Chrysler Stratus: which version to buy, and why the numbers split the Cabrio into two camps

The Chrysler Stratus in this catalogue is one generation (February 1995–June 2000), Cabrio only, six listed versions, all Gasoline, all FWD, all without boost, all on 95 fuel and a 60 L tank. The buying question is not “which generation” — there is only one — but which of the six rows actually matches how you will drive. Two names repeat: 2.0 MT, 2.0 AT, and 2.5 AT each appear twice.

The Chrysler Stratus in this catalogue is one generation (February 1995–June 2000), Cabrio only, six listed versions, all Gasoline, all FWD, all without boost, all on 95 fuel and a 60 L tank. The buying question is not “which generation” — there is only one — but which of the six rows actually matches how you will drive. Two names repeat: 2.0 MT, 2.0 AT, and 2.5 AT each appear twice. Same badges, same horsepower on each pair (131 hp for the 2.0s, 163 hp for the 2.5s). They are not the same cars: kerb weight, top speed, fuel figures, and front brakes differ, and several cells on the heavier trio are not measured. Buy on the measured row, not the badge.

Chrysler Stratus generations: what one generation actually offers

1 generation (1995-02-01 to 2000-06-30) is the whole story: Cabrio, 6 versions, no later generation in this dataset to “wait for.” Searches for Chrysler Stratus 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000 sit inside this window; the data does not split those calendar years into restyles or extra bodies. Coupe and sedan do not appear here — only Cabrio (convertible). If the brief is “Stratus cabrio / convertible,” every version below is in scope. If the brief is “sedan” or “coupe,” this dataset does not list those bodies.

That means the comparison is version-versus-version inside one generation, not gen-versus-gen.

Chrysler Stratus engine and specs: six versions, three names

Use the table as the shopping list. Cylinders, layout, boost, gearbox, and drive are taken from the English labels in the data.

VersionhpNmDisplacement (cc)FuelCylindersLayoutBoostGearboxDrive
2.0 MT1311711996954InlineNoManual, 5FWD
2.0 AT1311711996954InlineNoAutomatic, 4FWD
2.5 AT1632182497956V-shapedNoAutomatic, 4FWD
2.0 MT1311711996954InlineNoManual, 5FWD
2.0 AT1311711996954InlineNoAutomatic, 4FWD
2.5 AT1632182497956V-shapedNoAutomatic, 4FWD

Chrysler Stratus hp in this file is two numbers only: 131 hp (96 kW) at 5900 rpm on every 2.0, and 163 hp (120 kW) at 5850 rpm on every 2.5. The extra 32 hp is +24% over 131. Torque is 171 Nm at 4950 rpm versus 218 Nm at 4400 rpm: +47 Nm, +27%, and the V6 peak arrives 550 rpm earlier.

Power per litre (hp ÷ displacement in litres): 2.0 MT / 2.0 AT = 131 ÷ 1.996 ≈ 65.6 hp/L. 2.5 AT = 163 ÷ 2.497 ≈ 65.3 hp/L. The 2.5 is not a more highly stressed engine on this metric; it is a larger engine with almost the same specific output. Torque per litre: 171 ÷ 1.996 ≈ 85.7 Nm/L on the 2.0 versus 218 ÷ 2.497 ≈ 87.3 Nm/L on the 2.5 — a small specific-torque edge for the six-cylinder.

Valves per cylinder are 4 on all six. Compression is 9.8 on the 1996 cc Inline 4 (bore × stroke 87.5 × 83) and 9.4 on the 2497 cc V-shaped 6 (83.5 × 76). Injection on every row: Distributed injection (multi-point). Engine location: not measured. No version here has boost.

Gearbox choice is the other fork: 2.0 MT is Manual 5; every 2.0 AT and 2.5 AT is Automatic 4. There is no Manual 2.5 in this list. If you want the V6, you are buying an Automatic.

Chrysler Stratus performance, mpg, and what is not measured

0–100 km/h, top speed, and fuel use are where the duplicate names stop being twins.

0–100 km/h

Where both engines are measured, the 2.5 AT is 0.4 s quicker to 100 km/h than the 2.0s at 10.9 s. That is the whole sprint gap in this file. Do not treat the first 2.0 AT as “the same 10.9 s” — that cell is not measured.

