The
Eagle Vision was a full-size,
front-wheel driveFront-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and...
sedan, marketed as a
sportsA sports sedan or a sports saloon is a descriptive term applied to a sedan automobile that is designed to look and feel "sporty", offering the motorist more connection with the driving experience, while providing the comfort and amenities expected of a luxury sedan. A wider definition that includes...
version of the Chrysler LH platform, produced from 1993-1997. It was sold by the
EagleEagle was a marque of the Chrysler Corporation following the purchase of American Motors Corporation and aimed at the enthusiast driver.Though short-lived, the Eagle Vision sedan sold in respectable numbers, while the sporty Eagle Talon sold more than 115,000 units.-Overview:Following the...
division of the
Chrysler Corporation Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
, replacing the
AMCAmerican Motors Corporation was an American automobile company formed by the 1954 merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company. At the time, it was the largest corporate merger in U.S. history.George W...
/
RenaultRenault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
-designed
Eagle PremierThe Eagle Premier was a full-size automobile developed by the American Motors Corporation and Renault partnership, inherited by Chrysler Corporation when it acquired AMC in 1987, and marketed from 1987 through 1992...
(from which the Vision was derived). It is related to the first generation
Dodge IntrepidThe Dodge Intrepid is a large four-door, full-size, front-wheel drive sedan car model that was produced for model years 1993 to 2004. It was mechanically related to the Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler New Yorker, Eagle Vision, and also the 300M sedans...
,
Chrysler ConcordeThe Chrysler Concorde was a large four-door, full-size, front wheel drive sedan produced by Chrysler from 1993 to 2004. It replaced the Chrysler Fifth Avenue on the lineup. One of Chrysler's 3 original Chrysler LH platform models derived from the American Motors/Renault-designed Eagle Premier, it...
,
Chrysler LHSThe Chrysler LHS is a full-size, front wheel drive car based on the Chrysler LH platform.Having been praised throughout its production run as offering a blend of high-end features, along with solid performance, the LHS was marketed as a rival to other cars costing thousands more...
and final generation
Chrysler New YorkerThe Chrysler New Yorker was a premium automobile built by the Chrysler Corporation from 1939–1996, serving for several years as the brand's flagship model. A model named the "New York Special" first appeared in the 1930s...
. The Vision, Intrepid, Concorde, LHS and New Yorker are collectively designated the
LHThe LH platform served as the basis for the Chrysler Concorde, Chrysler LHS, Chrysler 300M, Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision, and the final Chrysler New Yorker. A Plymouth to be called the "Accolade" was planned, but never saw production...
: Chrysler's codename for the
platformAn automobile platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of automobiles, often from different, but related marques...
which underpinned them. The Vision, Intrepid and Concorde were available as
flexible-fuel vehicleA flexible-fuel vehicle or dual-fuel vehicle is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel, and both fuels are stored in the same common tank...
s, as well. The Eagle Vision was badged as the
Chrysler Vision in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The Vision debuted at the 1992
North American International Auto ShowThe North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...
in Detroit. As an LH sedan, it was
Automobile MagazineAutomobile magazine is an automobile magazine in the United States and is owned by Source Interlink. It was founded by a group of former employees of Car and Driver magazine, led by that publications’s former editor, David E. Davis, and originally published by News Corporation...
's Automobile of the Year in 1993.
Design Background
The Vision's design can be traced to 1986, when designer Kevin Verduyn completed the initial exterior design of a new aerodynamic concept sedan called Navajo. The design never passed the clay model stage.
It was also at this time that the Chrysler Corporation purchased bankrupt
ItalianItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
sports carA sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
manufacturer
LamborghiniAutomobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini , is an Italian car manufacturer. The company was founded by manufacturing magnate Ferruccio Lamborghini in 1963, with the objective of producing a refined grand touring car to compete with established offerings from marques like...
. The Navajo's exterior design was reworked and became the
Lamborghini PortofinoThe Lamborghini Portofino was a concept car developed for Lamborghini by Kevin Verduyn, one of Chrysler's chief designers. Introduced at the 1987 Frankfurt Auto Show, it was a fully functional, four-door, four-seat sport sedan....
