1999 Chrysler Concorde The shape of things to come. By Paul A. Eisenstein, New Car Test Drive .com

When the first Chrysler Concorde rolled off the assembly line six years ago, it created quite a stir. The car was not only stylish but surprisingly functional. Its cab-forward design offered significantly more interior room than buyers had come to expect from a midsize sedan.

The second-generation Concorde continues to surprise and delight. Like the original, it continues to push the cutting edge of styling, with a look that's both futuristic and elegant. And this time, there's far more differentiation between the Concorde and other midsize Chrysler sedans, such as the Dodge Intrepid, which share the same platform. In fact, the Concorde is a full 5 inches longer than Intrepid, a layout that gives the Chrysler buyer as much rear legroom as you'd expect from a full-size sedan.

Styling certainly sells, and in the U.S. market, bigger has traditionally meant better. But there were other, less immediately visible issues Chrysler had to address as it updated the Concorde. The original edition had a number of what marketing executives like to call "issues," headlights that weren't nearly bright enough, a defroster that struggled to clear the car's massive windscreen, and a wide range of nagging quality problems. So, with a critical eye, we set out to inspect and drive the new Concorde to see if its beauty ran more than skin deep.