2003 Chrysler Concorde Looking good and priced to sell. By Mitch McCullough, Editor-in-Chief, New Car Test Drive .com

The Chrysler Concorde still cuts a nice profile, impressive given this design is in its fifth year. Most cars, particularly those with more daring designs, tend to look dated after a few years. This isn't one of them. The bold grille and fluid lines still look terrific.

Yet the sleek design does not prevent the Concorde from being a practical car with a comfortable, roomy interior, and beautiful detail and appointments. Backing up beauty and comfort are strong acceleration performance, a controlled, luxurious ride, and sport-sedan handling.

That description sounds like a car costing $40,000 or more. Yet the Concorde starts at just $24,825. Surely, the Chrysler Concorde represents one of the greatest values in the full-size sedan class. While not the best in class by every measure, it is very good by most measures. It is a lot of car for the money.

The Concorde continues essentially unchanged for 2003, aside from some new exterior colors. An optional six-disc CD changer replaces the four-disc unit offered previously.

The 2003 Chrysler Concorde is offered in three trim levels, each with a progressively more powerful V6 engine.

Concorde LX ($22,660) comes with a 200-horsepower, 2.7-liter V6, a cloth interior and a high level of standard equipment.

Concorde LXi ($25,390) is motivated by a 234-horsepower 3.5-liter V6. Upholstered in leather, the LXi adds convenience features such as automatic air conditioning, automatic headlights, automatic mirror dimming, and a premium 120-watt stereo with a CD player. It also comes with a bigger battery, a more powerful alternator, and aluminum wheels to complement the more powerful engine. The LXi is a nice step up from the LX.

Concorde Limited ($28,285) boasts a 250-horsepower high-output 3.5-liter V6, premium leather seating surfaces, eight-way power heated driver and front passenger seats, 240-watt stereo, and other luxury features. Memory systems recall radio settings, and seating and mirror adjustments. Several features help make the most of the more powerful engine: Bigger (17-inch) tires offer more grip and come wrapped around chrome-clad aluminum wheels. Traction control, which reduces front wheel spin when accelerating over slippery surfaces, is standard, along with ABS, which allows the driver to brake and steer at the same time in a panic stop. Speed-sensitive power steering is also standard, making the steering effort light in parking lots yet maintaining solid steering feel at highway speeds.