Chrysler: 300 News
03-04-2004, 04:09 AM
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Chrysler's big gamble
Chrysler's big gamble
Boldness defines rear-drive 300 sedan
By Paul and Anita Lienert / Special to The Detroit News
The 300's tailored cabin has simple appeal, with a straight forward instrument panel and plush seats that share their basic design with Mercedes-Benz models.
PALM SPRINGS, Calif.--The over-sized chrome grille that dominates the face of the all-new 2005 Chrysler 300 sedan was so worrisome to the designers that they experimented with less flamboyant versions.
“But something looked wrong with those smaller grilles,” said Ralph Gilles, 34, director of design. “So we went with the larger one, even though some people criticized it for being too big. I just worry that the pictures don’t do it justice. You have to see it in person to appreciate the proportions.”
Nearly everything about the new Chrysler 300 — from its in-your-face styling and ample dimensions to the optional 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 with its whopping 340 horsepower and 390 pounds-feet of torque — is imposing. But somehow it all works, and works quite well.
The car is a gamble for DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group, which is betting that Americans schooled for more than two decades in the benefits of front-wheel drive can be persuaded to switch back to rear-wheel drive in a full-size sedan that straddles the family and near-luxury segments.
Another fear is that Chrysler, in its attempt to redefine the classic American automobile, may be guilty of over-egging the pudding. That is, cooking up something far too rich and unpalatable for American tastes conditioned to crave a more functional and rugged diet of trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Finally, the more traditional shape and style of the new 300 mark a radical departure for the company, which built a reputation in the previous decade for cutting-edge designs showcasing the so-called “cab forward” theme.
Our take on the new 300, after spending several hours and several hundred miles behind the wheel in the desert and mountains of southern California, is that this weighty new Chrysler sedan hits the perfect note in an uncertain era. It may even turn out to be a product that defines a new automotive epoch. In short, the bracingly different 300 makes us excited again about American family cars.
Its invincible — some say intimidating — bearing lends credence to the Chrysler executives who say they plan to pit the 300 against everything the global market can throw its way, from the family-friendly Honda Accord to the high-tech Audi A8. In fact, the 300’s bold styling and innovative technology, including a multidisplacement engine that can run on four or eight cylinders, make it our early front-runner for the Detroit News Car of the Year.
The 2005 model, which replaces the front-wheel-drive Concorde and 300M, goes on sale in late April starting at $23,595, including a $625 destination charge. Three higher trim levels are available, including the 300 Touring ($27,395), 300 Limited ($29,980) and 300 C ($32,995). A well-equipped 300 C will top out at around $37,000. The upcoming all-wheel-drive version, due in August, could push the sticker close to $40,000.
Even the base 300 looks like a luxury car. The over-the-top sedan is swathed inside and out with the most chrome on a Chrysler since the vehicles of the late 1960s. The 300 is not ashamed to be heavy on ornamentation — name another vehicle that uses touches of tortoise-shell cabin trim — with a personality that seems more befitting a monarch than a soccer mom or NASCAR dad.
The 300’s stiff, fortress-like appearance, which copies liberally from luxury European brands such as Bentley, is the antithesis of the sleek designs that characterized Chryslers for much of the last decade.
Gilles says Chrysler designers looked to the happy days of the 1950s for inspiration. They strove to incorporate classic American design elements into the Canadian-built 300, festooning their studio with inspirational icons, such as Audrey Hepburn in her tiara and slinky blackgown from the movie, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and images of the Chrysler Building, which stands out like a shining Art Deco beacon amid the faceless concrete skyscrapers of Manhattan.
As brash as the 300’s front-end styling is, the rear end looks a bit plain and boxy, and is vaguely reminiscent of the old Chrysler New Yorker, circa 1988-93. And while the ultra-long 120-inch wheelbase provides for a roomy rear seat and generous trunk, the car’s overall exterior dimensions aren’t as “super-sized” as they appear at first glance. The new 300 is 15 inches shorter than the Mercury Grand Marquis, its nearest domestic competitor in the full-size, rear-wheel-drive sedan category.