Top speed

Spread from the slowest measured (193) to the fastest (210) is 17 km/h. Same 2.0 MT name, 12 km/h apart (193 vs 205) because the lighter row is 239 kg lighter (1585 − 1346). Same 2.5 AT name, 12 km/h apart (198 vs 210); the faster 2.5 is 229 kg lighter (1660 − 1431). On the lighter pair, stepping from 2.0 AT (200 km/h) to 2.5 AT (210 km/h) buys 10 km/h; from lighter 2.0 MT (205) to lighter 2.5 AT (210) buys 5 km/h. The V6’s speed advantage is real but smaller than the weight split between the two clusters.

Fuel consumption (L/100 km) — Chrysler Stratus mpg in the units we have

City / highway / combined:

On the three rows that actually have economy figures, Automatic on the 2.0 costs +1.4 city, +1.4 highway, +1.1 combined versus Manual (12.7−11.3, 7.8−6.4, 9.6−8.5). The 2.5 AT versus that 2.0 AT costs +2.4 city, +0.3 highway, +1.1 combined (15.1−12.7, 8.1−7.8, 10.7−9.6). Versus the 2.0 MT, the V6 costs +3.8 city, +1.7 highway, +2.2 combined. Highway is where the 2.5 is closest to the 2.0 Automatic; city is where the six-cylinder bill is largest.

CO2: not measured on all six. Eco class: not measured on all six.

Tank is 60 L on every version. Combined range, only where combined consumption is measured: 60 ÷ 8.5 × 100 ≈ 706 km on the second 2.0 MT; 60 ÷ 9.6 × 100 ≈ 625 km on the second 2.0 AT; 60 ÷ 10.7 × 100 ≈ 561 km on the second 2.5 AT. The V6 gives up about 145 km of combined tank range versus the measured Manual 2.0, and about 64 km versus the measured Automatic 2.0. Those ranges are arithmetic on the given tank and combined figures, not a separate measurement.

Chrysler Stratus weight, dimensions, and clearance

Wheel sizes: not measured on all six. Length and other exterior dimensions: not measured in this dataset — a Chrysler Stratus cabrio dimensions / length search cannot be answered with a millimetre figure here. Ground clearance is 140 mm on every version; it does not change with engine or gearbox.

Chrysler Stratus weight (kerb / gross, kg)

The file therefore contains two mass clusters, not a smooth ladder. Heavy cluster: 1585 and 1660 kg kerb. Light cluster: 1346, 1350, 1431 kg. Gap between the lightest 2.0 MT and the heaviest 2.5 AT is 314 kg (1660 − 1346). Inside the light cluster, 2.0 AT is only 4 kg heavier than 2.0 MT (1350 − 1346); 2.5 AT is 85 kg heavier than that 2.0 MT (1431 − 1346) and 81 kg heavier than the light 2.0 AT.

Payload where both kerb and gross are measured:

Same 305 kg payload on the two heavy rows; the light 2.0 MT has 214 kg more payload than the heavy 2.0 MT (519 − 305). Gross on the light 2.0 AT is not measured, so its payload cannot be calculated.

Weight per horsepower (kerb kg ÷ hp) — lower is less mass per unit of output:

The light 2.5 AT is the best kg/hp figure in the file. The heavy 2.0 MT is the worst. The light 2.0s sit near the heavy V6 on this ratio even though they have 32 hp less — because they shed more than 200 kg.

Chassis labels that do not split the shopper: Independent, spring front and rear on all six. Front brakes: Disc on the three heavier / incomplete rows; Ventilated disc on the three lighter / economy-measured rows. Rear: Disc on all six. If ventilated fronts matter to you, you are in the 1346 / 1350 / 1431 kg group.

Which Chrysler Stratus version to choose

There is no second generation to “buy instead.” The decision is: 2.0 versus 2.5, Manual versus Automatic, and which of the two rows that share a name — the one with measured economy and lower kerb weight, or the one with higher kerb weight and missing fuel (and, on one AT, missing 0–100 and top speed).

