The Morning Call and Mcall.com's view

The Dynasty is the new big car from Dodge and like many other contemporary big cars, it carries little over from the old days.

As the current trend goes in six-passenger cars, it has front-wheel drive, is lighter and more fuel efficient. But the Dynasty has one other feature that could help sales; it offers a good value for the dollar, which is no doubt one of the big factors behind the increased popularity of Chrysler Corp. cars.

Take for example the test car (supplied by Rothrock Motors, 15th Street and Route 22), a base model Dynasty that offered a good deal of creature comforts, a nice list of standard equipment, several optional items, came out with a bottom line of $14,029, including a destination charge of $480.

For what it offered this isn’t a hard price to take in this day and age. The base price was ”only” $11,660 and this was for a car you could actually drive off the lot and live with. Standard equipment includes an automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, rear window defroster, electric decklid release, stainless steel exhaust, remote fuel filler door release, five mile-per-hour bumpers, AM/FM stereo electrically tuned radio with four speakers, woodgrain instrument panel, analog gauge instrumentation, graphic message center, visor vanity mirrors and a nice level of interior trim.

The big option on the test car was the Popular Equipment Package going for $1,448 and consisting of air conditioning, cruise control, tilt steering wheel, automatic power door locks and a couple of other things. The only other option was the V-6 engine at $660. Now the test car was nicely equipped but, make no mistake, if you want to spend more on the Dynasty, you can. Many more options are available including ABS (anti-lock braking system). So, take it from there. But for a person who does not want to spend a lot and wants a nice family sedan, here is a car certainly worth looking into. (Also keepin mind, it is essentially the same car as the more expensive Chrysler New Yorker, without all the extra trim.)

Although a brand new car this year, the Dynasty has a traditional four- door sedan look. The lines are clean but not the least bit radical. And, with a coefficient of drag of 0.41, are not all that aerodynamic. This, though, was the look Chrysler Corp. wanted. It is an identifiable look and lets everybody know right up front what it is about.

With a wheelbase of 104.3 inches, length, 192 inches; width, 68.5 inches; height, 53.5 inches, and curb weight, 3,000 pounds, the Dynasty is the largest and roomiest front-wheel drive car in the Dodge lineup. In fact, it has the same interior volume – 99 cubic feet – as the longer, heavier, V-8 powered, rear drive Dodge Diplomat. The Dynasty’s trunk also is rated one cubic foot more – 17 versus 16 – than the Diplomat.

So, right away you can see that here’s a car that can take the family to the shore or the mountains or any other place with comfort and a feeling of security.

The test car had the standard front bench seat, which wasn’t bad but the optional split seat – with or without power – would be more versatile. But, as it is, there’s plenty of head and leg room in the front seat. Because of the relatively high and squared-off roof line, rear seat passengers also have plenty of head room. And even with the front seat extended fully rear, these passengers will even have some leg room, though, if adults, would probably be happier if the seat was positioned about midpoint.

The driver has a rather easy time of it. Both instruments and controls are well laid out and located where one would expect to find them. The mechanical analog instrument cluster is all business and not the least bit glitzy. Rectangular in shape, it features speedometer and gauges for fuel, coolant temperature, electrical system voltage and oil pressure. There are also indicatorsfo ”Check Engine,” ”Brake,” ”Low Fuel” and ”Check Gauges.”

Like many other contemporary big cars, the Dynasty is extremely easy to drive. Not quite take aim and fire away but close to it. Just place the TorqueFlite three-speed automatic in gear, lay on that gas pedal and you’re on the way. Steering is responsive (2.85 turns lock-to-lock) though not sensitive. The four-wheel independent suspension features variable damping front struts and nodular iron lower control arms up front and trailing arms with beam axle and integral sway bar in the rear.

There are two ”first” in this suspension: the nodular iron casting lower control arms and the front struts which feature narrow grooves in the wall of the strut cylinder. According to Dodge, these grooves, in concert with the piston orifices, provide normal damping. But when a wheel drops suddenly, as when topping a hill or hitting a pot hole, the piston passes the ends of the grooves and the resistance increases dramatically, slowing the impact of the suspension against its stops.

The suspension, though tuned for a comfortable ride, is still capable of some decent handling. However, I somehow doubt that people buying this car will be running the back roads with reckless abandon.

Although the test car wasn’t equipped with either, there are two chassis options buyers might want to consider. One is the optional rear suspension load leveling system. This features an electronic control and magnetic reed switch height sensor inside the right shock absorber and, as the name implies, will keep the car level under a variety of loads and conditions. The other is the ABS (anti-lock braking system) and this, also as the name implies, substantially improves vehicle stability during braking on slippery surfaces by preventing brakes from locking. The system, with its four-wheel disc brakes (the standard system features front disc/rear drum), prevents brake lockup by ”pumping” the brakes several times per second.

The test car was powered by the optional 3-liter/181-cubic-inch V-6. This engine features multi-point fuel-injection and overhead cams and was developed cooperatively by Chrysler and Mitsubishi. It is a ”clean sheet of paper” design and was first used last year in the Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager minivans.

The transverse-mounted engine is rated at 136 horsepower at 4,800 rpm and 168 foot pounds torque at 2,800 rpm and supplied very good power for all Lehigh Valley driving conditions. The engine/transmission combination also recorded respectable fuel mileage. The test car averaged 16 miles per gallon for city driving and 23 mpg over the highway.

The standard engine is Chrysler’s balance shaft 2.5-liter/153-cubic-inch four-cylinder; rated at 96 horsepower at 4,400 rpm and 133 foot pounds torque at 2,800 rpm. Obviously this engine won’t have the performance of the V-6 but it should be adequate for all area driving conditions.

The Dynasty is protected by a 12 months, 12,000 miles warranty on the whole car; a 7 year/70,000 miles powertrain warranty and a 7 year/100,000 miles outer body rust through warranty.