The Eagle Vision is a
full-sized,
front-wheel drive
Front-wheel drive (FWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longit ...
four-door
sports sedan
A sports sedan (also known as sports saloon in British English) is a subjective term for a sedan car that is designed to have sporting performance or handling characteristics.
History
The term was originally introduced in the 1930s an ...
produced from 1992 until 1997. It was marketed by
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
, replacing the
AMC
AMC may refer to:
Film and television
* AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain
* AMC Networks, an American entertainment company
** AMC (TV channel)
** AMC+, streaming service
** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company
*** ...
/
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
-designed
Eagle Premier
The Eagle Premier is a full-size executive car that was developed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) during the 1980s through its partnership with Renault. This model was manufactured in the then-brand-new Brampton Assembly in Canada. Chrysle ...
(from which the Vision was derived). The Eagle Vision was badged as the Chrysler Vision in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. The Vision debuted at the
1992 North American International Auto Show in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
. As one of the LH
sedans, it was ''
Automobile Magazine
''Automobile'' was an American automobile magazine published by the Motor Trend Group. A group of former employees of ''Car and Driver'' led by David E. Davis founded ''Automobile'' in 1986 with support from Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, u ...
's'' Automobile of the Year in 1993, and ultimately the only Eagle model to be completely designed and built in-house by Chrysler.
Design background
![1995 Vision TSi rear](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/1995_Vision_TSi_rear.jpg)
The Vision's design can be traced to 1986, when Chrysler designer Kevin Verduyn completed the initial exterior design of a new aerodynamic concept sedan called Navajo. The design never passed the clay model stage.
It was also at this time that the Chrysler Corporation purchased
bankrupt
Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debt ...
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
sports car
A sports car is a car designed with an emphasis on dynamic performance, such as handling, acceleration, top speed, the thrill of driving and racing capability. Sports cars originated in Europe in the early 1900s and are currently produced by ...
manufacturer
Lamborghini
Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi.
Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...
. The Navajo's exterior design was reworked and became the
Lamborghini Portofino, released as a concept at the
1987 Frankfurt Auto Show. The Portofino was heralded as a design triumph, setting in motion Chrysler's decision to produce a production sedan with the Portofino's revolutionary exterior design, called "
cab forward”.
This design was characterized by the long, low-slung windshield, and relatively short overhangs. The wheels were effectively pushed to the corners of the car, creating a larger passenger cabin compared to contemporary vehicles in its class.
Design of the chassis began in the late 1980s, after Chrysler had bought another automaker:
American Motors Corporation
American Motors Corporation (AMC; commonly referred to as American Motors) was an American automobile manufacturing company formed by the merger of Nash-Kelvinator Corporation and Hudson Motor Car Company on May 1, 1954. At the time, it was the ...
(AMC) in 1987, from which the Eagle division is derived. During this time, Chrysler began designing the replacement for the
Dodge Dynasty
The Dodge Dynasty is a mid-size four-door sedan that was marketed by the Dodge division of Chrysler Corporation from the 1988 to 1993 model years. Serving as the direct successor of the Dodge 600 sedan, the Dynasty was slotted between the Dod ...
and
Chrysler Fifth Avenue
The Chrysler Fifth Avenue was a trim level/option package or model name used by Chrysler for its larger sedans from 1979 to 1993. The Fifth Avenue name was no longer used after 1993 when Chrysler introduced its new LH-platform New Yorker and simil ...
as well as a potential
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
. The initial design of Dodge's LH bore resemblance to the Dynasty, and this design was scrapped entirely after
François Castaing
François J. Castaing (born 18 March 1945 in Marseille) is an automotive executive with Renault, American Motors, and Chrysler. He is an engineering graduate from École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers in Paris, and worked in Europe ...
