Chrysler E-Class: the downsized Chrysler of 1983

The Chrysler E-Class was a mid-size saloon produced for only two model years, 1983 and 1984. Named after its Chrysler E platform, an extended K-car chassis, it was the company’s first front-wheel-drive car larger than the K-cars and the companion model to the first front-wheel-drive New Yorker.

Chrysler E-Class at a glance

History of the Chrysler E-Class

A new size for Chrysler

With the E-Class, Chrysler introduced its first front-wheel-drive cars larger than the K-cars, since its R- and M-platform models were much bigger than the mid-size class. Sharing its body with the New Yorker, the E-Class took over the role of the long-running Chrysler Newport and sat between the K-car LeBaron and the M-body Fifth Avenue. It was aimed at the Buick Century and Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, which were among the best sellers in their brands, years before Ford offered a front-wheel-drive mid-size sedan with the 1986 Taurus. The car was originally to be called the Chrysler Grand LeBaron, but the E-Class name, written without a hyphen in contrast to Mercedes-Benz, was chosen to reflect its E platform.

Chassis and body

The E platform extended the K platform’s wheelbase by 2.8 inches, from 100.3 to 103.1 inches, while carrying over most of its chassis design: MacPherson strut front suspension and rear trailing arms with a coil-sprung beam axle. Cast alloy wheels and an upgraded sports suspension were available. The standard engine was a 2.2-litre four with 94 hp, with a Mitsubishi-sourced 2.6-litre four making 92 hp but more torque; both used a three-speed automatic. For 1984 the 2.2 switched from a carburettor to electronic fuel injection and rose to 99 hp, the 2.6 was retuned to 100 hp and a turbocharged 2.2 with 140 hp became an option. The car was about six inches longer than the LeBaron and was sold only as a four-door sedan, sharing its roofline with the Dodge 600 and Plymouth Caravelle but its front and rear fascias with the Chrysler LeBaron. For 1984 the flat tail lamps gave way to a wraparound design.

Interior and the end

The interior followed the New Yorker with different trim. A six-passenger layout with a full-width front bench was standard, and a five-passenger configuration with 50/50 split benches added a centre console and a power driver’s seat. For 1984 the car received a redesigned two-spoke steering wheel and electronically tuned radios as standard. It was sold in a single trim with options either packaged or individual, so a car could be spartan or almost the equal of a New Yorker. Sales were slow — the New Yorker outsold it nearly two to one in 1984 — and Chrysler dropped it for 1985, returning the same car to Chrysler-Plymouth dealers as the Plymouth Caravelle. The E-platform New Yorker stayed in production into 1988.

Design and features

• Extended K platform: a 103.1-inch wheelbase, 2.8 inches more than the K-cars.
• First larger front-drive Chrysler: the company’s first front-wheel-drive car above K-car size.
• Turbo option for 1984: a turbocharged 2.2-litre four with 140 hp.
• Flexible specification: one trim level with options that could make the car spartan or luxurious.
• Shared body: the same roofline served the Dodge 600 and Plymouth Caravelle.

Chrysler E-Class versions

• E-Class (1983): 2.2 and 2.6 engines, three-speed automatic.
• E-Class (1984): fuel injection on the 2.2, retuned 2.6 and a 140 hp turbo option.
• Plymouth Caravelle (1985): the same car returned to Chrysler-Plymouth dealers.

The E-Class was the companion of the Chrysler New Yorker and sat below the Fifth Avenue; its platform later grew into the cars that replaced it, such as the Chrysler Dynasty. More cars are in the Chrysler collection.

Video: 1983 Chrysler E Class

Video by Mark Nagley on YouTube.

Sources

• Chrysler E-Class, English Wikipedia: platform, engines, body, trims, end of production
• Chrysler E-Class, Wikimedia Commons: photographs