Dodge Dynasty: the last big K-car Dodge sedan

The Dodge Dynasty is a mid-size four-door sedan that Dodge sold from the 1988 through 1993 model years. It was the direct successor of the Dodge 600 sedan, sat between the Dodge Spirit and Dodge Monaco, and was one of the largest versions of the Chrysler K-car family.

Dodge Dynasty at a glance

Based on one source: the English Wikipedia article on the Dodge Dynasty.

History of the Dodge Dynasty

The Dynasty was introduced for 1988 as the replacement for the Dodge 600 sedan. It used the front-wheel-drive Chrysler C/AC platform and shared its body with the 1988-1993 Chrysler New Yorker, while the longer 1990-1993 Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Avenue and Chrysler Imperial used an extended-wheelbase version called the Y platform, the longest K-car sedan. It was assembled at the Belvidere plant in Illinois alongside the New Yorker, New Yorker Fifth Avenue and Imperial. Although it was fairly popular, its styling was boxy and conservative compared with more aerodynamic rivals such as the Ford Taurus and Chevrolet Lumina.

When the new front-wheel-drive C-body cars, the Dynasty and New Yorker, appeared for 1988, they were the first mass-produced cars in the world with a fully multiplexed fibre-optic wiring bus connecting all electronic accessories and controllers, which greatly reduced the amount and weight of the wiring harnesses. The Dynasty was offered in base, Premium (1988 only), LE and Brougham trims, the last adding a padded landau vinyl roof on LE models in 1992 and 1993. Most Dynasty models had V6 engines, and the four-cylinder cars were mainly sold to fleets.

Three engines were available: a 2.5-litre Chrysler four in the base model only, a Mitsubishi-sourced 3.0-litre V6 and a Chrysler-built 3.3-litre V6 that arrived in 1990. The four-cylinder and the 1988 3.0-litre came with the three-speed TorqueFlite automatic, while the new electronically controlled four-speed Ultradrive automatic, the A604, debuted in 1989 and became the only transmission for V6 models until the end of production. Fuel economy was rated at 21 mpg city and 25 highway with the four-cylinder and TorqueFlite, 18 city and 26 highway for the 3.0-litre with Ultradrive, and 19 city and 26 highway for the 1990 3.3-litre.

All models had power locks that locked automatically above 15 mph, and a driver’s side airbag became standard from 1990. A Bendix anti-lock braking system with four-wheel disc brakes was available on V6 models, and the 1993 cars had a stainless steel exhaust and a tamper-proof odometer. Early cars had standard cornering lamps and a remote fuel door release even on the base model, though the base lost the cornering lamps for 1991 and the LE for 1992. Leather seats were optional on the LE but very few cars had them, and other options included load-levelling suspension, alloy wheels, an illuminated entry system, an Infinity stereo, a power boot pull-down, dual six-way power seats with memory for the driver, and power mirrors. In Canada and Mexico the car was sold as the Chrysler Dynasty. The final Dynasty was built on 28 May 1993, and for that year Dodge introduced the Intrepid as its largest sedan, replacing both the Dynasty and the Monaco.

Design and features

• Largest K-car variant: C/AC platform shared with the Chrysler New Yorker.
• Fibre-optic wiring bus: the first mass-produced car with a fully multiplexed system.
• V6 power: the 3.0-litre Mitsubishi and the 3.3-litre Chrysler V6.
• Ultradrive: the four-speed automatic that became standard on V6 cars from 1989.

Dodge Dynasty versions

• Base: the fleet model, available with the 2.5-litre four.
• LE: the main trim, with the Brougham package adding a landau roof.
• Premium (1988): a single-year trim level.
• Chrysler Dynasty: the Canadian and Mexican version with its own grille.

The Dynasty replaced the Dodge 600 and was itself replaced by the Dodge Intrepid, while it shared the K-car base with the Dodge Spirit. More Dodge models are in the Dodge collection.

Sources

• Dodge Dynasty, English Wikipedia: platform, engines, trims, production end