Inside, the cabin has a tailored look and feel, with a straightforward instrument panel and clean, but rather stark-looking, gauges and controls. The plush seats, which share their basic design with Mercedes-Benz, are comfortable and supportive, especially on long journeys.
In addition to the seats, the 300 shares a few other pieces with Mercedes, including a five-speed automatic transmission (available only with the Hemi engine) and an independent rear suspension design adapted from the E-class.
A four-speed automatic is standard on the base 300, which is equipped with a 190-horsepower 2.7-liter V-6, and the Touring and Limited versions, which get a 250-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6. The latter engine has adequate muscle, but some buyers will find the smaller V-6 lacking sufficient power and torque, especially given the car’s heavy 3,700-pound curb weight.
The powertrain combination that is sure to draw the most attention is the Hemi and the five-speed — and they are indeed impressive in terms of performance. Chrysler claims 0-to-60 acceleration in just over six seconds with this package, and we wouldn’t dispute that assertion. The Hemi is brutally quick, and the five-speed responsive, although we weren’t always able to easily take advantage of the manual-shift mode on curvy mountain roads at rapidly plunging elevations. Shift buttons mounted on the steering wheel would make this feature much more user-friendly.
We drove the 300 in a variety of settings, from the ribbon-flat desert highways outside Palm Springs to the slick, ice-covered roads of Idyllwild and beyond to an elevation of 6,200 feet in the picturesque San Jacinto mountains. The car performed admirably in the changing terrain and weather conditions. With such features as electronic traction control and stability program providing an extra measure of grip on wet, slippery pavement, we didn’t much miss the all-wheel-drive option. The 300 handled beautifully on the twisty mountain roads, and its extended wheelbase provides a stately ride on all but the most choppy sections of freeway.
One gripe: Chrysler did not include antilock brakes among the standard features on the base model. It’s an oversight, especially if the company hopes to retrain a populace that has been comfortable with snow-fighting front-wheel-drive cars for the better part of the past 25 years.
You’ll pay an extra $775 for antilock brakes as a stand-alone item on the base 300. Another option package, which bundles antilock brakes, traction control and stability program with brake assist — all snow-beating features that Chrysler says makes the car “fully competitive” — costs $1,025. Antilock brakes and traction control are standard on the Touring, Limited and C models.
If there are any design flaws in the 300, they tend to be more practical than esthetic.
Those flaws can be found in the car’s high rear parcel shelf, which limits visibility and leaves the driver with no sense of where the car’s rear end is — a concern when backing up and parking, even with the optional ultrasonic park-distance sensors. We would have preferred seat belts built into the front seats, too, instead of the kind that are mounted between the doors. The small side windows can give the car a bit of a claustrophobic feeling, especially for rear-seat passengers.
The 300 tends to fall behind some of the Japanese and European brands when it comes to loading up on the latest in high-tech features. You can’t get adaptive headlights that turn in the direction of the steering wheel on the 300, nor can you get adaptive cruise control, a more sophisticated version of cruise control that helps set the distance between your car and other vehicles ahead.
Where the 300 leads is with the new multidisplacement system on the 5.7-liter Hemi, which permits the engine to run on only four cylinders, thus conserving fuel, at cruising speeds and under part throttle. Even with this fuel-saving feature, we were disappointed that the Hemi and five-speed automatic are rated by the Environmental Protection Agency at only 17 miles per gallon in city driving and 25 mpg on the highway.
Optional safety features on the 300 are good and include a “protection package” that bundles front and rear side-curtain air bags, self-sealing tires and an air filtration system for $840.
We left Palm Springs craving more seat time in the new Chrysler 300, including a promised test drive later this year in the all-wheel-drive edition. But our initial impression remains upbeat and extremely favorable.
We thought designer Gilles aptly summed up the mood surrounding this impressive new entry from Chrysler: “People in America want things to be good again. This car is extremely timely. It’s a can-do American car.”
