You seriously don't see how ridiculous the argument you're making is?
No, I don't.
The point was that the original K New Yorker was a Plymouth Reliant with leather, a wheelbase stretch, a digital dashboard and power windows; just like the Cimarron was obviously a Cavalier with most of the same "enhancements". The Reliant was the definition of a skinflint car for its entire life, and no one was fooled by what they tried to do with the initial long wheelbase Ks.
Drive wheels doesn't really matter. The followup New Yorker was really the same car in that respect. Powertrain does, and Chrysler was completely hopeless by that measure until the latter half of that decade. Even the Cimarron got a gutsy V6 as soon as it could be brought to bear. A Cutlass Ciera always had one as an option. Chrysler gave buyers the option of a Mitsubishi four cylinder and a turbo K before the latter was actually very good.
What does the 1981-1983 Imperial have to do with the 1983-1988 Chrysler New Yorker?
And if a car is so obviously a tarted up version of a cheap mid-sized sedan, something Chrysler struggled with nearly every time Lido reached into his magic hat and pulled out a new K, chances are that it isn't a luxury car. Chrysler did make things that could, if you squinted, be called luxury cars. The big Fifth Avenue most obviously, since it blew out the New Yorker in sales every year they were both on sale. The replacement New Yorker, which had enough presence that it started stealing sales from the big Fifth Avenue contributing to its death. The LeBaron GTS, since Chrysler designed it to try and scalp buyers of sports sedans, could maybe be considered the thing you got if you didn't want a German car.
But the original K New Yorker was not.
Yes, no one was fooled that the E-Class/NYer/Caravelle/600 was a stretched K-Car. But thats not a bad thing.
Powertrain does matter in opulent cars, but it matters more today than it did 30 years ago. Back then, everyone knew they couldn't buy an American luxury car that exceeds 200 horsepower. Today the Lincoln MKZ, a mid size, entry level luxury car, has 400 horses.
But engine type didn't even matter either. Everyone knew that a mid-size, and a compact luxury car wouldn't get a V8. Saying that a Cimarron got a V6 and an E-Class did not isn't even bragging. All K models received a 2.6L turbocharged engine, and given the choice of a turbo 4 or a V6, the turbo would always win. It produced a good amount of power, was reliable, and better for the environment, which as we all know was a big concern of the 80's.
But don't even try to say that the Cimarron was a better buy than the E-Class. The Cimarron is one of the most hated American cars ever, and it was a badged-over Cavalier. But the E-Class was too a rebadged 600, and no one ever gave a damn. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about the E-Class/NYer.
Every Chrysler of the 80's, regardless of shape, size, and popularity, was a luxury car. There'd be no point in Chrysler designing non-luxury cars, that's what Dodge and Plymouth were for. Some Chryslers were more luxurious than others, and clearly, the E-Class was more luxurious than a number of them.
Plymouth Sundance.