, released as a concept at the 1987 Frankfurt Auto Show. The Portofino was heralded as a design triumph, setting in motion Chrysler's decision to produce a production sedan with the Portofino's revolutionary exterior design, called "cab-forward."
The
cab forwardThe term cab forward refers to various rail and road vehicle designs which place the driver's compartment substantially farther towards the front than is common practice.- Rail locomotives :...
design was characterized by the long, low slung windshield, and relatively short overhangs. The wheels were effectively pushed to the corners of the car, creating a larger passenger cabin than the contemporaries of the time.
Design of the chassis began in the late 1980s, after Chrysler had bought another automaker: American Motors Corporation (AMC) in 1987, from which the Eagle division is derived. During this time, Chrysler began designing the replacement for the
Dodge DynastyThe Dodge Dynasty was a front-wheel drive sedan that was introduced in 1987 as a 1988 model to replace the 600 as Dodge's mid-size car. The Dodge Dynasty was related to the Chrysler New Yorker; both car lines were built on the Chrysler C platform in Belvidere, Illinois.The Dynasty is also similar...
and
Chrysler Fifth AvenueWith the R-body out of production and the LeBaron name transferred to the Chrysler K platform for 1982, the New Yorker was downsized once again, becoming a mid-sized car ....
as well as a potential
PlymouthPlymouth was a marque of automobile based in the United States, produced by the Chrysler Corporation and its successor DaimlerChrysler.-Origins:...
. The initial design of Dodge's LH bore resemblance to the Dynasty, and this design was scrapped entirely after
François CastaingFrançois J. Castaing is a 27-year veteran automotive executive with Renault, American Motors, and Chrysler. He is an engineering graduate from École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers in Paris, and worked in Europe for Gordini and Renault before being named Vice President for Product...
, formerly AMC's Vice President of product engineering and development, became Chrysler's Vice President of vehicle engineering in 1988. The new design, under Castaing's leadership, began with the
Eagle PremierThe Eagle Premier was a full-size automobile developed by the American Motors Corporation and Renault partnership, inherited by Chrysler Corporation when it acquired AMC in 1987, and marketed from 1987 through 1992...
.
The Premier's longitudinal engine mounting layout was inherited, as was the front suspension geometry, and parts of the braking system. The chassis itself became a flexible architecture capable of supporting front or rear-wheel drive (designated "LH" and "LX" respectively).
The chassis design was continually refined throughout the following years, as it underpinned more Chrysler prototypes: the 1989 Chrysler Millennium and 1990
Eagle OptimaThe Eagle Optima, was a 1990 concept car by the Eagle division of the Chrysler Corporation. It was a four-door sedan that used cab forward design. It was one of a series of concepts that lead up to the 1993 LH Eagle Vision and its siblings...
.
The transmission was inspired by the Premier's Audi and ZF automatics. Borrowing heavily from Chrysler's A604 (41TE) "
UltradriveThe Ultradrive is a 4-speed automatic transmission from Chrysler Corporation. It was produced starting in 1989. It was originally paired primarily with the Chrysler 3.3 engine in vehicles with transverse engines...
" transversely-mounted automatic, it became the A606 (also known as 42LE). This "Ultradrive" transmission however was not without critics as The New York Times reported on January 25, 1991 that Consumers Union would publish in the February 1991 issue of the magazine Consumer Reports a warning for consumers to NOT buy a vehicle with this "Ultradrive" transmission citing poor reliability and safety hazards.
By 1990, it was decided that the new technologically-advanced car would need a new technologically-advanced engine to power it. Until that time, the only engine confirmed for use was Chrysler's 3.3 L pushrod V6. The 3.3 L engine's 60° block was bored out to 3.5 L, while the pushrod-actuated valves were replaced with SOHC cylinder heads with four valves per cylinder, creating an advanced 3.5 L V6.
