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Chrysler's crowd pleaser
300 series sedans are stylish and solid
By Tony Whitney
Chrysler’s new 300 series are radical departures from what we’ve come to expect from this automaker over the years. The cars feature dramatic new styling, rear wheel drive and lots of Mercedes-designed components. For Chrysler, the 300C is a key product, the success or failure of which will influence the corporation for many years to come.
Chrysler believes the car will redefine the North American sedan in what is the 50th anniversary of its legendary “letter series” cars so admired by collectors of domestic classics. Already, it’s racked up an impressive list of awards—several for “Car of the Year.”
Chrysler’s once-vaunted “cab forward” design has gone for good, replaced by a far more traditional look. When we first saw these 2005 Chryslers, there were doubts about the styling. The car is bold and solid-looking with a massive grille and none of the swoopy lines and pointy noses of recent Chryslers.
Now that we’ve all gotten used to seeing these sedans on the road, the general opinion seems to be that they look superb from every angle. It’s distinguished-looking and even moderately sporty in the way it seems to hug the road.
“A chiseled retro look” was the way one of our evaluators put it—adding that the grille lent “an air of power and masculinity.”
The cabin is huge with lots of leg-room front and rear and easily able to accommodate five adults—a major plus for fleet applications. The trunk is big too—so big, in fact, that you can hardly see the limits of it when peering into the black-carpeted load area.
Our test 300C came with a powerplant bearing, the legendary Hemi name and it made the car a real joy to drive. This 5.7-litre V-8 boats an impressive 340-horsepower and is the most powerful engine in a Chrysler since the awesome 426 Hemi of the 1960s and 1970s. The engine is mated to a very satisfying 5-speed automatic transmission with Chrysler’s excellent Auto/Stick semi-manual mode.
The car comes with all-speed traction control, an electronic stability program, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and electronic brake force distribution. Other safety benefits include side curtain air bags and adjustable pedals. Incidentally, fuel consumption is kept within reasonable limits thanks to a multi-displacement system, which can cut out four of the cylinders when they’re not needed (for example, on a flat stretch of highway). Fuel economy can be improved by up to 20 per cent, which should please fleet managers.
On the road, the car is amazingly quiet and refined. At 100 km/h, we found that wind noise was just about nonexistent.
The cockpit of the 300C is a delight, with a very modernistic look and pleasing combinations of colours and materials. This is a product that has clearly benefited from the Mercedes-Benz culture of quality that started to permeate after the big merger to create what is now DaimlerChrysler.
In fact, the car drives a lot like a late model ‘Benz and rides like one out on the highway, due in part to the inclusion of several M-B suspension components.
It’s quite spry on twisty roads for a large car. Our only cockpit complaint was with the multifunction left side wiper/turn signal/headlightflasher stalk, which is located a tad low on the steering column.
Standard 300C interior goodies include a power driver’s seat. Of course, there’s a huge options list, which includes all kinds of practical and cosmetic add-ons. These include a sunroof, side curtain airbags, air filtering, self-sealing tires, climate control, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel. Exploit the options list and you’ll soon leave $45,000 well behind, but the basic car will certainly please many drivers.
The 300C might well be the most satisfying family/business large sedan on the market today. Already, there seem to be plenty of them out there, so the auto-buying public has obviously taken to this new Chrysler. As an executive fleet vehicle, its roominess, power and looks should make it a very popular choice, especially for companies with “buy domestic” policies. For the thrifty fleet operator, the 300 is available with a V-6 engine. The car is built at a DaimlerChrysler plant in Brampton, Ontario. fm
Tony Whitney is an automotive journalist based in Vancouver.
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