1998 Dodge Intrepid Es

A prerequisite for excellent ride and handling is a strong, flex-free body. A rigid foundation ensures that steering inputs from the rack are precisely communicated to the wheels, that the factory-tuned ride remains smooth and vibration-free, and that engine vibes are properly attenuated. Chrysler claims the new car is 40 percent stiffer in torsion with 20 percent greater bending stiffness than the '97 model.

Five important cross-car structural reinforcements strengthen the Intrepid. Under the hood, running across the front of the bay is a huge flat piece of steel that locks the right and left fenders together. Behind the engine resides a removable, pressed-steel strut-tower brace. Then, running transversely through the center of the instrument panel is a hefty steel tube used to bolt the A-posts together. Next, under the rear package tray is a large box section that bridges the tops of the rear suspension's struts. The final cross-car reinforcement strategy involves the tallish bulkhead that runs across the car's rear end. Of course, the downside is that this last tweak results in a high trunk lift-over-we measured 32.5 inches from the ground to the edge of the trunk opening. Speaking of the trunk, it's 52 inches deep with the foldable seatbacks up. Its cargo volume is 18.4 cubic feet. That compares impressively with the 15.8 cubes of the Taurus.

The final two pieces of the Intrepid's new ride-isolation strategy are front and rear subframes. In front is a small, welded hydroformed steel tube frame that's rubber bushed to the belly of the unibody. And it's to this frame that the front suspension's lower control arms are attached. The powertrain also nestles on vibration-attenuating rubber mounts within this rigid steel assembly. In back, the lateral links from the rear spindles attach to the cast ends of a rubber-isolated aluminum subframe rail. And the coil springs in the front and rear struts sit on microcellular urethane rings to plug those noise paths.

So do the rubber-isolated subframes and all of this body reinforcement work? The short, cautious answer is yes. Most of the track surfaces were smooth and frankly not much of an isolation challenge. But the few spots where there were expansion joints or broken pavement, the Intrepid stepped across quietly and with a smoothness and solidity it certainly did not have previously. We noticed the lack of rear-suspension thumping and road-grain noise transmission that had been characteristic of the Intrepid.

There seems to be a downside to all these soft rubber bushings and subframes. The Intrepid ES' handling is predictable and competitive, but this prototype's performance is at best average for a midsize-class car. Again, we're keeping in mind that ultimate handling is not the prime consideration in this class. Ride isolation is what counts. The ES passed through our 600-foot-long slalom with a best of 60.6 mph, about the same speed as a recently tested Sable LS. But it's way under that of a benchmark sport sedan like the Nissan Maxima SE at 65.9 mph. Apparently, we'll have to wait for the top-handling, smaller '99 Chrysler 300M with its 17-inch wheels, firmer suspension, and wider rubber to wring the most out of this new chassis.

One more thing to keep in mind, the Intrepid is has grown significantly in size; the EPA classifies it as a large car. In fact, it's almost 3 inches wider and 7 inches longer than a Lexus LS 400. And big, softly sprung sedans typically have trouble threading a quick pass through our handling gantlet.

The standard brakes on the ES with the 16-inch wheels are four-wheel discs backed up with anti-lock electronics. In front are 11.7-inch vented rotors. In the rear are 10.6-inch solid discs. (The base car with its 15-inch wheel has 11.1-inch discs in front.) Again, the performance here was only mid-pack. Pedal feel is linear and firm, but the car's stopping numbers were just decent. In fact, the best stop was 147 feet. That's about 10 or even 15 feet more brake lane than the smaller, lighter midsize sedans need.