The appearance, still based on the cab forward exterior design of the 1987
Lamborghini PortofinoThe Lamborghini Portofino was a concept car developed for Lamborghini by Kevin Verduyn, one of Chrysler's chief designers. Introduced at the 1987 Frankfurt Auto Show, it was a fully functional, four-door, four-seat sport sedan....
conceptA concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car made to showcase new styling and or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced....
, with its aerodynamic shape, made for little wind noise inside this large car. This sleek styling gives the Vision a low drag coefficient (0.31), comparable to the acclaimed Ford Taurus.
Without badges, the Vision could easily pass as a (first-generation) Concorde. The main difference between the two are the taillight clusters. With a nod toward the
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an sedans against which it was marketed to compete, the Vision incorporates amber turn signals rather than the Concorde's red. The Vision also does not have the Concorde's rear lightbar between the taillights. While the Vision and Concorde share headlights, the Vision's grille is smaller and, separated by a prominent center badge, has been likened to the appearance of "nostrils." On the other hand, the Intrepid incorporates very different headlight and taillight assemblies, and has no grille at all. The interior of the Vision is nearly identical to the Concorde, the biggest difference being the absence of the Concorde's faux wood trim and steering wheel emblem. The Concorde never had the autostick and its instrument cluster, Dodge did, but it had its own interior. The Vision, being marketed as a sport sedan only offered the bucket seats with console and never offered with the split bench with column shift.
The Vision featured a monochromatic design inside and out, with no brand or model badge on the doors (as found on the Concorde), and available aluminum wheels with a simple design. The single color motif was more pronounced on models without the grey lower body trim paint scheme. In keeping with its high-performance image, the Vision was the only LH sedan to come standard with "touring" suspension. "Performance" suspension was an available option on the Vision.
The upscale TSi model featured leather-trimmed seats, 8-way
power seatA power seat in an automobile is a front seat which can be adjusted by using a switch or joystick and a set of small electric motors. Most cars with this feature have controls for the driver's seat only, though almost all luxury cars also have power controls for the front passenger seat.In addition...
s for both the driver and front passenger, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather shift knob, cloth door inserts, rear seat vents, center rear armrest, and personal reading lamps.
Power windows and central door locks were standard for both trims, as were dual airbags, with
remote keyless entryA remote keyless system is a system designed to permit or deny access to premises or automobiles. While the "remote" system is portable and has locking capabilities, the exact phrase "keyless entry" is solely reserved for the numeric dials or keypads that are located on or near the driver side door...
available as an option. Among other factory installed sound systems available, was the top-of-the-line
InfinityInfinity Systems is an American manufacturer of loudspeakers founded by Arnie Nudell, John Ulrick and Cary Christie in 1968. Since 1983, Infinity has been part of the Harman International Industries group....
sound system which included 8 speakers positioned throughout the cabin along with an equalizer. Head units included a radio with either cassette or CD playback, and a maximum five-bands adjustable graphic equalizer.
The TSi model was distinguishable as it did not have a fixed mast antenna, but a retractable power antenna that stored itself inside the rear passenger-side fender. Anti-lock brakes (
ABSAn anti-lock braking system is a safety system that allows the wheels on a motor vehicle to continue interacting tractively with the road surface as directed by driver steering inputs while braking, preventing the wheels from locking up and therefore avoiding skidding.An ABS generally offers...
) were standard, with
traction controlA traction control system , also known as anti-slip regulation , is typically a secondary function of the anti-lock braking system on production motor vehicles, designed to prevent loss of traction of driven road wheels...
optional.
Dual-way power sunroofs were available on this car in either trim. They were designed and installed by American Sunroof Corp. (now ASC Global) from its Columbus, Ohio plant, not by Mopar itself. An installed sunroof eliminated most of the front overhead console that featured storage bins for a garage door opener and sunglasses. However, the Overhead Travel Information System (OTIS), an onboard computer with integrated map lights, was retained.
