(first posted 3/29/2013) As a child of the nineties, I feel blessed to have grown up in a decade of so many breathtaking car designs. I naturally feel a small wave of nostalgia every time I see one of my favorites. One of those cars is the Dodge Intrepid. When the LH cars (Chrysler Concorde, Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision (CC here) came along in 1993, they completely changed the automotive landscape, signaling the end of the K-car and the beginning of Chrysler’s newest fad for the next decade: Cab-Forward.
Now I’m sure we all remember the proclamation of “Cab-Forward” in every single piece of literature and commercials Chrysler used to advertise these cars. But just what exactly did it mean? Well, it’s exactly what it sounds like: The passenger cabin was moved forward to the point where the windshield started over the front wheels. With all four wheels pushed out toward the corners, overhangs were reduced and passenger space was increased.
Short hood and long deck. Steeply raked front and rear windshields. Large lower air intakes. Wind-cheating profile. In its day, the Intrepid looked like a true four-door sports car.
The origins of the LH design date back to the 1987 Lamborghini Portofino concept by Kevin Verduyn. Given its mid-rear engine (from the Lambo Jalpa), cab-forwardness was essentially a given. Translating it to a FWD family sedan was another matter.
The LH’s design inspiration may have come from the Portofino, but its underpinnings had a more prosaic starting point: the Renault 25. The largest sedan built by Renault, it had the typical Renault north-south, ahead-of the-front-axle engine layout that would carry over to the LH.
In between the 25 and LHs was the AMC Premier (later the Eagle Premier/Dodge Monaco), which AMC’s Francois Castaing had shepherded through development and put into production at AMC’s new Bramalea, Ontario plant. When Castaing came along to Chrysler from AMC after its acquisition, he determined that the new LH cars would be based on the Premier/Monaco and built at Bramalea.
Prior to the AMC acquisition, Chrysler had been developing a new large, FWD car; penned by Hal Sperlich, it supposedly looked like a Dynasty on steroids. That project was tossed aside in favor of Castaing’s plan to base the LH on the Premier. The engineering mules were built up from Premiers, and although many details of the final production LH were, of course, changed, its R25/Premier origins were impossible to hide under its sleek new exterior.
Naturally, the LHs were treated to a new engine, the OHC 3.5-liter V6, as an upgrade over the base OHV 3.3-liter V6. At the time, this was an ambitious program, since mass-production V6 engines of this caliber (214 hp) were hardly common.
Of the three LH cars, the Intrepid sported the most futuristic styling, with its grille-less front end, blacked-out C-pillars, smoked-lens full-width taillights, and lack of brightwork. Sorry, no Intrepid Broughams here, although a front bench seat was optional.
With no Plymouth variant, the base Intrepid was the least costly LH, and thus the best seller of the trio. Why it was thought that an Eagle variant would be more profitable than a Plymouth, I’ll always wonder. I firmly believe that Plymouth still had a chance in 1993, but that’s an issue for another day.
Intrepids are one of those cars that always catch my eye. Every time I see one, I can’t help but laugh, thinking of the commercials I remember for the 1998 second generation.
As a kid I used to imitate the big, booming voice that proclaimed, “Dodge Intrepid. This Changes Everything!”
As I was driving through a parking lot, this candy-apple red Intrepid caught my eye. Thanks to the gold alloy wheels, I immediately knew it must be an ES. I circled back around for a better look.
Other than the minor scrape on the front fender, the body is in good condition. From the pictures, you can tell the paint has faded a bit, but this is a twenty-year-old car, and it looks much better than the peeling paint on many other Chryslers of this vintage. Apparently the “21-step paint and finishing process” highlighted in the 1996 Intrepid brochure was no match against time.
Although not the most memorable Dodge in the minds of people today, at the time of its introduction, the Dodge Intrepid and its siblings were game changers, that spearheaded Chrysler’s 1990s renaissance. The first in a series of expressive, forward looking designs, the Intrepid truly changed everything.