, formerly AMC's Vice President of product engineering and development, became Chrysler's Vice President of vehicle engineering in 1988. The new design, under Castaing's leadership, began with the
Eagle Premier
The Eagle Premier is a full-size executive car that was developed by American Motors Corporation (AMC) during the 1980s through its partnership with Renault. This model was manufactured in the then-brand-new Brampton Assembly in Canada. Chrysle ...
.
The chassis design was continually refined throughout the following years, as it underpinned more Chrysler concepts: the 1989 Chrysler Millennium and 1990
Eagle Optima. The Premier's longitudinal engine mounting layout was inherited, as was the front suspension geometry, and parts of the braking system. The chassis itself became a flexible architecture capable of supporting front or
rear-wheel drive
Rear-wheel drive (RWD) is a form of engine and transmission layout used in motor vehicles, in which the engine drives the rear wheels only. Until the late 20th century, rear-wheel drive was the most common configuration for cars.
Most rear-wheel ...
(designated "LH" and "LX" respectively). The transmission was inspired by the Premier's Audi and ZF automatics. Borrowing heavily from Chrysler's A604 (41TE) "
Ultradrive
The Ultradrive is an automatic transmission manufactured by Chrysler beginning in the 1989 model year.
Initially produced in a single four-speed variant paired with the Mitsubishi (6G72) 3.0-liter engine in vehicles with transverse engines, appl ...
" transversely mounted automatic, it became the A606 (also known as 42LE).
![1995 Eagle Vision ESi Sedan 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/1995_Eagle_Vision_ESi_Sedan_3.5L_-_cropped.jpg)
By 1990, it was decided that the new technologically advanced car would need a new technologically advanced engine to power it. Until that time, the only engine confirmed for use was Chrysler's 3.3 L
pushrod
A valvetrain or valve train is a mechanical system that controls the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine. The intake valves control the flow of air/fuel mixture (or air alone for direct-injected engines) ...
V6. The 3.3 L engine's 60° block was bored out to 3.5 L, while the pushrod-actuated valves were replaced with
SOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
cylinder heads with four valves per cylinder, creating an advanced 3.5 L V6.
The appearance, still based on the cab forward exterior design of the 1987
Lamborghini Portofino concept
Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs.
They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by s ...
, with its aerodynamic shape, made for little wind noise inside this large car. The engineering and sleek styling gives the Vision a low
drag coefficient
In fluid dynamics, the drag coefficient (commonly denoted as: c_\mathrm, c_x or c_) is a dimensionless quantity that is used to quantify the drag or resistance of an object in a fluid environment, such as air or water. It is used in the drag equ ...
(0.31), on par with the
Porsche 997
Porsche 997 is the internal designation for the Porsche 911 sports car manufactured and sold by the German automobile manufacturer Porsche between 2004 (as Model Year 2005) and 2013. Production of the Carrera and Carrera S coupés began in early ...
.
Without badges, the Vision could easily pass as a
(first-generation) Concorde. The main difference between the two are the taillight clusters. Like the
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an sedans it was marketed to compete against, the Vision incorporates rear amber turn signals over the Concorde's red ones. Neither does the Vision have the Concorde's faux rear lightbar between the taillights. While the two cars share headlights, the Vision's grille is smaller and, separated by its prominent center badge, has been likened to the appearance of "nostrils." The interior of the Vision is nearly identical to the Concorde, the biggest difference being the absence of the Concorde's faux wood trim and steering wheel emblem. Unlike the Vision, the Concorde never offered the AutoStick option. Marketed as a sports sedan, the Vision offered only bucket seats with a console, never the split bench with column shift.
The Vision featured a monochromatic design inside and out, with no brand or model badge on the doors (as found on the Concorde), and available aluminum wheels with a simple design. The single color motif was more pronounced on models without the grey lower body trim paint scheme. In keeping with its high-performance image, the Vision was the only LH sedan to come standard with "touring" suspension.
"Performance" suspension was an available option on the Vision.
