Overview
Forget that the 2005 Chrysler 300C doesn't have a "real" Hemi.
Yes, we've seen the ads too, but a "real" Hemi--à la something from the mid-1960s that lays lots of rubber but sucks gas like a state patrolman snorts the sugar off a dozen powdered donuts--isn't something you want.
You also want a sophisticated front and rear suspension, both ends of which are nearly exact copies of what appears on any current Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Remember, this is what was supposed to happen a long time ago: When Chrysler became
Now that the German management has finally decided that the only way to sell Chrysler cars without incentives is to make vehicles that are both nice looking and well engineered, they have a raging hit on their hands with the 300C. Gee, guys, what took you so long?
There are some negatives. The best model is absolutely the $32,870 300C with the Hemi. Yes, you can go with the bare-bones 300 for $23,295, but we're talking about a large, heavy sedan saddled with a meek, 190-hp V-6. You'll get there, but n-o-t v-e-r-y f-a-s-t. You can also get a $27,095 model with a 250-hp V-6. This motor, which you'll also find under the hood of the Chrysler Pacifica, is adequate. However, it comes with a less than stellar four-speed automatic transmission, while the 300C with its Hemi is mated to a clone of an excellent five-speed tranny from Mercedes. In sum, there's only one channel to tune to if you've got the 300 network, the 300C. Next year that changes when Chrysler shows up with an even more powerful Hemi, a huge, 6.1-liter V-8 rated at 425 hp.
Meanwhile, regardless of engine choice, the 300 has other attributes worth touting. There's far more rear-seat legroom than you can find in any rear-wheel-drive sedan in this price range. There is also tremendous front and rear shoulder room. This car is exceptionally spacious, making the cabins of other sedans selling in the mid-$30,000 range seem downright puny. (The cabin of a BMW 3-series seems positively Lilliputian when you realize it costs the same dough.)
Are we 100% sold on the 300C? Ah, well, now it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty.
From The Driver's Seat | Should You Buy This Car? | Specs
From The Driver's Seat
If you don't remember tortoise-shell trim in cars back in the 1960s, it's OK, you're forgiven. But if you do, then there is no question you would opt for this stuff over wood in your 300C. Yeah, it's plastic, but so is the faux metal in this cabin, and as we have seen from the likes of Acura, what matters is the whole package and how good it looks, not so much what it is made of. In this case it looks sexy, retro and slick. You get tortoise-shell on the door pulls and shift lever, as well as a ring of it on the top arch of the wheel.
Chrome rings the four gauges nested in the instrument panel, and the door levers are chrome as well.
Some of the plastic used in the cabin is the only off-note. The deep-grain stuff below the dash is too coarse a match for the otherwise super-smooth look of the instruments and leather seats. Also, the plastic used as the faceplate of the center instrument panel seems a rather bland match. We also think the lack of indexing on the HVAC controls makes them a little hard to adjust. (When are you switching from one mode to the next? You have to take your eyes off the road to really know.)
The seats are firm but not overly so, perfectly mated to the firmer ride quality of this car.
And that ride is splendid. The 300C corners much better than you would ever expect a 4,100-plus-pound sedan to do, and although it plows wide in corners at the very limit, thanks to stability control (Electronic Stability Program cadged from Mercedes) the tendency of the 300C to wag its tail in bends has been minimized. The 18-inch, 60-series rubber doesn't squeal unless you really shove the 300C around recklessly or mash the throttle to the floor, when the V-8 wakes up and absolutely roars. Expect to get to 60 mph in well under six seconds, a time that bests every hot rod in this class, from
One point worth making, however, is that both of those vehicles have sharper cornering capability. They're lighter, so they feel easier to bend around a sharp curve, and both the Infiniti and the Cadillac deliver far more feedback to the steering wheel and your hindquarters, so you know right where the car is positioned in the road. Also, you can get either a CTS or a G35 with a manual transmission, which is not an option from Chrysler.
But what Chrysler has over the competition is cabin room, and a really impressive style.
Still, there are a few things that no new owner of the 300C is going to be able to deny--the styling has a hidden cost. What's hidden? Your view out at the rest of the world.
The 300C's chopped styling delivers windows that are like turret slits. And the big C pillars in back require a really talented use of mirrors when passing. Worst of all is that the driver essentially sits in the center of the car. This is great in most cases--the world rotates around you, and it feels somehow "right" intuitively. But pull up to a stoplight and that position is suddenly dead wrong. Your head is too far back in the cabin to see upward, and the relatively small front windshield opening (measured vertically from the dash up to the roof, not from the hood to the roof) doesn't make life any easier. You have to lean forward and crane your neck--or always manage to not be first in line at a light, which is unlikely with this big motor just a tap of the gas away from racing you ahead of all other cars in traffic.
On the highway, the 300C really shines. Power is effortless, the motor is nicely isolated but never dead quiet (the aim isn't Lexus luxury, it's all-American power) and passing is a snap. There's also a slot in the Mercedes-derived gearbox that lets you toggle the shifter side to side for quick downshifts, just in case you feel the need for even more urgent acceleration.
One thing: If you're used to old-generation Chryslers, or the current Grand Marquis or Buick Park Avenue, you're going to be in for a shock. Those cars are basically old-school boats, love them or hate them. The 300C isn't like that at all. It's responsive, it's agile and it's quick. It's a modern American sedan in every way, and it's about time!
Overview | Should You Buy This Car? | Specs
Should You Buy This Car?
Let's review: You get E-Class suspension, stability control, five-speed transmission and a stomping V-8, all with a cabin that's bigger than an E-Class for about $20,000 less than that Mercedes and priced competitively against other competitors. Why the heck wouldn't you want this car?
Sure, it's a little tough to get used to the reduced size of the greenhouse, but to us that is a lesser worry than the fact that the 300C is a Chrysler, and this company hardly has a stellar reputation for quality.
You might say that with all that Mercedes engineering underneath, this should be less of a worry, but of late Mercedes quality has been dropping, not rising. Still, this is a heck of a deal whether you measure the 300C by performance or cabin size or even fit and finish. Is it more of a gamble than buying a
The flip side of all of this for Chrysler is that it's just stepped into an arena with a ton of competition, cars that are at least as entertaining to drive. But if we were shopping this very second, boy, would the 300C be on our shortlist, and it's gotta be on yours, too.
Overview | From The Driver's Seat | Specs
Specs
Manufacturer Contact: the Chrysler Web site
Suspension Type: independent SLA with high upper "A" arm, coil springs over gas-charged shock absorbers and stabilizer bar; lateral and diagonal lower links with dual ball joint front knuckle. Rear: five-link independent with coil springs, gas-charged shock absorbers and isolated suspension cradle; stabilizer bar.
Acceleration: 0-60 mph in 5.5 seconds (estimated).
Engine Type: displacement: OHV 16 valve V-8; 5.6 liter
Horsepower: 340 hp @5,000 rpm
Torque: 390 pound-feet @4,000 rpm
EPA Mileage: 17 city/25 highway
MSRP: $32,870
Overview | From The Driver's Seat | Should You Buy This Car?