Article posted per Hemi57's request...
Hereyago John!
------------------------------------------------------------------
Chrysler 300C 5.7 Hemi V8
The Sydney Morning Herald
Friday March 3 2006
Big, bold and in your face, this is for those who want something outside the square, writes BILL McKINNON.
BYO bling optional
Good: The opposite of bland. Smooth, stump-pulling, old-time V8 performance. Five-speed Mercedes auto suits it perfectly. Sharp price for this size, performance and equipment package. Limo ride in town.
Bad: Overweight. Doesn't like tight corners. Underdamped. Underbraked. Driver's seat is flat and unsupportive. Space-saver spare.
Rating: 3 stars (see below for ratings key).
Verdict: The getaway car.
I'm the wrong bloke for the Chrysler 300C job. I mean, look at it. I refuse to wear gold jewellery, a white fur coat and crocodile skin shoes - at least when I'm working. I have never dealt in cocaine. I loathe rap, hip-hop and other forms of "music" in which zero talent boofheads talk the lyrics because they can't sing.
The 300C also looks way too dangerous for the average fifty- or sixty-something Aussie male, whose longstanding choice in V8 sedans with acreage and fruit has been the ultra-conservative, true-blue Ford Fairlane and Holden Statesman.
It's a surprise - make that a shock - that the 300C has outsold both since its launch.
Sharp prices help. The Chrysler is available with a 183kW, 3.5-litre V6 at $53,990; the 250kW (and 525Nm of torque) 5.7-litre V8 version costs $59,990.
Both use the five-speed sequential automatic Mercedes-Benz transmission fitted to AMG hotrods with high-torque engines.
Chrysler and Mercedes have the same parent - DaimlerChrysler - and the 300C, as with its Crossfire sibling, carries in its engineering a substantial amount of Mercedes DNA.
It's built by a subcontracted assembler - Magna Steyr - in Graz, Austria.
The 5.7-litre V8 is also used in the Jeep Grand Cherokee. The mechanicals are relatively basic - pushrods, two valves a cylinder, one camshaft, low compression - but it has clever engineering and engine management programming to reduce fuel consumption.
Four cylinders are automatically deactivated, electronically and by decoupling the valves from the camshaft, at low revs (1000rpm-3000rpm) when engine loads are light.
The 300C is long, low and heavy, especially the V8 which weighs 1873kg.
So, while the 5.7-litre hauls from the basement like an old-time bent eight should and shifts the 300C with ease and grace, the car is not that quick, given the high power and torque outputs at its disposal.
Still, it's a honey-sweet, smooth device, with locomotive-like reserves of pulling power across the rev range.
The cylinder deactivation system seems to also negate engine braking when you lift off the accelerator, presumably because half the cylinders are decompressed. It's a weird sensation. The car just keeps rolling, with no decelerative effect at all from the engine. Until you get used to it, you tend to be on the brakes constantly in traffic.
In other respects the switch from 5.7-litre V8 to 2.85 litre V4, and back again, is undetectable from the driver's seat.
The V8 300C averages 12.1 litres/100km in ADR 81/01 tests, a good result when this much power and weight are involved.
Our test car returned a best figure of 9.7 litres/100km, loafing down the highway at 100kmh. Around town we could coax 16 litres/100km from it.
However, no amount of techno-trickery can overcome the fact that any V8's consumption rate heads due north as soon you even think about flexing your right foot. Which does seem to be the point when you're paying for 250kW. But since when has it been a logical world?
Five transmission ratios are sufficient behind this much torque. You could get by with three. The Mercedes five-speed is still one of the smoothest automatics in the business.
The 300C uses double wishbone front suspension and a Mercedes-style multilink arrangement at the rear. It has an unusual wheel and tyre combination: sporty 18-inch alloy wheels, shod with distinctly non-sporty, albeit quite adhesive, 225/60 Pirelli tyres.
Anti-lock brakes, with twin piston floating calipers up front, are complemented by ESP stability and traction control.
There's a touch of the old Mercedes E-Class in the way the 300C handles on the open road. When you're just swanning along, it feels like a barge, with ineffective damping causing excessive roll, pitch and float.
