1996 Plymouth Breeze Midsize Car Review & Performance

Chrysler has created a lot of talk and print about its "cab-forward" design. What this

means is that the components necessary to design and construct a safe, comfortable and

enjoyable vehicle are arranged to maximize the passenger cabin area. The Breeze

accomplishes this with aplomb. The first impression of this car, inside and out, is

its size and spaciousness--well beyond expectations especially for its class and price.

You'll notice the style and design of the Breeze. It stands out very pleasingly in a

crowded parking lot and also looks stylish and competent when underway on the road.

And Plymouth gave it a palette of flattering colors from which to choose. Our test

vehicle was finished in Forest Green Pearl-Coat. The lines and color of the car

received many favorable comments--often from complete strangers--wherever we parked it.

Although a word of caution should be interjected here. Check the manufacturer's window

sticker and query your dealer when shopping for a Breeze, as a perusal of a dozen or

more of this model on a dealer's lot indicated a premium for certain exterior paint

colors of as much as $150.

The Breeze has tried to balance lifestyle requirements and convenience options into

the standard vehicle in keeping with the Plymouth "right product/right price"

philosophy. The car has one body style--the sedan--and the one engine. There is a choice

of transmission. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard. An electronically

controlled 4-speed automatic transmission, which includes cruise control in the

package (ask for package 22A), is available for an additional $1050. There are no

optional wheels or tires, but the Michelins mounted on 14" wheels are well matched to

the vehicle.

Our test vehicle was a factory prototype rather than an off-the-production-line car.

Therefore, we cannot comment on fit and finish of production vehicles. But a visit to

a nearby Plymouth dealership did yield an early dozen or so new Breeze's waiting to be

taken home. Inspection of these indicated that the cars are being assembled and

finished with care by the factory. And since the new car market has been relatively

soft during the first quarter of the year, dealers seem willing to negotiate.

The interior offers plenty of head and legroom for driver and passenger. In order to

carry three adults in back, the front standard bucket seats would have to be adjusted,

which will reduce the front seat comfort for the long-legged by a moderate amount. But

head and shoulder room, front or back, is not cramped. And for that family with young

children, there is comfort and space for all. Dad and Mom are each protected by

airbags and an optional child safety seat is available for the rear seating.

The trunk is ample and easily accessible for normal uses from grocery or other

shopping to golf bags. When extra capacity for unusual shapes is needed, the Breeze

provides a rear folding seat-back pass-through that has a locking feature when added

security is needed.

There are handy bins, pockets, cubby holes and cup holders to contain the bits and

pieces that always seem to accumulate during normal car use. And through the Chrysler

parts division, Mopar, other lifestyle accessories specially designed for Breeze can

be purchased. They include a bike carrier, ski or snowboard carrier, cargo nets and

covers. Mopar also has CD and cassette upgrades available for the solid state sound

system that performs very satisfactorily.

Seats are comfortable and supportive enough. Although an anomaly was noted by those in

the 5'8+ to nearly 6' range when exchanging seats, passenger to driver. Placing one's

hands at the generally accepted position for good car control--10 on the clock for the

left hand and 2 for the right--brought the shoulder blades into contact with the

bolster across the seat back in a way that forced the back and entire upper body into

a position that resulted in noticeable fatigue after an hour or so of driving. Drivers

who are either shorter or taller, or those who might be described as long-waisted, did

not seem to notice this phenomena.

Plymouth intends to offer a sun-roof option to be introduced a bit later in the

production schedule. The roof design will permit it to be fully opened or only

partially for passenger compartment ventilation. A reminder--no matter how these

sunroof options are designed--and Chrysler has put some extra effort into designing

this application to minimize the intrusion, these features always impact the available

headroom in a vehicle. It behooves the buyer to check seat adjustment and driving

position carefully when test driving the Breeze, or any other vehicle, equipped with a sunroof option.

The Breeze is the most recent of the new products coming from Chrysler Corporation

badged for what their advertising calls "the new car company--Plymouth." Though Breeze

is classified as an entry-level vehicle, it has benefitted from customer feedback on

its relatives, the Neon, Stratus and Cirrus.

Initial application of the engine in the Neon generated comments about the noise level

at higher rpms. Breeze has addressed engine noise isolation. Engineering and tuning

the transmission has made it responsive to the driver's needs. Gas mileage remains

very good even though the Breeze is 600 pounds heavier than the Neon. Our test vehicle

averaged 27.9 mpg over a week of combined interstate and town driving. MPG for the

manual transmission is 22/31 and for 25/34 the automatic.

The Breeze is intended to be sporty but not a sports car. It is economical to purchase

and operate so one should not expect Ferrari-like performance. The Breeze delivers

solid performance for everyday commuting or kid-hauling. The engine power to car

weight ratio does require the driver to stay alert in order to maintain constant speed

on the interstate, especially when the terrain includes elevation changes. The

optional speed control, available only with the automatic transmission, places

controls fingertip-handy on the steering wheel and provides its speed maintaining

function smoothly and reliably as indicated from our test vehicle. Power may not be

instantaneous, but there is ample "oomph" to keep up with the flow of traffic and pass

when needed.

Disc brakes in front and drum brakes on the rear wheels provide the stopping ability

with ABS (anti-lock system) as an option for $565. The brakes on our test vehicle

worked well in both wet and dry conditions similar to what most drivers would

encounter. We did notice that on certain road surfaces, or over pronounced road seams,

there was quite a bit of noise transmitted into the passenger compartment from the

undercarriage. The engineers will, no doubt, refine suspension and road noise

isolation in future iterations or generations of this vehicle.