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Chrysler LHS promotes luxury and power in a full-size sedan
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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Any big sedan feels fine when powering across the smooth surface of a multi-lane freeway, but what about sharp curves of a coastal route scaling bluffs high above the sea?
Travel south from San Francisco past Half Moon Bay toward Santa Cruz along California's coast highway and you'll reach a spaghetti strand of pavement stretched tight against the continent.
That's where I let it rip to catch the road-hugging spirit of a personal luxury sedan by Chrysler.
To fully appreciate the 1996 translation of LHS, full-size flagship of Chrysler's fleet, you must first dismiss any previous images of this company carried over from the 1980s era of ho-hum K cars and all those rectangular buggies outfitted for the Blue Hair Brigade.
That's because Chrysler, in a renaissance that rivals a mythic phoenix rising from its ash, has in the span of only three years converted its product line from the staid and ordinary to the advanced and innovative in terms of automotive styling, structure, content and performance.
First glimpse of the new Chrysler line came in 1993 with those LH cars -- Chrysler Concorde, Dodge Intrepid and Eagle Vision -- which promoted a cab-forward architecture mated to responsive engines and handling systems.
Next, the LHS performance spin-off from a New Yorker label appeared in 1994 in a stretched version of the LH platform as a new full-size Chrysler sedan.
Then last year brought the mid-size Cirrus sedan and dramatic Sebring coupe, with Sebring's emotional convertible variation emerging late in the 1996 line.
Still, LHS remains a personal favorite due to its unique styling, frisky acceleration, uncanny handling and full-size comfort. An extended trip down the California coast permitted a close inspection of the 1996 edition that tacks on electronic gadgets and reworks a front console.
The distinctive exterior, which relies on modern plastics and high-tech metal fittings, conceals a plush interior and enough performance and handling hardware to elevate this car to the agile capabilities of a $60,000 European touring sedan -- but for half the price.
Profile of LHS -- with an exaggerated hood, canted windshield and low roof crowned by convexly curved rear glass evoking images of a Bugatti coupe from the 1930s -- looks exciting unlike any other car on the road.
To construct it, Chrysler's designers borrowed the existing flat LH platform of Concorde, then extended body dimensions by more than five inches to add more room for people and cargo.
That unique rear bubble window creates a longer roofline, which enables the rear seat to slide rearward by some three inches. Not only does a full-frame adult seated back there end up with sufficient headroom, but rear legroom seems so generous you can actually cross legs and have knee space to spare.
And that trunk: It measures to almost 18 cubic feet, enough even for the humongous suitcases my wife totes.
The interior of LHS exhibits a subdued design where the emphasis has been focused on details for comfort and convenience. Consider it an understated elegance, providing 6-person seating in New Yorker trim with a split bench front seat or 5-person capacity in the standard LHS version with twin front buckets.
Seats feel firm but comfortable.
Leather upholstery, standard in LHS package, becomes an optional item for New Yorker.
Instruments, with white on black analog gauges, include tachometer and speedometer tucked between readouts of fuel level and engine temperature, plus warning lights with message center.
A ceiling console mounted above the rearview mirror supplies a handy digital trip computer, directional compass and exterior temperature gauge.
Standard safety features for LHS and the New Yorker version range from dual airbags to steel door beams, rear door child safety locks, computerized anti-lock brakes and a traction control device designed to prevent wheel slippage during acceleration.
Then there's that power factor.
Both LHS and New Yorker draw from the same engine, Chrysler's 3.5-liter multi-valve V6.
A cast iron block, rigged with aluminum cylinder heads, single cam on top and four valves per cylinder, pumps up to 214 horsepower at 5850 rpm, with torque rising to 221 lbs/ft at 3100 rpm.
Does a big car like this need a V8?
Apparently not: This V6 with its strong torque curve kicks LHS down the road quickly yet pulls down reasonable fuel economy figures.
Also, gross curb weight for this big sedan amounts to only a modest gain over Chrysler's LH sedans, despite the stretched dimensions and equipment added like traction control. This, ultimately, translates to more action.
Chrysler's electronically controlled 4-speed automatic transaxle doesn't intrude.
New Yorker uses a column-mounted stick for a more traditional approach to shifting, while the sport-oriented LHS gets a center console with floor-mounted shift lever.
With its longitudinally-mounted front engine and the front-wheel-drive format, 65 percent of the car's weight rests on front wheels.
This sets up a stable platform when road curves occur.
Tack on speed-sensing variable assistance with rack and pinion steering, plus good suspension rigging with gas-charged shocks and stabilizer bars mounted fore and aft, and you end up with the caliber of components more typical of a sporty performer.
Push this car, like I did on so many California coastal and mountain routes, and you'll discover that a sedan stretched to full-size dimensions doesn't necessarily limit its ability to tackle highway fun stuff.
Considering all of its standard features, sticker figures for LHS look good too.
Options have been limited to a power-operated moonroof and compact disc added to the sound system.
1996 CHRYSLER LHS
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 1996 CHRYSLER NEW YORKER LHS Specs |
| Description: |
Full-size personal sedan |
| Model Options: |
Full-size personal sedan |
| Wheelbase: |
113.0 inches |
| Overall Length: |
207.4 inches
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| Engine Size: |
SOHC 3.5-L V6 24-v
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4 |
| Drive: |
Front |
| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS |
| Airbags: |
2 |
| Gas Mileage: |
18/26 mpg |
| Price: |
$ 26,000 to $ 31,000 |
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