Details of Cars

Chrysler Stratus: the European name for the Dodge Stratus

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1996 Dodge Stratus
1996 Dodge Stratus, sold in Europe as the Chrysler Stratus. Photo by Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The Chrysler Stratus was the name the Dodge Stratus carried in Europe, where Dodge was generally reserved for commercial vehicles. A mid-size four-door saloon on the cab-forward JA platform, it was built from 1995 to 2000, shared its body with the Chrysler Cirrus and Plymouth Breeze, and competed in the Swedish Touring Car Championship.

Chrysler Stratus at a glance

Chrysler Stratus key facts
Production 1995–2000
Markets Europe (also Brazil and Mexico)
Platform Chrysler JA, front-wheel drive
Bodies four-door sedan; convertible in the first generation
Base engine 2.0 L SOHC four
Optional engines 2.4 L DOHC four; 2.5 L SOHC V6
Mexican turbo engine 2.4 L turbo, 168 hp
Transmissions four-speed automatic with Autostick; five-speed manual with the 2.0
Sisters Chrysler Cirrus, Plymouth Breeze
Awards Car and Driver Ten Best, 1996 and 1997

The Chrysler Stratus is the European version of the Dodge Stratus; this page uses the English Wikipedia article on the Dodge Stratus, and the photographs show the car with Dodge badges.

History of the Chrysler Stratus

A Dodge for export

The Dodge Stratus was introduced in December 1994 for the 1995 model year as the mid-range offering of Chrysler’s JA platform, a trio of cab-forward design sedans positioned between the more luxurious Chrysler Cirrus and the value-oriented Plymouth Breeze. Across Europe it was marketed as the Chrysler Stratus, because the Dodge brand was generally reserved for commercial vehicles there. Its styling closely resembled the Cirrus but it carried the Dodge’s distinctive tail lamps and its own Dodge-style grille, with chrome accents along the doors and bumpers. In Mexico and Brazil the same car was also sold as a Chrysler Stratus.

Dodge Stratus ES
A first-generation Stratus ES with the cab-forward front end. Photo by IFCAR, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Engines and equipment

The base model used a 2.0-litre SOHC four with a 2.4-litre DOHC option, and the ES trim offered the 2.0 from 1995 to 1997 with the 2.4 and a 2.5-litre V6 available as upgrades; from 1998 the 2.4 was standard on the ES and the 2.5 V6 remained optional, becoming the only ES engine for 1999 and 2000. A Mexican-only turbocharged 2.4 produced 168 hp and 216 lb·ft with a four-speed automatic and Autostick. All three JA variants offered four-wheel independent suspension with double wishbones at the front and a multi-link rear, anti-lock brakes, a tilt wheel, cruise control, power windows and locks, an optional power driver’s seat, and leather, a power antenna, six-CD changer, sunroof, keyless entry and an anti-theft system as options. A five-speed manual was offered only with the 2.0 four, since the 2.4’s torque could cause excessive wheelspin. The car was designed to replace the high-volume Spirit and Dynasty in the United States and was praised for interior room, being larger inside than a Ford Contour.

Racing and replacements

The Stratus competed in the Swedish Touring Car Championship as a Chrysler and in the North American Touring Car Championship as a Dodge, where David Donohue won the 1997 season. In Canada the Stratus was sold only through 2000, after which the Chrysler Sebring became the group’s sole lower-mid-size sedan there. Production of the Stratus and Sebring at Sterling Heights ended in early 2006 after 1,308,123 cars were built since 2000, and the Dodge Avenger replaced the nameplate for 2008. The assembly line and tooling were later sold to GAZ in Russia, which built almost 9,000 modified cars as the Volga Siber between 2008 and 2010.

Design and features

  • European identity: Chrysler badges instead of Dodge, with its own grille and tail lamps.
  • Cab-forward shape: the JA platform shared with the Cirrus and Plymouth Breeze.
  • Engine choice: 2.0 and 2.4 fours and a 2.5 V6, all with front-wheel drive.
  • Touring car career: raced in Sweden as a Chrysler and in North America as a Dodge.
  • Room for its class: judged more spacious inside than a Ford Contour.

Chrysler Stratus versions

  • Base: the 2.0-litre four with a five-speed manual or automatic.
  • ES: the sportier trim with the 2.4 and later the 2.5 V6 as the sole engine.
  • Mexican turbo: a 2.4 with 168 hp and Autostick automatic.
  • Convertible: the first-generation soft-top, sold in Europe as a Chrysler Stratus.

The Stratus shared its platform with the Chrysler Cirrus, replaced the Chrysler Spirit in the line-up and was followed by the Chrysler Sebring. More cars are in the Chrysler collection.

Video: Chrysler Stratus JX convertible 2.5 V6 1997

Video by MTPGTTV on YouTube.

Sources

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