2000 Chrysler Concorde Elegance, style and class with roomy, comfortable accommodations. By Mitch McCullough, Editor-in-Chief, New Car Test Drive .com

With its bold grille and fluid lines, the Chrysler Concorde remains a pretty car. It's also surprisingly functional with a comfortable, roomy interior.

Chrysler has refined the Concorde's suspension for 2000 for a quieter, smoother ride. Variable-assist, speed-sensitive steering is now standard on the LXi model.

Chrysler's Concorde shares platforms with the European-styled Chrysler 300M, luxurious Chrysler LHS and sporty Dodge Intrepid. But the Concorde offers unique styling. The Intrepid is a full 5 inches shorter than the Concorde. The upscale LHS shares Concorde's basic shape, but adds a range of luxury touches and more than $2,000 to the bottom line. The shorter 300M is the sportiest of the bunch, with a high-performance powertrain and suspension package. For many buyers, the Concorde is likely to hit the mark. It offers a wonderful balance of elegance, performance, handling, roominess and value.

Two models are available: Concorde LX ($22,145) comes with a 200-horsepower 2.7-liter dohc 24v V6, a cloth interior and a high level of standard equipment. Concorde LXi ($26,385) gets a 225-horsepower 3.2-liter sohc 24v V6, leather seating surfaces, anti-lock brakes, traction control and a 120-watt AM/FM/CD/cassette stereo.