Plymouth Reliant

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Plymouth Reliant

Manufacturer:	Chrysler Corporation
Production:	1981–1989
Predecessor:	Plymouth Volare
Successor:	Plymouth Acclaim
Class:	Compact
Body style:	2-door coupe 4-door sedan 4-door station wagon
Platform:	FF K-body
Engine:	2.2 L K I4 2.5 L K I4 2.6 L Mitsubishi G54B I4
Transmission:	4-speed A460 manual 5-speed A465 manual 5-speed A520 manual 5-speed A525 manual 3-speed A413 automatic 3-speed A470 automatic
Wheelbase:	100.3 in
Length:	178.6 in
Width:	68.0 in
Height:	52.5 in
Related:	Chrysler LeBaron Chrysler Town and Country Dodge 400 Dodge Aries
Similar:	Ford Tempo Nissan Stanza Pontiac Grand Am Volkswagen Jetta

The Plymouth Reliant was one of the first two so-called "K-cars" (the other being the Dodge Aries) the Chrysler Corporation introduced for the 1981 model year. The Reliant replaced the Plymouth Volare, which was the short-lived successor automobile to the highly regarded Plymouth Valiant. The Reliant and Aries are largely credited for helping Chrysler recover from bankruptcy. They also raised the standard for quality for American automakers in general. The Reliant was Motor Trend magazine's Car of the Year for 1981.

1988 Plymouth Reliant station wagon

The base engine was a Chrysler designed 2.2 L in-line four-cylinder with an electronic carburetor (later replaced by a fuel injection system in 1986), rated at 82 hp. With this engine, the car did 0-60 mph in 13 seconds. The Mitsubishi 2.6 L G54B engine was an option, but troubles led the Mitsubishi engine to be replaced by a fuel-injected Chrysler 2.5 L for 1986.

The Reliant was built in Newark, Delaware, Toluca, Mexico and Detroit, Michigan. The last Reliant rolled off the assembly line on December 9, 1988. The 1989 Reliant was a carryover from 1988. The Reliant was replaced by the Acclaim for 1989.

[edit] In pop culture

In the Disney/Pixar movie Cars, "Chuck Manifold", the agent appears in the telephone monitor, is a Plymouth Reliant, a symbol of low economic status and sophistication.
The Christian rock band, Relient K, is named after guitarist Matt Hoopes' car, which was a Plymouth Reliant. The spelling was changed in order to avoid trademark infringement.
In the Barenaked Ladies' song, If I Had $1,000,000, the narrator indicates that he would "...buy you a K-Car, a nice Reliant automobile."

[edit] External links

Using stock components, Gary S. Donovan modified a 1985 Plymouth Reliant to run the quarter mile in 10.41 seconds at 132 mph.

Plymouth Vehicles Category	(edit)
	Historic:
	Cars:	Acclaim \| Arrow \| Barracuda \| Belvedere \| Breeze \| Caravelle \| Champ \| Colt \| Conquest \| Cricket \| Duster \| Fury \| Gran Fury \| GTX \| Horizon \| Laser \| Neon \| Plaza \| Prowler \| Reliant \| Road Runner \| Sapporo \| Satellite \| Savoy \| Sundance \| TC3 \| Turismo \| Valiant \| VIP \| Volare
	Vans/SUVs:	Adventurer \| Voyager/Grand Voyager \| Trailduster
	Trucks:	Arrow Truck
	Concept:
	Cars:	Backpack \| Expresso \| Howler \| Pronto \| Pronto Spyder \| Slingshot \| Speedster \| Voyager 3