[E55 KEV]

In the next issue of Road & Track the Chrysler 300 (don't know if V6 or V8) placed 4th and the venerable 2004 BMW 530i placed 6th in a 7 car field. Wow!

 

[MightyMax]

Price as tested....$34,215 it's the Hemi


Another note.... The 300c was the least expensive of the bunch, and still came in 4th out of 7.

 

[E55 KEV]

The report on the roadfly.org Bimmer forums states that the car is the V6 and not the Hemi. That $34,215 is a price as tested with options and a 300 Limited with some options can cost $34k.

Now I am even more shocked because the 300 V6 has a softer suspension and no rear sway bar while the 300C Hemi has touring suspension and dual sway bars. Hell, if it was the Hemi I would have been Number one!

 

[MightyMax]

(hears chanting in the background)

re-test
re-test
re-test

If they can find a Hemi that is...

 

[MOMO]

I still don’t see how it beat the BMW. The categories that the 300 placed higher were luggage space, ergonomics/control, ride, and exterior styling. It lost in every performance category so I don’t see how it beat the BMW. Also was that the caddy CTS-V, I didn’t know the CTS was so expensive $43,880

 

[300CHemi]

I believe the test focused on V-6 powered sedans so the CTS-V was not included. I suspect from the tone of the article that a V-8 test is not far behind and I suspect the CTS-V has a good shot at winning that one as well due to extreme POV type performance. The frustrating part was that the V-6 300 tested was only 3k less than a fully loaded Hemi but 10K less the next least expensive car in the test.

 

[MOMO]

Yeah, the 300 weights upwards of 4000lbs + so a 250hp V6 would definitely be underpowered. Now the Hemi that’s a different story, yeah baby.

 

[E55 KEV]

I just got the issue - the car is the 300 Touring V6.

 

[StCassel]

Why didn't they test the 300C? Touring is not a good test.

 

[E55 KEV]

It was a test of 7 sedans with V6. Maybe the next test will pit the 300C with:

Audi A6 V8
BMW 545i
MBZ E500
Cadillac STS
Jaguar S-Type V8
Lincoln LS V8

 

[Redman]

The Truth Hurtz

The car magazines are deathly afraid of testing a 300C against any of its "competition" - primarily because the "competition" spends so much $ in advertising.
Essentially, they can't afford to print the truth.

 

[jimv]

Yeah, the 300 weights upwards of 4000lbs + so a 250hp V6 would definitely be underpowered. Now the Hemi that?s a different story, yeah baby.

As the owner of a Touring, MOMO, I beg to differ. On paper it may sound underpowered but in real life it moves along quite smartly. I've driven a couple of hemis and in most driving situations (note the adjective "most") you can hardly notice the difference.

 

[Redman]

Apples, oranges...

As the owner of a Touring, MOMO, I beg to differ. On paper it may sound underpowered but in real life it moves along quite smartly. I've driven a couple of hemis and in most driving situations (note the adjective "most") you can hardly notice the difference.

You're absolutely right - I drove the the 3.5L (by mistake) and was pretty impressed none the less. It has plenty of power and handled well.
Still, there is a cure for the obsessively performance minded...

 

[kcrnmale]

Hardly notice the difference-you got to be kidding. I tested the V6 limited and yeah if you "hardly" press the gas pedal. There is nothing wrong with the V6 but if you compare the acceleration between the two with a firm press of the pedal then there is a definite difference. Not everybody wants or cares about the Hemi's performance and that's fine. If you drive the car conservatively-which is majority of the time then I can see the comparison between the two. I enjoy the rapid acceleration on straightaways occasionally because many people still haven't seen too many 300's and I like educating them on the performance of the Hemi. I'm not talking about wheel spinning burnouts or cutting in and out of traffic but just plain strong acceleration.

 

[II kings 9:20]

I ordered a limited and changed my mind a day later and never drove the Hemi until I picked it up! The 3.5 is a great engine and in 80% of the normal driving I do I would not notice the diff, same for an Accord. It's the gut to spine push that is the difference. I really wish we had an MDS light, I have an 05 Odyssey on order which has light to indicate 3cyl mode. It makes 255hp and 250 torque, very impressive engine.

 

[th59718]

As the owner of a Touring, MOMO, I beg to differ. On paper it may sound underpowered but in real life it moves along quite smartly. I've driven a couple of hemis and in most driving situations (note the adjective "most") you can hardly notice the difference.

I agree. I test drove a Touring model before buying and felt that it was adequately powered. I did notice the power difference in the hemi though and bought it for the power it provided in passing situations, particularly on steep grades which we tend to have a lot of here in the mountains.

 

[pd171]

I agree the 3.5 has good power and the way I drive 99% of the time I probably couldn't tell much difference but that other 1% will take your breath away; HEMI, HEMI , HEMI !!!

 

[SparkyC]

Beside the comfort of knowing I have all the power I need, with the Hemi you get the Mercedes engineered 5-Speed Manumatic, not a Chrysler 4-speed. Nuff said.

 

[jimv]

Beside the comfort of knowing I have all the power I need, with the Hemi you get the Mercedes engineered 5-Speed Manumatic, not a Chrysler 4-speed. Nuff said.

And that is a good reason for going hemi. Some others, apart from the obvious engine difference, include the higher quality interior, larger wheels and extra trim. I'm not saying that T=C, merely that the 3.5 models are not sluggish and underpowered. They are actually quite quick.

 

[kcrnmale]

I looked at a fully loaded limited for $32K and then found my base Hemi w/moonroof for $34K. The Hemi comes reasonably loaded because it's promoted as the high end 300 and after finding this site and reading all the posts about the hemi engine...I decided to get the V8....and I'm really happy I did. I used to own a Harley but all I could afford was a 1200 Sportster. It was a real nice Sportster but I'd always wanted a Heritage. People who know Harley's would know what I'm talking about. I'm glad I didn't repeat the same thing with a V6 300.