Boldness defines rear-drive 300 sedan
By Paul and Anita Lienert / Special to The Detroit News
The 300's tailored cabin has simple appeal, with a straight forward instrument panel and plush seats that share their basic design with Mercedes-Benz models.
PALM SPRINGS, Calif.--The over-sized chrome grille that dominates the face of the all-new 2005 Chrysler 300 sedan was so worrisome to the designers that they experimented with less flamboyant versions.
“But something looked wrong with those smaller grilles,” said Ralph Gilles, 34, director of design. “So we went with the larger one, even though some people criticized it for being too big. I just worry that the pictures don’t do it justice. You have to see it in person to appreciate the proportions.”
Nearly everything about the new Chrysler 300 — from its in-your-face styling and ample dimensions to the optional 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 with its whopping 340 horsepower and 390 pounds-feet of torque — is imposing. But somehow it all works, and works quite well.
The car is a gamble for DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group, which is betting that Americans schooled for more than two decades in the benefits of front-wheel drive can be persuaded to switch back to rear-wheel drive in a full-size sedan that straddles the family and near-luxury segments.
Another fear is that Chrysler, in its attempt to redefine the classic American automobile, may be guilty of over-egging the pudding. That is, cooking up something far too rich and unpalatable for American tastes conditioned to crave a more functional and rugged diet of trucks and sport utility vehicles.
Finally, the more traditional shape and style of the new 300 mark a radical departure for the company, which built a reputation in the previous decade for cutting-edge designs showcasing the so-called “cab forward” theme.
Our take on the new 300, after spending several hours and several hundred miles behind the wheel in the desert and mountains of southern California, is that this weighty new Chrysler sedan hits the perfect note in an uncertain era. It may even turn out to be a product that defines a new automotive epoch. In short, the bracingly different 300 makes us excited again about American family cars.
Its invincible — some say intimidating — bearing lends credence to the Chrysler executives who say they plan to pit the 300 against everything the global market can throw its way, from the family-friendly Honda Accord to the high-tech Audi A8. In fact, the 300’s bold styling and innovative technology, including a multidisplacement engine that can run on four or eight cylinders, make it our early front-runner for the Detroit News Car of the Year.
The 2005 model, which replaces the front-wheel-drive Concorde and 300M, goes on sale in late April starting at $23,595, including a $625 destination charge. Three higher trim levels are available, including the 300 Touring ($27,395), 300 Limited ($29,980) and 300 C ($32,995). A well-equipped 300 C will top out at around $37,000. The upcoming all-wheel-drive version, due in August, could push the sticker close to $40,000.
Even the base 300 looks like a luxury car. The over-the-top sedan is swathed inside and out with the most chrome on a Chrysler since the vehicles of the late 1960s. The 300 is not ashamed to be heavy on ornamentation — name another vehicle that uses touches of tortoise-shell cabin trim — with a personality that seems more befitting a monarch than a soccer mom or NASCAR dad.
The 300’s stiff, fortress-like appearance, which copies liberally from luxury European brands such as Bentley, is the antithesis of the sleek designs that characterized Chryslers for much of the last decade.
Gilles says Chrysler designers looked to the happy days of the 1950s for inspiration. They strove to incorporate classic American design elements into the Canadian-built 300, festooning their studio with inspirational icons, such as Audrey Hepburn in her tiara and slinky blackgown from the movie, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and images of the Chrysler Building, which stands out like a shining Art Deco beacon amid the faceless concrete skyscrapers of Manhattan.
As brash as the 300’s front-end styling is, the rear end looks a bit plain and boxy, and is vaguely reminiscent of the old Chrysler New Yorker, circa 1988-93. And while the ultra-long 120-inch wheelbase provides for a roomy rear seat and generous trunk, the car’s overall exterior dimensions aren’t as “super-sized” as they appear at first glance. The new 300 is 15 inches shorter than the Mercury Grand Marquis, its nearest domestic competitor in the full-size, rear-wheel-drive sedan category.
Inside, the cabin has a tailored look and feel, with a straightforward instrument panel and clean, but rather stark-looking, gauges and controls. The plush seats, which share their basic design with Mercedes-Benz, are comfortable and supportive, especially on long journeys.
