page_title: Plymouth Reliant
section_title: Changes through the years
hierarchical_section_title: Plymouth Reliant / Changes through the years
caption_attribution_description: English: 1983 Plymouth Reliant K coupe
context_page_description: The Plymouth Reliant and Dodge Aries were introduced for model year 1981 as the first "K-cars" manufactured and marketed by the Chrysler Corporation. The Reliant was available as a 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, or as a 4-door station wagon, in three different trim lines: base, Custom and SE. Station wagons came only in Custom or SE trim. Unlike many small cars, the K-cars retained the traditional 6 passenger 2 bench seat with column shifter seating arrangement favored by many Americans. The Reliant was powered by a then-new 2.2 L I4 SOHC engine, with a Mitsubishi "Silent Shaft" 2.6 L as an option. Initial sales were brisk, with the both Reliant and Aries each selling over 150,000 units in 1981. As rebadged variants, the Reliant and Aries were manufactured in Newark, Delaware, Detroit, Michigan, and Toluca, Mexico — in a single generation. After their introduction, the Reliant and Aries were marketed as the "Reliant K" and "Aries K".
  The Reliant replaced the Plymouth Volaré/Road Runner. The Aries replaced the Dodge Aspen.
context_section_description: 1982: A new hood ornament (changed from either a Plymouth "frog legs" hood ornament or a Dodge badge mounted flat on the hood to an upright Chrysler Pentastar), roll-down rear door windows vs. the former stationary glass with rear quarter pop-outs, a counterbalanced hood, and black painted valve cover on the 2.2L engine (vs. the former blue).1981 and 1982 were the only 2 years you could have ordered a factory installed sunroof on coupes and sedans. actual production numbers are not known.
  1983: A blacked out grille is made standard on the Aries.
  1984: The hood ornament was removed and the Chrysler Pentastar moved to the grille; the Mercedes Benz-styled grille used on the Reliant was modified. Also, the tail lights received chrome trim, and the interior received a padded dash and new black instrument cluster with round gauges.
  1985: The first major changes occurred when the Ks received a new, rounder front fascia, featuring either a new egg-crate or crosshair grille for the Plymouth and Dodge that was the same height as the headlights (rather than going all the way up to the hood as with previous model years). A new rear fascia featuring five-section taillights. A new trim line, the top-tier LE ("Luxury Edition"), was added (it also replaced the Custom trim level on the wagon). The base engine was a transverse mounted Chrysler designed 2.2 L (135 cid) inline-four engine with an electronic two-barrel carburetor (later replaced by a fuel injection system in 1986), rated at 82 hp (61 kW). Transaxles were a 4-speed floor shift manual or a 3-speed automatic with either a floor or column shift. A Mitsubishi motor was optional (automatic transmission was required with that engine), and cars so equipped for 1981 were badged as 2.6 HEMI.  Reliants and Aries equipped with this engine accelerated 0–60 mph in the 13-second range.
  1986: There was the replacement of the 2.2 L engine's carburetor by a new throttle-body electronic fuel injection system, while a new 2.5 L four-cylinder engine, also fuel-injected, was added to the option list, replacing the Mitsubishi 2.6 L G54B engine, but driveability and reliability problems led to its replacement. (Just like the 2.6, automatic transmission was mandatory for the 2.5.)  The four-speed manual transmission – previously offered as standard equipment – was dropped. The SE trim line is dropped, and the LE and base trim remained the only trims until the end of production.
  1987: The coupe's fixed rear windows got a small pivoting vent at the trailing edge of the rear doors.
  1988: The base model was renamed America in the U.S (renamed Canada in Canada), offered as relatively inexpensive, basic transportation. This was later done to the base models of the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon and Dodge Shadow/Plymouth Sundance. It is also the last year for the station wagons.
  After 1987, the Reliant and Aries underwent only minor changes throughout the rest of its production run. The last K-car rolled off the assembly line on December 9, 1988. The 1989 Reliant and Aries were carryovers from the 1988 model year and only the America and Canada trims were available on these models. No station wagon models were sold in 1989. The Reliant was replaced by the Acclaim for 1989, while the Aries was replaced by the Spirit.
caption: 1983 Plymouth Reliant coupe
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