The upscale TSi model featured leather-trimmed seats, 8-way
power seat
A power seat in an automobile is a seat in a passenger compartment that can be adjusted using a button, switch or joystick and a set of small electric motors. Most cars with this feature have controls for the driver's seat only, though almost all ...
s for both the driver and front passenger, leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather shift knob, cloth door inserts, rear seat vents, center rear armrest, and personal reading lamps.
Power window
Power windows or electric windows are automobile windows which can be raised and lowered by pressing a button or switch, as opposed to using a crank handle.
History
Packard had introduced hydraulic window lifts (power windows) in fall of ...
s and central door locks were standard for both trims, as were dual airbags, with
remote keyless entry
A remote keyless system (RKS), also known as keyless entry or remote central locking, is an electronic lock that controls access to a building or vehicle by using an electronic remote control (activated by a handheld device or automatically by ...
available as an option. Among other factory-installed sound systems available, was the top-of-the-line
Infinity
Infinity is that which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is often denoted by the infinity symbol .
Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the philosophical nature of infinity was the subject of many discussions amo ...
sound system which included 8 speakers positioned throughout the cabin along with an equalizer. Head units included a radio with either cassette or CD playback and a maximum five-band adjustable graphic equalizer.
![Chrysler Vision Solec Street Warsaw Poland-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Chrysler_Vision_Solec_Street_Warsaw_Poland-1.jpg)
The TSi model was distinguishable as it did not have a fixed mast antenna, but a retractable power antenna that stored itself inside the rear passenger-side fender. Anti-lock brakes (
ABS) were standard, with
traction control
A traction control system (TCS), also known as ASR (from german: Antriebsschlupfregelung, lit=drive slippage regulation), is typically (but not necessarily) a secondary function of the electronic stability control (ESC) on production motor vehicle ...
optional.
Dual-way power sunroofs were available on this car in either trim. They were designed and installed by American Sunroof Corp. (now ASC Global) from its Columbus, Ohio plant, not by Mopar itself. An installed sunroof eliminated most of the front overhead console that featured storage bins for a garage door opener and sunglasses. However, the Overhead Travel Information System (OTIS), an onboard computer with integrated map lights, was retained.
The Vision was generally the middle offering of the original three LH cars, with the ESi starting between a base Intrepid and a base Concorde (usually just under the Concorde by a few hundred dollars). However, the TSi's base price was more than a base Concorde. Other
LH cars, the New Yorker and LHS, started higher than the Vision.
Trims
*''ESi'' - 1993–1997
*''TSi'' - 1993–1997
Drivetrains
The Eagle Vision ESi came equipped with a 3.3 L
V6 engine
A V6 engine is a six-cylinder piston engine where the cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.
The first V6 engines were designed and produced independently by Marmon Motor Car Company, Deutz Gasmotoren Fabrik ...
initially rated which was raised to in the 1994 and 1995 models. For 1996, it lost , but gained 9
ft·lbf
The foot-pound force (symbol: ft⋅lbf, ft⋅lbf, or ft⋅lb ) is a unit of work or energy in the engineering and gravitational systems in United States customary and imperial units of measure. It is the energy transferred upon applying a fo ...
of torque. The TSi featured the more powerful
SOHC
An overhead camshaft (OHC) engine is a piston engine where the camshaft is located in the cylinder head above the combustion chamber. This contrasts with earlier overhead valve engines (OHV), where the camshaft is located below the combustion cha ...
24-valve 3.5 L V6 engine rated at .
Both engines included a 4-speed automatic transmission. The 1996 and 1997 TSi with its 3.5 had the 4-speed AutoStick option featuring a unique PRNDL mechanism invented by Peter Gruich.
*3.3 L V6 – Horsepower and Torque: & (1992–93), & (1994–1995) and, & (1996–1997)
*3.5 L V6 – &
The 3.3 L engine was engineered to run on 87
octane
Octane is a hydrocarbon and an alkane with the chemical formula , and the condensed structural formula . Octane has many structural isomers that differ by the amount and location of branching in the carbon chain. One of these isomers, 2,2,4-Tri ...
