, but from there you can make it all the car you'd ever want. Things like navigation, heated seats, second row bucket seats and 20" rims are not for everybody, but one or more of them may be just the thing you want. Add-ons are as pricey as with anyone, but they remain optional.
This is a big competitor against the full-sized Lexus, which doesn't afford such customizing options. Lexus has a history of coming one way only, and that's loaded to the gills with everything you could want, whether or not you can afford it. This is 95% as comfortable, every bit as big, and ten times as customizable to your wants and desires. That means you can have what you want, at the price that makes sense, still walk out happy, but with something you can actually afford.
The Chrysler Aspen gets top marks from me for design, engineering and double-top marks for value. You'll get more car for your money than from comparable imports, and with the brainpower influx at Chrysler, you'll get a better car than you did a few years ago. All in all, assuming you like it, it's got everything you could want.