Drive it with more purpose, though, and the 300C seems to tighten up and settle into a rhythm, albeit a relatively slow one. In tighter bends, it's a fat, wallowing mess.
The steering is calibrated for US tastes. You can twirl the steering wheel with one finger only. It's acceptably accurate though.
The brakes aren't up to arresting this much weight with the required speed, progression or power. You have to lean hard on the brake pedal at times and it feels wooden.
On undulating surfaces at speed the ride can become nautical but the 300C is one of the more supple, smooth, comfortable conveyances we've steered around Sydney.
This attribute carries over into the cabin, where noise, vibration and harshness are effectively suppressed.
The driver's seat has ample padding and long travel (complemented by a height- and reach-adjustable steering wheel) but you sit on, rather than in, it and upper body support is lacking.
The low roofline looks like it might restrict headroom but that's not the case. Nor do the shallow windows compromise vision around the car.
Art deco-inspired instruments are an extravagant touch on an otherwise utilitarian dash, dominated by light-grey plastics with old world walnut inlays and a few Mercedes bits - the multi-function wheel, wands and some switches.
The 300C is equipped like $100,000 worth of car. Leather upholstery, power-adjustable, heated front seats (with two memories on the driver's seat), dual-zone automatic air-conditioning, xenon headlights, rain-sensing wipers, rear parking assistance, an alarm, electrochromatic mirror and (in the V8) a high-quality, in-dash six-stack CD audio system are standard.
Crash protection includes multi-stage front airbags, curtain airbags and front seat belts with force limiters.
Fit and finish quality is fine. The test car stayed free of squeaks, sizzles and chirps.
The roomy back stalls have a flat, supportive cushion and a comfortably angled backrest. Boot space is adequate rather than generous and it can be extended with the 60:40 split rear seat backrest. A space-saver spare is under the floor.
A round of applause for the people who created and signed off the 300C. In an industry where beancounter-driven conformity is too pervasive, it's great to see that Chrysler is still willing to do what American car makers once did so well: challenge buyers with daring, emotive design.
The fact that it has succeeded with the 300C shows that an adventurous spirit is still a bankable asset in the car business.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nuts 'n' bolts - Chrysler 300C 5.7 Hemi V8
Country of origin: Austria.
Engine: 5.7-litre, 16-valve, fuel-injected V8.
Power: 250kW at 5000rpm (above average).
Performance: 0-100kmh in 7.7 seconds (nothing special for a V8 with this much power).
Brakes: Discs with anti-lock and ESP (below average).
Economy: 9.7-13 litres/100km highway, 16-22 litres/100km city (average; regular unleaded).
Prices: Recommended retail: 3.5-litre V6 $53,990; 5.7-litre V8 $59,990.
Street price: Selling well, so no deals on the V8. Negotiate on the V6.
Main options: Sunroof $2430, metallic paint $370.
Warranty: Three years/100,000km (average).
Residual value: New model, no history.
Safety rating: Not yet tested to NCAP protocols.
Alternatives
Ford Fairlane Ghia
From $58,625
Looks like an undertaker's personal transport. The 190kW, 4.0-litre six and 220kW, 5.4-litre V8 are now bolted to a six-speed auto, so performance is fine. Huge interior. No one wants it, so up to $10,000 off.
Holden Statesman
From $56,990
The politician's favourite. Available with 190kW, 3.6-litre V6 six and five-speed auto or the new 260kW, 6.0-litre V8 four-speed. Quick and tidy on the open road. Big discounts on outgoing 5.7-litre V8 models.
Ssangyong Chairman
From $56,990
Haven't yet tested this. Not sure if I'm game. Superseded Mercedes E-Class architecture and mechanicals - 162kW, 3.2-litre six - wrapped in a shiny Korean suit and blinged to within an inch of its life.
Prices and details correct at publication
Ratings
5 stars: Dream wheels
4 stars: Recommended
3 stars: On the ball
2 stars: Just transport
1 star: Very ordinary
Linear Mode