Honestly, I think with a 25 year later perspective, these don’t seem so innovative. Sure the proportions are slightly different and the long wheelbase provided useful passenger room. But the overall form doesn’t seem that different than a Taurus or even Camry of the time. What still seems significant, and I remember really stood out at the time, was how different these cars were from their K-car predecessors. Along with the new Ram trucks, Grand Cherokee, Neon and Viper, this really did herald big changes at Chrysler from 1992 to 1994. But the LH cars by themselves wouldn’t have been as significant without the other vehicles in the lineup. By contrast, the LX cars not only had dramatic styling, but RWD, the Hemi V8, and a resulting image (specifically the Chrysler 300) that became a cultural icon. Even though sales have dropped, it’s still around after many years, and spawned the Challenger as well, whereas the FWD LH ended up pretty short-lived.
A bastardised Renault 25? No doubt it’s what the Daimler engineers were thinking! Hence the decision to base its replacement on that old E class platform.
The LH seems less reliable, poorer build quality and materials, uglier than both inside and out than the car it spawned it.
I currently own a 96 Renault Laguna 2.0 5 speed and brought it as a temporary car till I fix the best worst car I’ve ever owned 02 Audi Allroad 2.5 tdi.
Found a receipt in the glovebox which I thought was a joke, 11 hours to change the alternator, which I later found out is actually quick.
Its a good as any period german car in quality and design and if it was a 96 AMC something as Laguna is a GM trademark I think Americans would understand why Renault brought out Nissan and not vice versa.
It still has that French clever design/retarded engineering combination, I had an engine miss that took months to diagnose after replacing several other things that made it better but didn’t cure it.
The car has no dizzy as such, has a cap that screws to the head and a rotor that attaches to the end of camshaft, smart but stupid.
Seal had gone and engine oil had seeped through where the rotor had turned it into a fine mist covering the inside with a hard residue.
Luckily I had come across this site and its CC on the Renault GTA and brought a new US made camshaft seal for an Alliance OHC motor off eBay for US$6, now runs excellent.
Thanks CC
Can we please stop with the “old E-Class platform” canard? Yes, some components were shared with existing Benz models, since it would have been wasteful to design new ones. No, the LX was not some discarded W124 or W210 platform. If anything, it was developed alongside contemporary Benz platforms. Look it up on Allpar.
It’s not your fault, but this myth on Internet forums has refused to die since the LX cars were launched 14 or so years ago.
I recall these, but not with any pros or cons. They looked sharp at the time, but Chrysler had been shunted to second class standings in my eyes after all the mergers and combos. For better or for worse, Chrysler sedans have become the home for aging platforms from their current overlords. The late and unlamented Dart and 200 used an aged Alfa platform, but I wonder if any future Chrysler sedans will be underpinned by a Fiat/Alfa/Maserati platform, or will they stop trying altogether? I can’t see Maserati lowering the brand cache by donating a platform, and the Guilia is too new. That only leaves Fiat, who has nothing that large for US tastes.
LH cars with low roofs, along with similar cars, have led to the explosion of SUV sales. Buyers want to see out of their cars better. Hitting my head of roof getting in and out, no way.
We used to get so many Intrepid owners complaining about the lack of headlights at night, notice how big the headlights got on the next generation Intrepids.
The first generation Intrepid was an attractive car back then and a well taken care of specimen is still attractive. In fact I think the design of the first gen Intrepid can hang with today’s car designs.
The Intrepid was the best looking of the first generation LH cars and I remember wanting a forest green one. They were pretty roomy
My family had a brand new Dodge Intrepid ES around 1992/1993 in its earliest years when I was only 13 or 14. I can remember how incredibly impressed I was with the car at the time. It felt like the nicest car we had ever owned, and so modern, sleek, and different for the time. All of Chrysler’s cars around that time just seemed to be knocking it out of the park, from the Intrepid, to the Neon, to the revamped Dodge Ram, to (despite its impracticality) the Dodge Viper. Even the Plymouth Prowler and the Dodge Stratus followed shortly after. But I can remember the first Intrepid really representing the first wave of all of this. The exterior of our Intrepid was a beautiful dark metallic blue with a gray trim around the base of the car. The interior was cloth, but a very nice cloth for the time, and everything inside seemed to wrap around you like a glove. Again, for the time. Another feature in our Intrepid was a very nice Infinity sound system complete with built in CD player and physical equalizer toggles that each had their own small light for visual appeal. I can still remember the CD sampler that came with the car vividly. It opened up saying “Are you ready for Chrysler? Yes! Are you ready for Infinity? Yes!” One included track on this was Mariah Carey’s “Someday”, which really shined on the system. Several years later, we traded in our Intrepid for a Chrysler Concorde. But the Concorde, despite essentially being the same car in different coverings, just didn’t have the “cool” factor that that original Intrepid had, and felt more like an old man’s car. The Intrepid was one of those cool, comfortable memories from my childhood. It made me feel like my family had really made it, was in good hands, modern, and in style. To this day I sometimes wonder where that exact car that we owned ended up, or is today. Very likely in a junkyard somewhere, which makes me sad, but it was a wonderful memory of mine in the early 90’s.
