PT is one of those silly acronyms that make a redundant distinction. It stands for "personal transportation." Well, no kidding. As distinct from what? Public transportation? Puh-leeze.

But that, and a slight shortage of grunt -- or more accurately, an overabundance of avoirdupois -- pretty much sums up the only weak points in this nifty new DaimlerChrysler invention. That's right: It's an invention. The same people who made minivan a household word 16 years ago have once again added something that's essentially new to the world's automotive inventory. In essence, it's a mini-minivan -- same clever use of interior space, same versatility, but way more cool than those ubiquitous all-purpose family freighters. Another clever concept that was afflicted with the same telltale sliding side door of the minivan were small haulers like the Mitsubishi Expo LRV, the Plymouth Colt Vista, and the Eagle Summit wagon of 1992-95. Sorry. No takers, or at least not enough. The idea flopped.

Chrysler is studiously avoiding the word minivan in its PT marketing messages. Minivans are exactly as cool as sensible shoes and have come to occupy the same psychographic niche as the much-ridiculed family station wagon.

The PT Cruiser, in contrast, sheaths its extraordinary usefulness in retro-chic sheetmetal that tempers the practicality with visual audacity. Its tall, fat-fendered exterior recalls sedans built in the late '30s, a time when American design had just emerged from the rectangular tyranny of its first four decades and shapes began to have flowing, organic contours.

In reviving the pre-WWII look, Bryan Nesbitt, the PT's principal designer, unwittingly demonstrated that those guys laboring in the Neolithic days before CAD/CAM and CATIA understood a little more about people packaging than we thought. The high roofline and upright windshield, for example, give the Cruiser extraordinary roominess for a car that measures 5.6 inches shorter stem to stern than a Neon. It also allowed a higher seating position, about midway between a Neon's and a Dodge Caravan's -- better sightlines for all -- and still provided vast headroom. And the high roof begot tall doors, augmented by wide opening angles -- easier to climb into and out of, front or rear.

The similarity to '30s sedans ends right there, of course. The minivan-style rear hatch shelters an open cargo well rather than a formal trunk; the 65/35 split rear seats flop forward behind the front seats, fold flat, and are also removable; and like most cars today, the Cruiser is a front-engined, front-drive unibody, rather than the body-on-frame rear-driver of the good old days.

Of course, depending on which aspect of the Cruiser one is contemplating, it's not a car at all. Because it has a flat rear load floor and removable rear seats, NHTSA views it as a truck, specifically a multipurpose vehicle sort of truck (which is another way of saying minivan), thus shifting its relatively high fuel-economy ratings (20/26 mpg city/highway with the manual transmission, 20/25 with the optional four-speed automatic) over to the truck side of the CAFE ledger. But for emissions-testing purposes, the EPA considers it a car. DaimlerChrysler also points out that the durability testing was by truck standards, which are more demanding than those used for passenger-car development.

On the other hand, for NHTSA passive-safety accounting purposes, the Cruiser is considered a car. It isn't every day that one satisfies the frequently conflicting goals of all the government agencies on one's own terms -- sort of like having your cake, eating it, and getting paid to do so. All of which makes the folks at Chrysler quite happy.

Car, truck, minivan, whatever -- in a world of shared underpinnings, the PT Cruiser is a one of a kind, according to Chrysler. Our original understanding was that there would be quite a lot of Neon under this nifty new shape. But even though international versions will use the Neon's 140-horsepower, 2.0-liter SOHC 16-valve four, aside from various fasteners and other small bits, the Cruiser has little in common with the compact sedan. Whether it's built in Toluca, Mexico, or Graz, Austria, the platform belongs to the Cruiser and no other product.

It's an exceptionally sturdy affair by small-car (or truck) standards, with robust roof pillars that figure to provide very good protection if or when people stand their Cruisers on their heads. High structural rigidity is an asset in durability, noise isolation, and handling, but it can also mean excessive mass, which seems to be the case here. Although it's shorter and not quite as wide as the Neon, the Cruiser's height (seven inches taller than the small sedan) and heavy-duty structural elements make it pretty porky for such a small fry.

The Chrysler group lists the curb weight of a base version with a manual transmission at 3123 pounds. Our tester, a mid-level Touring Edition with side airbags, weighed 3184, compared with 2639 pounds for the most recent Neon to pass this way, an ES model (see "Little Cars 6.1," page 54).

Predictably, this hampers zippy forward progress. Although U.S. Cruisers get the relatively robust 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve four from the Dodge minivan (that word again) lineup -- 150 hp, 162 pound-feet of torque -- its performance in this chunky little rascal ranges from okay with the manual transmission (0 to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds) to merely adequate with the automatic (10.9 seconds from 0 to 60). The action of the manual shifter is reasonably precise for a cable-operated unit, and in addition to the acceleration advantages, we love the ivory-hued ball that tops the chromed lever, a nifty retro touch you don't get with the automatic, at least not yet.

Still, stir as you might, you're in no danger of rocket-sled face distortion when you mash the pedal to the floor. In this sense, the Cruiser's hot-rod look is out of step with performance reality. Chrysler insiders say there's likely to be a turbo option in the Cruiser's not-too-distant future. But for now the emphasis is on cruisin' and lookin' cool.

