European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 16, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes february 1981 Corner while driving Chrysler new k car for a few Days the most frequently asked question i heard was How docs it compare to the new Ford escort the reply is they cant be com the escort is a while the k car is of medium size or what is rapidly becoming full size in the present about the Only thing these two cars have in common is front wheel drive and being new on the for comparison Chrysler k car must be rated with general motors the cars Are automobiles that came onto the Market in the late Spring of in that the new Chrysler k car compares quite favourably better than the car in some respects especially handling and Gas mileage but not so in others Gearbox for the cars rate about and if Chrysler could have gone into production of its car series at the same time that pm came through with its x then the financial Strain on the Chrysler company  be All that rough at the the car is but it came out a bit of is not exactly but lets leave economics and Market ing to the economists and marketing sex and concern ourselves Here with the car an attractive automobile that is two feet Shorter and nearly pounds lighter than the Dodge Aspen Volar series it the cars from the Dodge division Are called Aries while the Plymouth Divi Sions models Are but the cars arc identical except for Grille and Tail Light for i had the 2 door Dodge Courtesy of Chrysler military sales of the cars Are offered in 2and 4door Sedan ver plus 4door station named car of the year by motor trend Magazine Chevrolet car Cita Tion won that award last the Stan Dard engine for the car is a Chrysler made 135 Cid 4cylinder de sign that delivers 84 horsepower at 4800 the engine is mounted transversely to gain More room up this method by now becoming practically the engine is also quite accessible for maintenance work and while on the subject of the an other frequently asked car question was is the Standard engine Strong enough the answer is a firm the liter is quite the engine on the test car had plenty of taking the Aries from Zero to 60 in while the speedometer was limited to 85 Mph another nonsensical Auto the Aries topped out at 102 Mph on my Wristwatch tachometer and it would cruise All Day on the autobahn at an easy 85 Mph or the Power band is with speeds in gears Reading 42 71 97 and but the Standard four Speed Gearbox on the test Aries was no Joy to very notch and with a double clutch dab needed for a smooth third second gear and a Long throw to reach third gear from positioning of the lever leaves much to be the cars also Are available with automatic transmission on the in the automatic an if you want the larger optional then you must buy the car with the is the silent Shaft Fourcy Lin Der made by Mitsubishi of but if it s a Case of keeping the costs then go for the Standard Chrysler built coupled with either manual or that by the started on the first or second turn of the key on some mighty frosty and it was also relatively on the the Dodge Aries car handled very Well in is the cars Strong suit with minimal the test car having heavy duty suspension a but even with the Hea a duty the Aries thumped and banged a bit on cobblestones and came close to bottoming out on some very poor Mountain on Normal roads and the ride was a speaking of Mountain the cars front wheel drive proved effective on a fairly Long run in Germany the twisting Road packed with hard Snow topped by Glare the Aries never fal and it went up shod with wide Radi Al the rack and Pinion steering is its also fairly and one would be hard pressed to Tell immediately if the car has front wheel drive or looking at the the Aries had Maroon Vinyl bucket seats buckets optional at with the Maroon color scheme All quite attractive with the Silver metallic the bucket Are not adjust Able for but american regardless of what company they work apparently feel this is not an important the european and japanese designers think and there the three spoke sports steering wheel optional at is also trimmed in Maroon and it feels just although not its really a super steering wheel and Worth having if you dont mind parting with the while the Interior is there the Standard engine Standard Power for the cars is the turns out 84 horsepower at 4800 135 Cid four Cylinder engine an optional engine from the shown manufactured by Chrysler Mitsubishi firm of Japan is also Avail and mounted the engine Able on automatics photo Are two main faults no storage and Lack of the Only storage space within the Aries is a Glove that Glove Box Only slightly larger than the Ash the Only gauge on the is a Gas theres also a with easy to read Orange and White figures relating speeds in both Mph and the figures limited by Law to 85 Mph and 137 the Aries rear window defroster an other option at eliminated ice and Frost the with a deep Well in the Center for additional offers More than adequate Luggage space of 15 cubic feet regarding fuel the figure came to just Over 30 Miles per gallon at speeds up to 65 and with Only Driver and no Luggage very Good and regular fuel is the tank holds 13 so a Range of 330 Miles or so could be Exall depending on number of Cost of the 2door Dodge Aries As tested including options mentioned in this report plus several others like rust is less finance assistance allow this makes the total Price that Price including in destination charges to Bremer Haveri plus in preparation the finance assistance allowance was created by Chrysler chief Lee la Cocca late last year when loan rates sky rocketed to help make up the difference Between what the Cost of credit for a new car should be and what it the allow Ance May Rise or All depending on significant changes in the prime if the allowance is 7 for exam the purchaser of a new Dodge or Plymouth receives a rebate for 7 percent of the sticker if the car lists for the rebate is if it lists for the buyer gets if the buyer gets and so the finance assistance allowance program is Good through 30 of Chrysler officials in Frankfurt the cars maybe ordered through Chrysler military sales representatives at cafes cars Are available either for delivery in Europe and England or they May be ordered for Randy Barnett the 2door Dodge Aries car the Dodge Chrysler corporations new midsize  presents a clean profile in its straightforward body the Aries cars counterpart is the Plymouth reliant the cars come in 2door and 4 door Sedan plus station Wagon All models powered by a Stan Dard photo