2015 Chrysler 200 tests America’s appetite for a Detroit-Italian sedan

Since Henry Ford first launched the Model T, hauling five people and their cargo in comfort has defined the standard-size car that Americans most favored. Despite the rise of the SUV, automakers sold 2.4 million midsize sedans in the United States last year, with the Toyota Camry once again the most-popular car of all.

And yet for much of the past decade, Chrysler has been left behind. The Chrysler Sebring introduced in 2007 was almost immediately surpassed by competitors, and Chrysler's bankruptcy forced it to soldier on with the Mitsubishi-based model. A post-Fiat refreshening only made it passable; today the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Avenger's biggest fans may be the buyers for rental-car fleets.

So to get back into the hunt, Chrysler not only has to make a competitive model, but leap ahead and gamble it can suss out what Americans want next — and for the all-new 200, Chrysler will bet more than $1 billion that it has its game back.

The new 200 comes from a clean-sheet design, using a chassis that underpins several Fiat-Chrysler models, including the Jeep Cherokee. From the outside, it resembles no other Chrysler product on the road, and its small front end with standard LED lighting accents cuts a far sleeker profile than the older 300 sedan. By its dimensions, the 200 falls into the middle of the pack — a few inches shorter than a Ford Fusion, a few inches longer than a Toyota Camry.