Roadtests and press articles now 300C is released

[Hemi57]

There is a number of articles appearing in magazines and papers about the 300C and some critiques are good, some very bad.

Wheels did a comparison with a Caprice, Fairmont Ghia and 300C HEMI. This is the most favourable article I have read however they did not rate the 300C highest.

Last Monday night on SBS was the Top Gear show comparing the Jag S Type R, Monaro (HSV spec'ed) and 300C. This has been around for some time but reopened an old wound for me as they had a fair swipe at the 300C. "Not much torque", are they kidding??

Unique Cars write up was a terrible evaluation. They were critical of the quality of interior plastic & fit (Wheels reckoned plastic was high quality), said the switches were cheap and the cruise control nasty and hard to use (have these guys ever driven a Mercedes?? the switches and stalks are exactly the same and are they considered cheap?) and the handling disappointing but satisfactory for "mum & dad drivers with kids on board".

The Melbourne HeraldSun was an okay roadtest today, speaking highly of the 300C HEMI but then closing by saying not as good as the local product and rated 14/20. Bloody amazing.

Interested in others comments.

[1st300]

Originally Posted by Hemi57

There is a number of articles appearing in magazines and papers about the 300C and some critiques are good, some very bad.

Wheels did a comparison with a Caprice, Fairmont Ghia and 300C HEMI. This is the most favourable article I have read however they did not rate the 300C highest.

Last Monday night on SBS was the Top Gear show comparing the Jag S Type R, Monaro (HSV spec'ed) and 300C. This has been around for some time but reopened an old wound for me as they had a fair swipe at the 300C. "Not much torque", are they kidding??

Unique Cars write up was a terrible evaluation. They were critical of the quality of interior plastic & fit (Wheels reckoned plastic was high quality), said the switches were cheap and the cruise control nasty and hard to use (have these guys ever driven a Mercedes?? the switches and stalks are exactly the same and are they considered cheap?) and the handling disappointing but satisfactory for "mum & dad drivers with kids on board".

The Melbourne HeraldSun was an okay roadtest today, speaking highly of the 300C HEMI but then closing by saying not as good as the local product and rated 14/20. Bloody amazing.

Interested in others comments.

I was intrigued by the scientific test on Top Gear to see how long it took for the Monaro to dig its own grave.Why?
They were critical of the lack of traction control disengage button on the 300, have they not always had the button in the dash centre?
From the first time I drove our 300 I felt at ease with the controls, their position and ease of use.
Top Gear also were critical of the brakes. Have not had to make a panic stop yet but judging by the size of them they should be up to the mark, or are they?
Are the Monaro and Jag S type R both still in production?
Can anybody please identify the beach that top gear used?
Cheers

[joey]

Since the 300 received such rave reviews and awards in the US over the past year and a half, I am not surprised that the trend will start to go the other way. You can't be king-of-the-hill forever. The bar/expectations are now so high for the car that anything other than perfect will likely get a negative rating.

[goddardzilla]

Originally Posted by arnold patch

I was intrigued by the scientific test on Top Gear to see how long it took for the Monaro to dig its own grave.Why?
They were critical of the lack of traction control disengage button on the 300, have they not always had the button in the dash centre?
From the first time I drove our 300 I felt at ease with the controls, their position and ease of use.
Top Gear also were critical of the brakes. Have not had to make a panic stop yet but judging by the size of them they should be up to the mark, or are they?
Are the Monaro and Jag S type R both still in production?
Can anybody please identify the beach that top gear used?
Cheers

It sounds like the reviewers had read a few prior North American reviews and picked out some criticism from them and grouped it together.

Yes power window switches appear cheap, but are actually well engineered. Unlike some of the Lucas Jaguar power window switches, I have known, which appear expensive, but easily self-destruct. Mercedes cruise control on the 300cs could do with replacing by a more user-friendly piece.

The car supplied to Top Gear had NO button to switch off ESP, so it was on all the time meaning; essentially the test was rigged.

The Top Gear beach test was at Pembry North Wales Click HERE - in typical Clarkson-style - to transport the cars, he hired a Hercules transport plane. Villagers in nearby Pembrey in Wales thought it had crashed and phoned the cops. Click HERE

The 300c's brakes are up to snuff for all road work, and do well on the track as our our Northern Rider will attest.

Yes the Vauxhall version of the Monaro and the 4.2-litre S-type R are still in UK production

Zilla

[RobAGD]

here is the Motor Trend review MSRT8 vs AMG e55

I am trying to collect articals on the LX cars ( Magnum, 300c and Charger ).

120dpi scans into PDF's

-Robert

[1st300]

Hi goddardzilla. Now it fits together - Pendine Sands, Carmarthan town. Probably 1956,me about seven years of age, on the back of dads smoked over Vincent bike, doing the ton, scared to death, not because of the speed but because a lot of the beach was still mined from WW11. Guess they have cleared them by now. Thanks for jogging the memory, I will talk to him about it next week. He had been going there since the early thirties to race.
Five years ago a mate had a new Mercedes, top of the range model, and first day out in it the entire switch panel self destructed, with little springs and bits every where. I could laugh as we crawled around on the floor picking up bits, but he pretty mongrel about the whole episode.
Cheers