UK - ABOUT TO BUY A 300C V6 or 300CRD V6- any advise?

[C5HEA]

UK - ABOUT TO BUY A 300C or 300CRD - any advise?

Hi fellow 300C owners. I live in England and I am about to go put an order in for my new car but need some advise from you guys who already own a 300. Please help.

What shall I buy, petrol or diesel?

Is it worth the wait for the diesel?

Best colour?

Is the Sat Nav any good? I already own Tom Tom.

Can the screen be converted to a TV in the UK?

Can I run my ipod through the headunit?

What are the best chrome wheels to get?

Cheers - hope to get some worthy reading advise.

PS - I drove one today - fantastic!!!!!!

[groovyjay]

Originally Posted by C5HEA

UK - ABOUT TO BUY A 300C or 300CRD - any advise?

Hi fellow 300C owners. I live in England and I am about to go put an order in for my new car but need some advise from you guys who already own a 300. Please help.

Hi there there has been at least few topics dedicated to this, try the Overseas section too....

Originally Posted by C5HEA

What shall I buy, petrol or diesel?

Originally Posted by C5HEA

Is it worth the wait for the diesel?

I bought the CRD, it is the only option IMO with these gas/petrol/diesel prices. The MB engine and 5 speed automatic are a real dream to drive. CRD offers 510nm of torque and that really is not that much less than the Hemi.

Originally Posted by C5HEA

Best colour?

Brilliant Black

Originally Posted by C5HEA

Is the Sat Nav any good? I already own Tom Tom.

I've heard it works well in the UK, so it propably is worth the money. Here in Finland, all we get is test screen, since we are not yet on the freaking satellite

Originally Posted by C5HEA

Can the screen be converted to a TV in the UK?

I think it should, don't quote me on that one though...

Originally Posted by C5HEA

Can I run my ipod through the headunit?

My dealer told me that the 06's should all be iPod compatible, but so far I haven't figured out if it really is or not...

Originally Posted by C5HEA

What are the best chrome wheels to get?

Like the colour, this comes to each own taste. I prefer something more of a classic look to the all blinging look.

Originally Posted by C5HEA

Cheers - hope to get some worthy reading advise.

Originally Posted by C5HEA

PS - I drove one today - fantastic!!!!!!

Which model did you drive? I have driven all the models except the SRT8. I liked the the Hemi a lot, but could not live with the fuel consumption. Both the petrol V6's are too shy for car this size... Just my opinion

[mathijskok]

Petrol or diesel depends a lot on your driving style and the amount of money you like to spend. The big hemi is of course huge fun but I personally prefer a much smaller and lighter car to go fast. Still the ability to unleash those horses when you need to overtake is very nice. But the diesel is nearly as powerful (top speed is only a few kmh less and 0 to 100 is only 0.3 second slower) and in cruise very silent and very very smooth. And in the UK the diesel will be a LOT cheaper to drive.

[Ahbizmal]

If I were you, and lived in the UK... CRD. Gas prices are outrageous. but since I am an American Glutton... Well the 6.1L Gas Guzzling Beast was the only choice in my mind.

[Belmont CJ]

Originally Posted by C5HEA

UK - ABOUT TO BUY A 300C or 300CRD - any advise?

Hi fellow 300C owners. I live in England and I am about to go put an order in for my new car but need some advise from you guys who already own a 300. Please help.

What shall I buy, petrol or diesel?

Is it worth the wait for the diesel?

Best colour?

Is the Sat Nav any good? I already own Tom Tom.

Can the screen be converted to a TV in the UK?

Can I run my ipod through the headunit?

What are the best chrome wheels to get?

Cheers - hope to get some worthy reading advise.

PS - I drove one today - fantastic!!!!!!

Hi C5HEA, i'm not as post capable as some so i'll do this by the numbers!

