The Chrysler PT Cruiser blends the retro look of a late-1930's American sedan with new-age styling cues such as dual-beam flush headlights and teardrop-shaped taillight lenses. But that's not all there is to the PT Cruiser. The shape is intriguing, but underneath is a modern platform with front-wheel drive.By exterior dimensions, the PT Cruiser is quite compact. It's nearly 6 inches shorter than a Neon. Yet with 63 inches from the pavement to the highest point of its roof, the Cruiser sedan is also 7 inches taller than the Neon, and nearly as tall as some minivans. That height is a crucial element of the PT Cruiser's design.
The GT sedan is distinguished from the other models by its chromed wheels, larger air intakes, and a spoiler on its liftgate. The spoiler ($150) is optional on the Limited.
The design of the convertible is quite a bit different from that of the sedan. It's a two-door rather than a four-door. The convertible looks shorter than the sedan, but isn't; maybe it's the single long door on each side that creates this illusion. It's certainly lower, by almost 3 inches. Closer examination reveals that the windshield is raked more radically and uses a different A-pillar design. With the top up, the convertible looks like a custom chopped-top hot rod. Pretty cool.