On the other hand, the Cruiser is surprisingly adept on snaky sections of back roads. Body roll is well-controlled, particularly in view of the relatively high center of gravity; the power rack-and-pinion steering is nicely weighted, with better-than-average road feel; and the damping rates are well-selected for keeping the tires in contact with the surface, even on sections of washboard gravel road.

We should note here that every Cruiser we've encountered so far was equipped with the optional touring suspension: P205/55R-16 Goodyear Eagle LS tires and firmer suspension tuning vs. the standard P195/65R-15 Eagles on the softer base suspension. For all that, the ride and handling of this vehicle, with its unusual beam axle and Watt's linkage at the rear, exceeded our expectations, both in all-around performance and in how little noise found its way through the suspension -- remarkable in a wagon-style body.

If you're wondering why the designers discarded a strut-type independent rear suspension, a la Neon, in favor of the complex twist-beam design that ultimately emerged, a setup that precludes the possibility of all-wheel drive, here's the answer: Strut towers would have intruded on cargo space at the rear and restricted the hatch opening. Tells you a lot about functional priorities here, doesn't it?

Like the universality of the touring suspension, every Cruiser we've driven to date has had anti-lock brakes and traction control, which means they've also had rear discs instead of the standard drums. The ABS package is obviously preferable, but it will add $595 to the tab, regardless of the trim level -- base, Touring Edition, or the loaded Limited Edition.

For all its exterior individualism and dynamic competence -- good road manners, surprisingly quiet operation, adequate power -- the element that's going to keep Cruiser owners happy over the long haul is the adaptability of its attractive and roomy interior (maximum cargo capacity is about the same as in the much larger Jeep Cherokee). In cars equipped with the optional folding front passenger seat, you can cram eight-foot lengths of two-by-fours into this thing, and Chrysler claims 26 different passenger-cargo configurations. That doesn't count the optional roof rack or some of the other stuff you can add from the Mopar accessories catalog.

It's not perfect. The front seats could do with longer bottom cushions and height adjustability. Because they contain integral seatbelt anchors and must also conform to certain European crash standards, the rear seats are a bit heavy, particularly the two-person side, which weighs 65 pounds. And we find the placement of the rear power-window switches -- on the back of the center console -- quite mysterious.

Money. Like almost everything else about this new car, its pricing is hard to classify. At the lower end of the range, it overlaps the Neon and the Neon's various compact contemporaries. At the upper end, it overlaps the Dodge Caravan, which starts at $19,440. A more likely contrast, however, is with small sport-utes like the Honda CR-V ($19,065 to $21,765) and the Toyota RAV4 ($17,368 to $19,828). The SUVs offer something the new Chrysler doesn't, that is, four-wheel drive, but the Cruiser beats 'em on capacity, cargo versatility, and style, hands down.

When something is truly new, it's difficult to forecast how it will fit into the competitive environment. At a glance, a price range of $16,000 to more than $21,000 seems pretty heavy for a vehicle with subcompact chassis dimensions. Then again, it's not a subcompact, it includes a nice array of standard features, and it is undeniably unique.

It seems clear to us that the PT Cruiser will be a runaway bestseller, and possibly the progenitor of a new subspecies. It also seems clear that for all the upheaval following Daimler's purchase of Chrysler, the company's design creativity still eclipses that of its cross-town rivals, as well as just about everyone else's. The name may be a little different, but the magic is still there.

FRANK MARKUS

This is the first car in years that's made me jealous. I arrived at a party in one of my typically cool rides, but a DC employee brought his "fast feedback" Cruiser and spent the evening giving rides. Several partygoers were ready to arm-wrestle for rights to buy it when he's done with it. "Could use a little more power, dontcha think?" I pouted. And it could. Maybe the turbo-and-intercooler package that bolts to 2.4-liter engines in the Mexican Cirrus/Stratus. On those cars it adds 18 hp and 52 pound-feet of torque. It's not EPA-legal yet, but not to worry -- whoever gets Gino's PT will have plenty of aftermarket hop-up parts to pick from if they ever get bored with their too-cool Cruiser.

PATTI MAKI

As I pulled into the church parking lot at twilight for choir rehearsal, I could hear from the adjoining play yard -- through the closed windows of the PT Cruiser -- yelps and shouts. "It's a PT Cruiser!" "Look, a Cruiser!" "Wow, is it one of those new PT Cruisers?" I was accosted by a gang of adolescents who swarmed the car, pubescent girls shrieking as if I, or the car, were a rock star. "Can I look inside??!?" one asked. "Sure," I said, as I opened doors. More shrieks. A flood of questions and comments. Never has a vehicle I've driven generated such adulation. The kids knew how much it cost, and Daniel knew how many were sent to Florida for fleet rentals. Lord, help us!

CSABA CSERE

Every new Chrysler product since the '93 LH sedans has been both attractive and spacious. Most automakers are lucky if their designs embody either virtue. The PT Cruiser takes this combination of form and function to a new peak. By employing an upright seating position, Chrysler group designers have packaged room for four adults and their belongings in a mere 14 feet of length. Then they wrapped this commodious envelope in a sexy skin that neatly blends elements from vintage station wagons and street rods. The result is the first tall wagon with powerful curb appeal -- and another grand slam for Chrysler design.

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