In 1979, an upscale sub-model of the New Yorker was launched when the nameplate was changed to the Chrysler R platform. The New Yorker now contained a squared-off body and still the best of Chrysler’s top-selling models. It retained the V8 engine and introduced a model that had a rear-wheel drive. The Fifth Avenue Edition had a double-toned finish, interior highlights were leather trim, opera windows that opened along with the rear doors, and the landau vinyl roof. In 1982 the New Yorker and the Fifth Avenue would now use the LeBaron M-body that used Chrysler’s 318 engine. The New Yorker grew to its eighth generation which was available in two models; the base and the Fifth Avenue trim. To differentiate the two, the base had cloth seats while the Fifth Avenue model had pillowed lush Corinthian leather seats. Taillamps of this generation were similar to the previous ones but they had a red reflector panel between them. The total units produced were 50,509 in 1982.
The ninth generation of the New Yorker was introduced in 1983, and the line was a bit complex for the New Yorker name was featured in two different models. The M-body car was named the New Yorker Fifth Avenue a title that lasted a year and was replaced with Fifth Avenue until the end of the model in 1989. The New Yorker name was used on the front-wheel-drive Chrysler E-platform for 1983. It marked the beginning of the K-car years. These cars featured the most updated technology of the time, which comprised of a digital dashboard and the Electronic Voice Alert. The New Yorker Turbo was maintained on the E-body and was the last New Yorker ordered equipped with a turbocharger.