In addition to the seats, the 300 shares a few other pieces with Mercedes, including a five-speed automatic transmission (available only with the Hemi engine) and an independent rear suspension design adapted from the E-class.
A four-speed automatic is standard on the base 300, which is equipped with a 190-horsepower 2.7-liter V-6, and the Touring and Limited versions, which get a 250-horsepower 3.5-liter V-6. The latter engine has adequate muscle, but some buyers will find the smaller V-6 lacking sufficient power and torque, especially given the car’s heavy 3,700-pound curb weight.
The powertrain combination that is sure to draw the most attention is the Hemi and the five-speed — and they are indeed impressive in terms of performance. Chrysler claims 0-to-60 acceleration in just over six seconds with this package, and we wouldn’t dispute that assertion. The Hemi is brutally quick, and the five-speed responsive, although we weren’t always able to easily take advantage of the manual-shift mode on curvy mountain roads at rapidly plunging elevations. Shift buttons mounted on the steering wheel would make this feature much more user-friendly.
We drove the 300 in a variety of settings, from the ribbon-flat desert highways outside Palm Springs to the slick, ice-covered roads of Idyllwild and beyond to an elevation of 6,200 feet in the picturesque San Jacinto mountains. The car performed admirably in the changing terrain and weather conditions. With such features as electronic traction control and stability program providing an extra measure of grip on wet, slippery pavement, we didn’t much miss the all-wheel-drive option. The 300 handled beautifully on the twisty mountain roads, and its extended wheelbase provides a stately ride on all but the most choppy sections of freeway.
One gripe: Chrysler did not include antilock brakes among the standard features on the base model. It’s an oversight, especially if the company hopes to retrain a populace that has been comfortable with snow-fighting front-wheel-drive cars for the better part of the past 25 years.
You’ll pay an extra $775 for antilock brakes as a stand-alone item on the base 300. Another option package, which bundles antilock brakes, traction control and stability program with brake assist — all snow-beating features that Chrysler says makes the car “fully competitive” — costs $1,025. Antilock brakes and traction control are standard on the Touring, Limited and C models.
If there are any design flaws in the 300, they tend to be more practical than esthetic.
Those flaws can be found in the car’s high rear parcel shelf, which limits visibility and leaves the driver with no sense of where the car’s rear end is — a concern when backing up and parking, even with the optional ultrasonic park-distance sensors. We would have preferred seat belts built into the front seats, too, instead of the kind that are mounted between the doors. The small side windows can give the car a bit of a claustrophobic feeling, especially for rear-seat passengers.
The 300 tends to fall behind some of the Japanese and European brands when it comes to loading up on the latest in high-tech features. You can’t get adaptive headlights that turn in the direction of the steering wheel on the 300, nor can you get adaptive cruise control, a more sophisticated version of cruise control that helps set the distance between your car and other vehicles ahead.
Where the 300 leads is with the new multidisplacement system on the 5.7-liter Hemi, which permits the engine to run on only four cylinders, thus conserving fuel, at cruising speeds and under part throttle. Even with this fuel-saving feature, we were disappointed that the Hemi and five-speed automatic are rated by the Environmental Protection Agency at only 17 miles per gallon in city driving and 25 mpg on the highway.
Optional safety features on the 300 are good and include a “protection package” that bundles front and rear side-curtain air bags, self-sealing tires and an air filtration system for $840.
We left Palm Springs craving more seat time in the new Chrysler 300, including a promised test drive later this year in the all-wheel-drive edition. But our initial impression remains upbeat and extremely favorable.
We thought designer Gilles aptly summed up the mood surrounding this impressive new entry from Chrysler: “People in America want things to be good again. This car is extremely timely. It’s a can-do American car.”
03-04-2004, 07:55 AM
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plan to pit the 300 against everything the global market can throw its way, from the family-friendly Honda Accord to the high-tech Audi A8
I expect incentives very shortly...