1 & 2. Diesel Diesel Diesel! The Hemi's are AWESOME but unless you own a significant number of shares in BP or Shell the running costs are crippling thanks to Gordon Brown. This should not be seen as a compromise however. The CRD produces 22 lb ft Torque than the 5.7, at 1200 RPM less! Add to this the less than 1 second 0-62 time i think we have a winner. Then consider that the CRD services half as often as petrol unit and averages 12mpg more, there really isn't that much too consider IMO! The SRT will be a different beast entirely upon it arrival on these fair shores, watch this space! As far as delivery goes, some dealers still have availability for late april, PM me for more info.

3. Colour is a personal thing. IMO Midnight Blue would be best avoided as it is too dull. Mineral Grey or Brilliant Black look fabulous.

4. The Sat Nav unit is excellent, but does lack several features that TOM TOM offers e.g postcode search, touch screen, traffic, speed cameras etc. It does however make the dash look complete.

5. No. There is no facility to fit a tuner.

6. No. At present there is no support for aux units. DC are working on this. On an aside note it was announced this week that efforts to bring bluetooth phone support to the UK have been abandoned permanently due to incompatibility issues.

7. Pass, take a look at some of the threads posted here on the wheel debate.

I have now driven all 3 UK engines and would opt for the CRD personally. In terms of performance, value and sheer awe factor its hard to beat!

[Geordie]

Hi there 'C5HEA'...

Having had test drives in the 3.5 petrol and the CRD there is no contest re performance and most importantly economy. The CRD wins outright.

I ordered my CRD a week ago and hope to get delivery in March. If you have to wait an extra month or so for the CRD I would recommend that you 'hang in there'.

Regarding choice of colour....that is always a question of personal taste. I have seen all available colours available to the UK market and I have to agree with 'Belmont CJ' that Mineral Grey Metallic or Black Pearl are hard to better. The car looks stunning in either hue but you will probably have to maintain a more regular cleaning routine with the latter!.

My personal choice was the Mineral Grey Metallic which I do not intend to modify other than the fitting of an aftermarket mesh grille,the choice of which is currently driving me nuts re the number that are available!

Have a look at the posts of 'Murphy The Cat' who is also a Brit with a Black Pearl CRD and if that doesn't convince you that the CRD is the one to go for, nothing will!

Geordie

[LSV1970]

Trust me, black cars are best way to spend an afternoon with cleaning...every week at least. In UK, you'll have a real fun with waterspots.
Silver or Mineral gray are good options. I had a crush on cool vanilla but not sure it will last through years. So see the pic.

About engine... for me US cars are all about the pounding sound of large V8. I'll let the CRD for MB German cabs. But I understand the subject "fuel budget" in Europe.
I own 2 V8 cars and recognize it's expensive out here. In Switzerland the 95RON is at €1.06. With a 16 l/100km, it's about €212 a month for a 15'000km driver. Definitely not for everyone.

[Murphy The Cat]

hI C5HEA

before i go any further, welcome to the forum. It's great to have another Brit in here as we're a bit thin on the ground.

OK point by point.
personal choice on fuel type. Personally I plumped for a CRD and I am absolutley delighted by the engine and all aspects of it's drive and performance. Please believe me when I say put your foot down and it's silly grin time. I haven't tried a petrol V6 so it would be unfair for me to compare.

I waited 18 months for Arnie so I'm the wrong person to ask. Try a demo in both and decide for yourself !

Best colour ? I put my money where my mouth is and went for Brilliant Black

another popular choice is silver and here is black and silver side by side
at this stage I must say "warning, warning, warning Black looks beautiful when clean, but shows up the dirt quicker than any other colour. If you don't like/enjoy car washing, don't choose black. I haven't seen any other colours. Geordie swears by Mineral Grey, which I think is the colour in Belmonts picture.

I Don't have sat-nav, I have Wife - Nav, (or should that be Wife Wife)

TV - don't know

IPOD through head unit - elsewhere on the site it says yes, it is going to be upgradeable to. But Belmont says no. Sometimes what is going on in america does not always come to Great Britain. so I guess that's a "I don't know " again.

Best chrome wheels to get - none. judging by the number of grumbles on this site by our American friend ref chrome wheels, and the amount of salt that the councils put on our roads - chromies may not be the best option. Saying that the chromies on my wifes PT still look splendid !

