1996 Plymouth Breeze Review

The Breeze is introduced this year as Chrysler Corporation's bargain-basement midsize sedan. Nicely equipped with air conditioning and a decent stereo, the Breeze has a surprising amount of interior room.

Plymouth finally gets a replacement for the Acclaim during the first quarter of 1996. The Breeze, a decontented version of the Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Cirrus, is poised to lead Plymouth's revival as Chrysler's value brand by offering a stylish, roomy, four-door sedan with a decent level of standard equipment for a low price.

Breeze will come standard with air conditioning, dual airbags, tilt steering, rear window defroster, remote trunk release and a folding rear seat. The short options list includes antilock brakes, power accessories, an integrated child safety seat, and a CD Player. The Breeze will meet 1997 side-impact standards.

Power comes from a 132-horsepower, 2.0-liter, four cylinder engine lifted from the smaller Neon sedan. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, and a four-speed automatic is optional. There are no other engine choices.

Breeze differs from the Stratus and Cirrus primarily in front/rear appearance and available equipment. Rather bland in appearance, an egg crate grille dominates the frontal styling of this new mid-size sedan. Prices are expected to start around $13,500 -- just above the Neon.

Plymouth needed this car to fill out the showroom a bit. We think buyers will find the Breeze to be an excellent value in a crowded sedan marketplace.