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
, while the larger 3.5 requires mid-grade 89 octane fuel as a minimum, but benefits from premium 91 octane fuel.
Year-to-year changes
*1994: Variable-assist power steering was available, providing more feel at higher speeds. Both models now wore the same lower-body cladding, minimizing the evident differences between the ESi and TSi. The 3.3 L
engine
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gen ...
's power output was increased by 8 hp, while the 4-speed
automatic transmission
An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving c ...
was revised for smoother shifting.
*1995: New standard features included heated power exterior rear-view mirrors, power windows, and an AM/FM stereo with a cassette player. The 3.5 engine became available as an upgrade option for the ESi trim level.
*1996: A new
Autostick
The name Autostick has been used for a Volkswagen semi-automatic transmission, which is a vacuum-operated automatic clutch system, coupled with a conventional 3-speed manual transmission. The "AutoStick" system designed by Chrysler allows for ma ...
shifting feature became available for the TSi trim. The car could be "manually" shifted by tilting the shift knob right or left to change gears up or down. Plastic lower trim was deleted in favor of body color lower trim for a monochromatic color scheme. The Pentastar logo previously present on the front fenders in front of the doors was deleted. Windshield wiper jets were moved from the wiper arms to the hood. All 1996 Eagle Visions were made OBD-II compliant.
*1997: Only minor changes were made to the 1997 Vision. After this model year, the Vision was discontinued.
Discontinuation
The Vision sold around 105,000 units, from 1993 to 1997, and Chrysler was planning to continue it to redesign the LH cars for 1998. Some prototypes featured the Eagle logo, and Vision production continued into September 1997 to offer dealers an adequate amount of 1997 models, until the introduction redesigned 1998 Vision. However, Chrysler made the decision to stop production of the Vision and
Talon
Talon or talons may refer to:
Science and technology
* Talon (anatomy), the claw of a bird of prey
* Brodifacoum, a rodenticide, also known as the brand Talon
* TALON (database), a database maintained by the US Air Force
* Talon, an anti-vehicle- ...
(Eagle's only other model by then) with the last unit built on September 5, 1997. On September 29, 1997, the automaker notified 2,340 U.S. and 337 Canadian dealers that the
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
brand would be discontinued by the end of the 1998 model year.
The car that was planned to be the redesigned Vision, became the 1999 model year
Chrysler 300M
The Chrysler 300M is a full-size luxury sedan that was produced by Daimler/Chrysler from 1999 to 2004. It is a front-wheel drive, V6 engined car using the Chrysler LH platform. Versus its platform mates, the 300M was roughly shorter to make i ...
. It was released a year after the other redesigned LH cars in 1998.
Production Figures:
Awards
* 1993: ''
Automobile Magazine
''Automobile'' was an American automobile magazine published by the Motor Trend Group. A group of former employees of ''Car and Driver'' led by David E. Davis founded ''Automobile'' in 1986 with support from Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, u ...
'' Automobile of the Year in 1993
* 1994: ''
Car and Driver
''Car and Driver'' (''CD'' or ''C/D'') is an American automotive enthusiast magazine. In 2006 its total circulation was 1.23 million. It is owned by Hearst Magazines, who purchased prior owner Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. in 2011. It was fou ...
's''
Ten Best List
Nameplate use
In Mexico, the 2015 model of the
Fiat Siena
The Fiat Siena is a subcompact car produced by the Italian manufacturer Fiat from 1996 to 2022. It is the four-door sedan version of the Fiat Palio, a supermini car especially designed for developing countries. It was introduced for the first t ...
has been marketed as the Dodge Vision.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{Chrysler vehicles
Vision
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
Full-size vehicles
Sports sedans
Luxury vehicles
Police vehicles
Cars introduced in 1992