Chrysler 200 sedan designed to compete in crowded midsize segment

Power/torque: 184 horsepower/173 pound-feet (I-4); 295 horsepower/262 pound-feet (V-6).

Length: 192.3 inches.

Curb weight (base): 3,473 pounds.

Brakes, front/rear: Disc/disc, antilock, all models.

Fuel capacity/type: 15.8 gallons/unleaded regular.

EPA fuel economy: 23 mpg city/36 highway/28 combined (I-4); 19/32/23 (V-6, front drive); 18/29/22 (V-6, AWD).

Base price range: $21,995-$30,825, plus $995 freight.

Price as tested: $35,285, including freight and options (C model, V-6, front drive).

Chrysler may finally have gotten the midsize sedan right.

Prices start at $21,995 (plus $995 freight) for the base LX model. Other trim levels include the Limited ($23,950); S ($25,170) and S All-Wheel-Drive ($29,370; and C ($26,225) and C All-Wheel-Drive ($30,825), the top of the line.

But because looks are important, it’s easy to see from first glance that Chrysler’s designers were given a free hand to create an exterior that sets the 200 apart from the cookie-cutter styling of so many of the stalwarts in this class (think Camry, Accord).

It’s elegant without being ostentatious, looking like a luxury vehicle not from the old-school Detroit vein, but in the context of a Mercedes, BMW or Infiniti.

And it’s not just the exterior; the car is beautiful inside, as well. Chrysler refers to the car’s “understated, simple elegance,” and touts its craftsmanship, which is in part achieved through the use of high-quality materials throughout.

There are performance and technology features that help build on the 200’s good looks, though, giving it more than just a great appearance.

For instance, it has the first standard nine-speed automatic transmission in its segment, which allows it to boast Environmental Protection Agency ratings of up to 36 mpg from its base 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine.

Also rare in its class is the available all-wheel-drive system, which comes with an automatic-disconnecting rear axle, which helps to improve fuel economy — something that almost always suffers with all-wheel drive versus two-wheel drive.

There are two engine choices: the standard 2.4-liter MultiAir2 Tigershark inline four-cylinder, with 184 horsepower and 173 pound-feet of torque; and the optional 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 — the same one used in the Charger and a variety of other Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge vehicles, with 295 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque.

With the four-cylinder comes the engine stop-start system, a feature pioneered on hybrid cars. It automatically stops the engine when the car comes to a halt at, say, a traffic signal, and restarts seamlessly when the driver takes his foot off the brake. It saves gas but eliminating idling of the engine while paused in traffic.

The car comes with a rotary shifter mounted on the center console just below the heating and air conditioning controls, and right next to the switch for the electronic parking brake.

Speaking of the center console, it’s a cool design that includes a covered charging station for your phones and other gadgets, and two usable cupholders.

Our tester was the 200C front-drive model (base price $26,225), which came with a bunch of options that ran the total sticker price to $35,285, including freight.

It came with the beautiful Lunar White Tri-Coat exterior paint ($595 extra), and a black leather interior — part of the Premium Group ($995), which besides leather brought ventilated front seats, luxury door trim panels, a 115-volt power outlet, memory for the external mirrors/driver’s seat/radio, heated two-tone steering wheel, and wood and bronze interior accents.

We also had the Customer Preferred Package ($1,295), which added advanced brake assist, lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist, rain-sensing wipers, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control with forward-collision warning, blind-spot and cross-path traffic detection, and parallel and perpendicular parking assist.

For $1,395, we got the Navigation and Sound Group, which tacked on a navigation system, premium audio with Alpine 506-watt amplifier and nine speakers, and an 8.4-inch touch screen.

Also included was the upgrade to the V-6 engine ($1,995), which also brought heavy-duty antilock four-wheel disc brakes, steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, and dual exhaust tips.

Power was quite impressive with the V-6 engine — it gave the car more pep than it does in the larger Dodge and Chrysler models because the 200 weighs less. Handling was crisper and more responsive than I expected — it felt more like a Charger than a regular midsize family sedan.

EPA ratings for our V-6 tester were 19 mpg city/32 highway/23 combined. With the optional all-wheel drive, the ratings are 18/29/22. For the four-cylinder engine, the ratings are 23/36/28. All-wheel drive is not available with the four-cylinder engine.