03-07-2004, 12:04 AM
#43
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Originally posted by dozorca
Eaaasy on that statement. I think that chrysler is way over its head. They try to flood the market with inpractical and 50's looking automobiles that in the end will only be "limited production" or won't sell at all. I sat in one at the auto show... to me it looks like something went wrong when a truck and a 300M were slapped together.
I expect incentives very shortly...
Eaaasy on that statement. I think that chrysler is way over its head. They try to flood the market with inpractical and 50's looking automobiles that in the end will only be "limited production" or won't sell at all. I sat in one at the auto show... to me it looks like something went wrong when a truck and a 300M were slapped together.
I expect incentives very shortly...
03-08-2004, 04:41 AM
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Here's the link to pics of the oversized chrome grill and interior:
http://www.detnews.com/2004/autoscon.../g01-80619.htm
http://www.detnews.com/2004/autoscon.../g01-80619.htm
03-08-2004, 09:39 AM
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300C In Power Boost - - - Source: Autoexpress
If you think Chrysler's forthcoming 300C isn't quick enough, the US company is already planning a hot edition of the big saloon. Expected to offer 400bhp rather than the normal 340bhp, it will have the kind of power necessary to exploit the car's rear-wheel-drive chassis to the full.
If you think Chrysler's forthcoming 300C isn't quick enough, the US company is already planning a hot edition of the big saloon. Expected to offer 400bhp rather than the normal 340bhp, it will have the kind of power necessary to exploit the car's rear-wheel-drive chassis to the full.
03-08-2004, 10:28 PM
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I think the 300 will be a huge success for Chrysler. Dont forget that there will be a 400HP version out next year. I am guessing they will add a manual to that engine and go straight against the CTSV for 5K less probably. This car's target market range is truly amazing when you think of it. It will start at low 20Ks all the way to possibly high 40Ks. That's a large price range.
03-08-2004, 10:34 PM
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Sailing Large: Chrysler Launches A Flagship Under American Colors - - - - By KEVIN A. WILSON Photos by Andrew Yeadon - - Source: Autoweek
Palm Springs, California, has more than its share of Rolls-Royces and Bentleys on the roads, more than its share of people who have accumulated wealth over a lifetime and landed here in retirement. A Mercedes-Benz S600 just means a few more folks on their way to the casino or an early dinner. No one blinks at any of this. Park a new 2005 Chrysler 300C at the curb on what looks like a sleepy stretch of Palm Desert Highway, though, and you can draw a crowd. And suddenly, you find the younger people, too.
Here is a car America has been longing for, a truly large rear-drive domestic four-door sedan. And it is built for people who like their cars big. Ten feet from wheel center to wheel center, the new 300's distinctive style gives it an undeniable curbside presence. No Chrysler, not even the Town & Country extended minivan, has boasted this 120-inch wheelbase for more than 25 years.
Don't get the idea that the car is only about wretched excess. It replaces the LHS, Concorde and 300M in the lineup, and with the base 190-hp 2.7-liter V6 the price starts at less than $24,000, in the heart of the sedan market. Even with the Hemi-equipped 300C, starting at less than $33,000, you'll work the option list to push the MSRP very high. If you want to stretch it near $40k, wait for fall when all-wheel-drive models arrive. Otherwise,you can start taking delivery in April.
For all the expanse of its wheelbase, the 300 isn't even absurdly huge, just big enough that you don't feel dwarfed on highways full of SUVs. At 4999 mm (196.8 inches) bumper to bumper, it just squeezes inside the five-meter limit that defined the outgoing 300M, a length that has much to do with European sales ambitions. So, as the long wheelbase smooths its ride and leaves plenty of room for a spacious cabin, the short overhangs pay benefits in parallel parking and mountain twisties alike, we found.
