When Chrysler launched its PT Cruiser, most observers expected it to perform like a fireworks rocket. It would take off quickly and grab everyone’s attention, sparkle brightly for a short time, then just as quickly fade out of sight.

Nearly a decade later, the PT Cruiser’s history has proven those expectations almost totally wrong. True, the PT Cruiser took off like a shooting star as soon as it was launched in 2000 as a 2001 model. But it has sparkled longer and brighter than almost anyone anticipated.

During several model years, consumers bought two to three times more PT Cruisers than Chrysler’s most optimistic pre-launch sales estimates. And over its lifespan, a total of 1.3 million PT Cruisers have been purchased.

But even the best fireworks displays have to end. This is expected to be the last year for the PT Cruiser as we currently know it.

There’s always a chance that a large parts inventory or a last-minute sales surge could keep the current model cruising for another year. And there have been unconfirmed rumors of a redesigned, second-generation model showing up before long.

But chances are that the 2009 PT Cruiser I recently drove will be the last example of the vehicle as we currently know it.

My particular example was a mid-level Touring Edition decked out in Dream Cruiser trim.

This is the fifth Dream Cruiser and 14th special edition offered by Chrysler since the PT Cruiser debuted. That’s not counting the convertible and GT trim levels that were discontinued following the 2008 model year.

The limited edition (7,500 available) Dream Cruiser Series 5 package adds $2,000 to the $20,530 PT Cruiser Touring Edition base price. It isn’t available on the base PT Cruiser LX or the flagship Limited versions.

The Dream Cruiser package includes cosmetic components such as two-tone paint, a rear spoiler, leather-covered steering wheel, special upholstery, solid-billet aluminum front and lower grilles, and chrome interior and exterior trim.

Functional upgrades include heated front seats, four-wheel antilock disc brakes, traction control, touring suspension and distinctive aluminum wheels shod in 205/50R17-inch all-season performance tires.

My test car had another major option that dramatically improves the standard PT Cruiser’s performance: A turbocharged engine.

The standard PT powertrain is a naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The engine is rated at 150 horsepower and 165 pounds-feet of torque.

It’s not an impotent engine, but seemed pretty course the last time I tested it. That’s possibly because I frequently found myself flogging it in an effort to squeeze more energy out of it.

No such prodding was required to motivate the test car’s optional ($1,280) 2.4-liter turbocharged engine. Available only with a four-speed automatic, the turbocharged engine has 30 more horsepower and 45 more pounds-feet of torque than the naturally aspirated power plant.

The extra power is palpable. The turbocharged PT Cruiser feels peppy around town and confident at interstate speeds. The steepness of a hill becomes inconsequential.

And there’s none of the hesitation in power delivery that can characterize turbocharged engines.

In other words, the turbocharged engine – standard on the $25,000 PT Cruiser Limited model – gives the Dream Cruiser the kind of performance typically associated with its street rod-like styling.

Although the turbocharged engine adds to the PT Cruiser’s purchase price, it doesn’t have much effect on its operating cost. That’s because both its EPA mileage rating of 18 city/24 highway is strikingly similar to the naturally aspirated engine’s 19 city/24 highway mpg rating.

Unfortunately, neither of those mileage ratings is particularly good for a small, light vehicle such as the PT Cruiser. Buyers for whom good gas mileage is a priority may gravitate toward the standard engine and five-speed manual transmission, a combination rated at 21 city/26 highway mpg by the EPA.

More likely, they’ll gravitate to a different vehicle altogether, since there are now several small, high-mileage models that aspire to deliver PT Cruiser-like practicality and versatility.

Yet even nearly a decade since its introduction, few deliver it as stylishly as the PT Cruiser. Despite measuring just 14 feet from tip to tail, the PT provides the passenger room of a midsize sedan, nearly 22 cubic feet of cargo space behind its rear seat, and a station wagon-like 63 cubic feet of storage area with the seatbacks folded.

Cargo carrying versatility is enhanced by second-row seats that fold, tumble and can be removed. The rear seatbacks feature a 65/35 split and the front passenger seat also folds flat. These features along with an innovative two-tier loading system in the cargo compartment enable Chrysler to claim that the Cruiser offers over 160 different interior configurations.

Chrysler also boasts that with the front and rear seatbacks folded, the PT Cruiser can accommodate an 8-foot ladder.

Even nine years after its introduction, the PT Cruiser may be the coolest car that can make that claim. Nine years is an eternity in today’s automotive world, but different trim and décor packages such as the Dream Cruiser Series have helped Chrysler’s PT maintain its freshness far longer than most vehicles on the road.

Its luster and uniqueness may have diminished a bit over the years, but the PT Cruiser seems to sparkle as brightly as ever to this writer. That sparkle will be missed when it’s gone.

 

NUTS AND BOLTS

What is it? 2009 Chrysler PT Dream Cruiser Touring, a limited-edition of car nearing the end of its lifespan.

What’s it cost? PT Cruiser starting prices range from $18,000 for base trim to $24,510 for Limited model. Mid-level Touring Edition test car’s $20,530 starting price climbed to $26,160 with Dream Cruiser package ($2,000), other options, and destination charge.

What I liked best: Value, versatility and distinctiveness.

What I liked least: Wide turning radius, mediocre fuel economy.

Who’s it for? Potentially polarizing styling means it’s not for everyone, but there’s a lot to like in this little vehicle if you dig its looks.

Important numbers: 2.4-liter, 16-valve, turbocharged I-4 produces 180 horsepower, 210 lb-ft of torque. 4-speed automatic. 103-inch wheelbase. 3,176 pounds. 21.6/63 cu.ft. cargo space with rear seatbacks up/down. 18 city/24 highway mpg (EPA). 36.7-foot turning diameter. 0-60 7.9 seconds (stopwatch).

 

About the Author

Scott Wasser is the managing editor for the Times Leader. Reach him at (570) 970-7162 or swasser@timesleader.com.

Scott Wasser is Vice President/News and also writes an auto column for The Times Leader. Wasser brings 30 years of publishing and media experience as a writer, editor and photographer to his roles at The Times Leader.

Wasser has worked at newspapers as diverse as the Stuttgart Daily Leader in Arkansas and the Charlotte Observer in North Carolina. His Times Leader tenure began in 1983, when he was hired as the newspaper’s sports editor. Over the next decade, he turned the newspaper’s sports section into one of the most recognized in the nation as it was annually named one of the best daily and Sunday sports sections in the country.

Wasser left the sports department to become assistant general manager and online editor of The Times Leader’s website during the infancy of the internet. He left The Times Leader in 2000 to become online editor of the Wilmington (Del.) News Journal. Just prior to returning to The Times Leader in 2008, he was editor-in-chief of a national magazine covering home theater and other consumer electronics.

But Wasser says his proudest accomplishment is having driven and reviewed over 1,000 cars, trucks and motorcycles since he started writing a weekly car column for The Times Leader in 1988. The column, which runs in print on Saturday and online here, has appeared in several other newspapers, and Wasser has contributed auto-related content to national publications including “Road & Track” and “Open Road” magazines and “USA Today.”

He resides in Dallas with his wife, Ronda, and son, Brandon. He also has two adult daughters, Lauren and Lisa, who grew up in the Wyoming Valley.

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