Prices
The Vision was generally the middle offering of the original three LH cars, with the ESi starting between a base Intrepid and a base Concorde (usually just under the Concorde by a few hundred dollars). However the TSi's base price was more than a base Concorde. Other LH cars, the New Yorker and LHS, started higher than the Vision. The original
MSRPThe manufacturer's suggested retail price , list price or recommended retail price of a product is the price which the manufacturer recommends that the retailer sell the product. The intention was to help to standardise prices among locations...
base prices in
United States dollarThe United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
s for the years were:
- 1993: ESi - $17,687 & TSi - $21,404
- 1994: ESi - $19,747 & TSi - $23,212
- 1995: ESi - $19,697 & TSi - $22,971
- 1996: ESi - $19,245 & TSi - $23,835
- 1997: ESi - $20,305 & TSi - $24,485
Performance
The Eagle Vision ESi came equipped with a 3.3 liter V6 engine initially producing 150 bhp (112 kW) and rising to 162 bhp in the 1994-1995 models. For 1996, it lost 4 hp, but gained 9 ft·lbf of torque. The TSi was factory-equipped with the more powerful SOHC 24-valve 3.5 L V6 engine producing 214 bhp. Both engines were joined to a 4-speed automatic, but only the '96 and '97 TSi with its 3.5 had the 4-speed autostick option, with no option of a real
manual transmissionA manual transmission, also known as a manual gearbox or standard transmission is a type of transmission used in motor vehicle applications...
.
Engines
- 3.3 L V6 - Horsepower and Torque: 150 bhp & 180 lbft (1993), 162 bhp & 194 lbft (1994–1995) and, 158 bhp & 203 lbft (1996–1997)
- 3.5 L V6 - 214 bhp & 221 lbft
The 3.3 liter engine was engineered to run on 87
octaneOctane rating or octane number is a standard measure of the anti-knock properties of a motor or aviation fuel. The higher the octane number, the more compression the fuel can withstand before detonating...
gasolineGasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
, while the larger 3.5 requires mid-grade 89 octane fuel.
Year-to-year changes
- 1994: Variable-assist power steering was available, providing more feel at higher speeds. Both models now wore the same lower-body cladding, minimizing the evident differences between the ESi and TSi. The 3.3 L engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
's power output was increased by 8 hp, while the 4-speed automatic transmissionAn automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
was revised for smoother shifting.
- 1995: New standard features included heated power exterior rear-view mirrors, power windows, and an AM/FM stereo with a cassette player. The 3.5-liter engine became available as an upgrade option for the ESi trim level.
- 1996: A new Autostick
The name Autostick has been used both for a Volkswagen semi-auto transmission and a system designed by Chrysler which allows for manual selection of gears with an automatic transmission. Another similar system designed by Porsche is called Tiptronic...
shifting feature became available for the TSi trim. The car could be "manually" shifted by tilting the shift knob right or left to change gears up or down.
- 1997: Only minor changes were made to the 1997 Vision. After this year the Vision was discontinued.
End of a Vision
The Vision sold in reasonable numbers (around 105,000 units, from 1993–1997) and Chrysler was planning to continue it for the redesign of the LH cars for 1998. Some prototypes featured the Eagle logo, and Vision production continued into September 1997 to offer dealers with an adequate amount of '97 models, until the introduction redesigned '98 Vision. Instead however, Chrysler made the decision to stop production of the Vision and
TalonThe Eagle Talon was one of three model names given to a sports coupe that was manufactured between 1990 and 1999 and sold by the then Chrysler Corporation and Mitsubishi Motors of Japan in a joint 50/50 corporate venture known as Diamond-Star Motors...
(Eagle's only other model by then), therefore dissolving the whole Eagle brand in 1998. Production ended on September 5, 1997. The car that was planned to be the redesigned Vision, became the
Chrysler 300MThe Chrysler 300M is a sports sedan produced by Chrysler from 1999 to 2004. Chrysler Corporation revived the 300 name on the 300M. This time it was a front-wheel drive, V6 engined car using the Chrysler LH platform. While not technically part of the famous "letter series" of the 1950s and 1960s,...
, and it was released a year after the other redesigned LH cars in 1999.