That red Fiat in the photo looks to be a Polski Fiat 126. quite common in Hungary in the ’90s. Was looking to buy an 80’s red Volga back then, as I had contemplated staying, my girl cousin advised to to buy one of these Polski Fiats instead. “No way,” I said to myself. At least with the Volga, I figured I could have adapted parts I was more familiar with.
OK 🆗 I can’t lie .your story was grate . I feel exactly how you did iv been on the hunt for one, and boy did i find the one . it’s a 1995 dodge intrepid 3.3 ES with one owner and they just passes away . God bless them. We’ll it only has 70,000 miles on it motor clean starts up like nothing. Rides beautiful. So this is my new project. It’s need some tender loving care to get back to its old self or should I say new self because it’s rare to find one with so little miles . Thanks again for sharing
Amerika Morales
So late to comment….but at any rate, I always liked the LH cars for the most part. They had a very upscale, classy look when they were new. The reliability seemed to be hit or miss though. Some had an almost bulletproof automobile that just kept on going and some had a total nightmare that they wanted to rid themselves of. My best friend’s parents had an almost grayish-purple base model that they loved and had for a very long time. I believe it was a ’94. I remember it being pretty reliable for them and it racked up close to 180k before they decided to replace it. That one was a good one. Did daily family duty with three kids for nearly 9 years with them.
My stepsister bought a 1995 ES in 2002. The car had about 80k on it when she acquired it. The car was beautiful in it’s unique Gun-metal Metallic Gray with gold accents in the alloy wheels. Nice gray leather interior with all the bells and whistles for that year. If it was my car, I would have probably wanted it to be great as well with that 3.3 engine and all, but it was not to be.
The car seemed to have issues with the transmission shortly after she purchased it. If I remember correctly, some kind of bushing in the front transmission pump wore out causing a somewhat alarming leak. The torque converter and the pump had to be replaced. After that however, the transmission seemed to shift too slowly for whatever reason. It started to take a while to engage when first starting in the mornings. Wasn’t my car though, but my dad helped her with it a lot so I remember this stuff because he wasn’t really happy with the way things were going with this car. I think she only had it about a year, maybe a little over a year. The repair bills were quickly overtaking the value of the car and it was better to just move on.
At one point, a few years later on, I seriously considered buying a 2nd gen Intrepid. I liked the look of that model and the space. I had driven a few on occasion when I helped my Stepdad at his dealership. I really liked that model, but I remember them being fairly problematic cars for the dealer. Constant electrical gremlins with several of them, transmission issues seemed to be common, and some overall questionable component quality. I decided against the Intrepid in the end, but of the 2nd gen, I still feel that the Intrepid was the best-looking of the three. The rear of the Intrepid seems to flow more organically and naturally so to speak, especially the trunk. The 300M of this generation also fits this category. The long rear window over the trunk works better than the stubby trunk and the more narrow rear that ws found on the LHS and the Concorde of the 2nd gen, IMO.
I will say they did make the models a bit more distinctive overall in generation 2 of the LH cars than Gen1. I will always applaud Chrysler for their innovative ideas. They have come up with some very interesting models that I want to love, but I personally have not had the best of luck with them. My Dad and brother are Chrysler die-hards though. Dodges and Chryslers I like to admire from afar. At one point I even considered the 2nd gen Stratus. I really liked those cars as well, but a few mechanics told me the engines were a big problem. I decided against that as well. Compelling products with questionable execution. Too bad because I really liked that Stratus interior as well. The seats were very comfortable.