Which car did you drive today ? the petrol or the diesel (or was it big daddy Hemi) ?

Look forward to you coming back

MTC

[C5HEA]

Hello there MTC

Ive just found out today that I may have to wait until September to get a CRD whilst the petrol are avaliable - how awkward.

Thank you for your answers by the way. Shame that Sat Nav isnt touch screen and also a DVD/TV player huh?

Im sure that will become an option within time.

The car that I drove was the petrol - it went rather nicely but I'm just thinkig about the fuel consumption really. Can I wait that long??

Are there any other thing that I should know about owning a 300c????

Originally Posted by Murphy The Cat

hI C5HEA

before i go any further, welcome to the forum. It's great to have another Brit in here as we're a bit thin on the ground.

OK point by point.
personal choice on fuel type. Personally I plumped for a CRD and I am absolutley delighted by the engine and all aspects of it's drive and performance. Please believe me when I say put your foot down and it's silly grin time. I haven't tried a petrol V6 so it would be unfair for me to compare.

I waited 18 months for Arnie so I'm the wrong person to ask. Try a demo in both and decide for yourself !

Best colour ? I put my money where my mouth is and went for Brilliant Black

another popular choice is silver and here is black and silver side by side
at this stage I must say "warning, warning, warning Black looks beautiful when clean, but shows up the dirt quicker than any other colour. If you don't like/enjoy car washing, don't choose black. I haven't seen any other colours. Geordie swears by Mineral Grey, which I think is the colour in Belmonts picture.

I Don't have sat-nav, I have Wife - Nav, (or should that be Wife Wife)

TV - don't know

IPOD through head unit - elsewhere on the site it says yes, it is going to be upgradeable to. But Belmont says no. Sometimes what is going on in america does not always come to Great Britain. so I guess that's a "I don't know " again.

Best chrome wheels to get - none. judging by the number of grumbles on this site by our American friend ref chrome wheels, and the amount of salt that the councils put on our roads - chromies may not be the best option. Saying that the chromies on my wifes PT still look splendid !

Which car did you drive today ? the petrol or the diesel (or was it big daddy Hemi) ?

Look forward to you coming back

MTC

[Murphy The Cat]

Originally Posted by C5HEA

Hello there MTC

Ive just found out today that I may have to wait until September to get a CRD whilst the petrol are avaliable - how awkward.

Thank you for your answers by the way. Shame that Sat Nav isnt touch screen and also a DVD/TV player huh?

Im sure that will become an option within time.

The car that I drove was the petrol - it went rather nicely but I'm just thinkig about the fuel consumption really. Can I wait that long??

Are there any other thing that I should know about owning a 300c????

Hi C5HEA

September 2006 that is a looooonnnng time to wait.
Where abouts in Great Britain do you live C5HEA ?
The only reason I ask is that Geordie took a CRD demo out for a spin the the North of England t'other week and I (honestly) think that you owe it to yourself to have a testdrive in a CRD, so that YOU can decide if it is worth the wait. On a secondary note, Sept sounds like an awful long wait for a car that has a (I think) 16 week lead time. I wonder if your dealer was pushing you towards the petrol V6 by creating a long order time for the CRD.

Economy, well hell, have I got news for you. I zeroed my tripomemeter, reset the mpg trip computer and dieseled up today to the first click. I then did 75 miles of mixed (but not much built up) driving. Got home and fuelled up to the first click again. and the result of the exersize (drum roll please). The mpg computer tells me that I got 31.8 MPG, but bearing in mind this is likely to be miles per US gallon, that translates to 38 miles per GB gallon. However, by doing the mpg by fuel used (click to click) I got 35.5 mpg. Whichever figure you use, its just a variation between bloody good, very blloody good and are you sure !

As for any other things to know ? Arnie is a big old beast and takes up a lot of road space, also it is not a car to be driving if you fancy travelling incognito. I'm sure there's other things, but they're all very positive.

see you later.

MTC