If you want the least fuel use and a Manual: second 2.0 MT (131 hp, 1346 kg, 8.5 combined). It is the only Manual with a combined figure. 11.3 city / 6.4 highway is the lowest trio in the file. Top speed 205 km/h is the fastest 2.0. 0–100 is 10.9 s, same as every other measured 2.0. Ventilated disc front. Payload 519 kg is the largest calculated payload. You give up 32 hp and 47 Nm versus any 2.5 AT, and 0.4 s to 100 km/h versus the V6’s 10.5 s. Versus the other 2.0 MT (1585 kg, 193 km/h), this row is 239 kg lighter and 12 km/h faster; that other row’s consumption is not measured, so you cannot claim it is thirstier — only that it was not measured.

If you want Automatic without the V6: second 2.0 AT (131 hp, 1350 kg, 9.6 combined). Same engine as the Manual 2.0 (131 hp, 171 Nm, 1996 cc, Inline 4, No boost). 0–100 is 10.9 s where measured — the first 2.0 AT does not have that number. Top speed 200 km/h is 5 km/h below the light 2.0 MT and 10 km/h below the light 2.5 AT. Combined 9.6 is 1.1 above the Manual 2.0 and 1.1 below the measured 2.5 AT. Kerb 1350 kg is essentially the Manual’s 1346 kg. Do not buy the first 2.0 AT if you need documented 0–100, top speed, kerb, or fuel: those four are not measured on that row. Same name, different completeness.

If you want the Chrysler Stratus 2.5 V6 and the strongest kg/hp: second 2.5 AT (163 hp, 1431 kg, 210 km/h). This is the only way to get 163 hp and 218 Nm in this catalogue (both 2.5 AT rows share that output). Light-cluster kerb 1431 kg gives 8.78 kg/hp, the best ratio here. Top speed 210 km/h is the catalogue maximum. 0–100 10.5 s matches the other 2.5. Combined 10.7 is the highest measured consumption: +2.2 versus light 2.0 MT, +1.1 versus light 2.0 AT. City 15.1 is the figure that will dominate short trips. Automatic 4 and FWD only — no Manual 2.5, no other drive. Versus the heavy 2.5 AT (1660 kg, 198 km/h), this row is 229 kg lighter and 12 km/h faster; the heavy 2.5’s fuel use is not measured.

If you are looking at the heavier cluster (1585 / 1660 kg) anyway. Heavy 2.0 MT: 131 hp, 10.9 s, 193 km/h, 1585 / 1890 kg, Disc fronts, fuel not measured. Heavy 2.5 AT: 163 hp, 10.5 s, 198 km/h, 1660 / 1965 kg, same 305 kg payload as the heavy 2.0, fuel not measured. The V6 still adds 32 hp and 0.4 s to 100, but top speed only rises 5 km/h (193 → 198) because the V6 is 75 kg heavier (1660 − 1585). That is a poor speed return compared with the light cluster, where the same 32 hp takes you from 205 to 210 on the Manual comparison or 200 to 210 on the Automatic comparison. The first 2.0 AT in this cluster is the weakest shopping row: power is known (131 hp), clearance 140 mm, tank 60 L, but 0–100, top speed, consumption, and both masses are not measured.

What the extra 2.5 “buys” in arithmetic, not in price. This dataset has no price and no for-sale listings. “Extra money” here means extra displacement, cylinders, and fuel. You pay 501 cc (2497 − 1996), two more cylinders (6 vs 4), V-shaped versus Inline, 32 hp, 47 Nm, and — where both are measured — 0.4 s to 100 km/h plus up to 10 km/h top speed (light AT pair) or 5 km/h (light MT vs light 2.5, and heavy MT vs heavy 2.5). You do not get a higher specific output (65.3 vs 65.6 hp/L). You do get worse measured combined consumption when those cells exist. You keep FWD, 95 fuel, 60 L, 140 mm, Independent spring suspension, and No boost.

Reliability is not a number in this file; do not infer it from hp or weight. Chrysler Stratus LX is not a listed version name here — the anchors are 2.0 MT, 2.0 AT, and 2.5 AT as written, distinguished by the measured weight, speed, and fuel row you are looking at.

Short rule: one generation, Cabrio, six rows. For documented economy and the lightest kerb, take the 2.0 MT at 1346 kg and 8.5 combined, or the 2.0 AT at 1350 kg and 9.6 if you require Automatic. For peak hp, peak top speed, and best kg/hp, take the 2.5 AT at 1431 kg, 163 hp, 210 km/h, and accept 10.7 combined. Treat the 1585 / 1660 kg trio as a separate, heavier specification with more not measured cells — same badges, not the same shopping decision.