I liked the Intrepid models immensely when I rode in them, I thought they were very well designed cars with many carefully thought-out details, and I thought they looked good doing their daily duties. Do I regret not purchasing one? Probably not. As I write this, I can’t even remember the last time I saw any Intrepid. Of course, I also can’t believe it’s almost been 20 years since the last Intrepid was produced! Even here in Pueblo, where there are yesteryear’s beaters galore, I still don’t recall seeing one recently. Of course, now having said that, I’m sure one will turn up. That CC effect is real. And time flies!
Disclaimer: I worked for Chrysler & its myriad of buyers. At the time the 1st gen Intrepids came out, thehit a lot of positive buttons. Ordered one for my mom, she wanted the bench seat, I directed to order to Newark, Delaware, was told with the emerald green color would build faster. After 2 months, found out the bench seat option was holding it up, made another call to Production Control, moved it to Bramalea, had it in 2 weeks. Early fenders were composite plastic, and because of expansion/contraction, the door to fender gap was an issue for some. 3 yrs later, they had steel replacements, found out as moms car got backed into, shattered the fender, new one was steel, much better fit to the door. The 3.3L was decent, no big issues. My sister had it after her for 5 more yrs, as my mom wanted a 99….another story all together…..
It seems there was originally some tentative plan for a Plymouth variant to be named the Accolade, though AFAICT this never got much further in the design stage than making a minor variant of the Intrepid with Accolade badging.
IMO a plainer variant of the Chrysler Concorde styling would seem more in character, which it appears Steven Fowler here applied in a speculative rendering of what he thought a more developed Accolade design might’ve looked like, taking cues from the smaller Breeze:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/what-if-plymouth-accolade/
Mid nineties, a colleague at work bought a Chrysler Intrepid (Canadian branding). I wanted one bad. I was driving a Voyager at the time, and family needs necessitated keeping the Magic Wagon. A few years later we needed a compact car, and my wife would not entertain something as large as the LH.
These were great lookers.
No disrespect to the author, but the 90’s was probably one of the worst decades for automotive styling/design. I guess if you’re really into the look of a bar of soap or a jelly bean, maybe you looked upon that era favorably.
I will say the Intrepid was not as offensive as some other designs. (I’m looking at you 96 Taurus!) What I do remember most of the Intrepid, and its corporate cousins, is that they all but completely disappeared from roadways by the early to mid 00’s. This was not an unusual thing, most domestic FWD cars met a similar fate. But unlike the GM W-body cars or the aforementioned Taurus, these were gone much quicker and to a greater degree. For a car that was once everywhere, I found this a little spooky. I gathered at the time that this spoke to their overall build quality.
I thought that the first gen Intrepids were very stylish. I preferred them to the Taurus and the GM mid sizers. I had a long period where I drove a ’90 Dodge Caravan and then a ’96 Town and Country minivan. I liked these both, but they both had problems with the transmissions, though the ’90’s lasted longer and stayed fixed after it was repaired. I especially liked the bigger Chrysler LH sedan. In a multi car comparison in Car and Driver magazine, they found the Intrepid to be quite competitive, and the most spacious and better performing. What burned me was the smug assertion that you could “probably find something smaller to handle your transportation needs.” The Intrepid was very competitive in fuel economy, and I don’t know about you, but I like a spacious comfortable cabin. It’s not like it was a ’76 Cadillac Fleetwood. Just too much smug pontificating by the road testers. Still my experience soured me on taking a chance on a Chrysler family automobile.
Sad, how after model year 2003, Chrysler went back to producing a BOX. (300M, etc)
Likely because the LX platform was largely a revised and reskinned Mercedes W211 E-class platform, so inherited much of the more traditional proportions and boxiness baked into that design.
I had a few of these in my fleet and didn’t have any problems with them. I prefer the Intrepid over the Concorde. The Concorde though is memorable to me as the car that escaped a traffic wreck on I-35 in Austin Texas.