In a way, this car has been a decade in the offing, though its development time is measured in the modern 24-to-36-month fashion. In the pre-merger days at Chrysler, Tom Gale and Bob Lutz were in a constant search for a proper flagship for the marque. Thinking of a limited-production car that would do for Chrysler what Viper was doing for Dodge and Prowler (supposedly) for Plymouth, defining the brand image, beginning with the 300 concept of 1991 and right on through the Chronos of 1998, the old team kept coming up with ideas. They were great concepts, but only the last one, Chronos, stood a chance of seeing the showroom. That was just when the merger with Daimler came along, and the notion of a long, voluptuous V10 luxury sedan looked superfluous when the company was harnessed to Mercedes-Benz.
But there was a flip side to that coin. Where the biggest obstacle to the establishment of a true Chrysler luxury flagship was the lack of proper, sophisticated drivetrain and suspension bits on the Chrysler shelf, the new partner came with an array of intriguing parts.
After time consolidating the businesses, a period during which Lincoln with its LS range and Cadillac with its CTS both turned to their European partners for help in returning to the rear-drive business, Chrysler's opportunity finally came. By now there was a Hemi V8 in its own arsenal, and access to a Mercedes-Benz rear differential, suspension design and transmission.
"It all came together nicely," the now-retired Gale told us during this year's Detroit auto show, when the car was revealed in production form. "The availability of the Mercedes pieces, the Hemi, the design work we'd done to develop the face for the brand."
The 300 is Gale's last car, the last one completed before he handed over the design realm to englishman Trevor Creed, whose own stamp and European perspective are also evident in the details. The 300's face is heavily influenced by the Virgil Exner-commissioned Ghia design studies Chrysler did in the 1950s, which themselves influenced the original 300s and letter-series cars. Big egg-crate grille, the way the hood forms a visor over the dual headlights, which are modern units (HID optional, even), but rendered as circles. These were constant touchstones throughout the '90s as Gale's team produced Chrysler flagship concepts. Also evident (look at the shape of the rear-door glass and its relationship to the roofline) is Gale's involve- ment in the hot rod scene, including a long-hood/short-deck look that really puts an end to Gale's own cab-forward theme of the front-drive era.
Inside are strong reflections of the work done on the Chronos design, though this car has an upright and boxy cabin where that one had a coupe-like greenhouse with a more raked windshield and sweeping lines. The black-on-white gauges are developments from those on the outgoing 300M, but with a font even more reminiscent of old Smiths or Jaeger gauges. The center console can be trimmed in metal-as was that in Chronos-and there is an option for tortoise-shell trim on the steering-wheel rim, door handles and shifter.
Yet this isn't a limited-edition, ultra-luxury Chrysler as envisioned by Lutz and Gale. It is a mainstream high-volume sedan that, if fully equipped, reaches only as far up as the near-luxury market, barely overlapping into Mercedes' territory, but with a distinctive American character. If the swoopy lines of the concepts didn't make production, the new sedan arrives just in time to catch two emerging trends. The first are buyers tired of SUVs and trucks, and ready for a car again, if only someone would give them the interior space and robust "safe" feeling they've become accustomed to. The second is a patriotic zeal that has some former import buyers willing to give a Detroit brand-even a German-owned one-another chance.
Just as the crossfire owes some of its goodness to the outgoing Mercedes SLK/CLK platform, the 300 (and its Dodge sibling, Magnum) must give a nod in the direction of the recently replaced Mercedes E-Class. One of the transmissions (the five-speed automatic with Chrysler Autostick shifter in the Hemi-equipped or awd models) and the rear differential are Mercedes parts, while the five-link rear suspension mounted to a subframe and the short-arm/long-arm front suspension are similar in design and engineering. The suspension parts and subframe, though, differ from the Mercedes units: The Chrysler has a longer wheelbase, wider track and bigger wheels than did the E-Class, so the parts had to be retooled. Some are no longer formed of the aluminum alloy used by the Germans, but rendered in less-expensive iron or steel.
The driver with Mercedes experience will really recognize only one part: the steering column and its pair of stalks to operate the cruise control and the turn signal/wipers. But he will also recognize Mercedes' "influence," from hefty metal grab handles to open the doors through the upright seating position (fully two inches higher than that in the outgoing fwd 300M, and with much better ingress/egress). Once you get the 300 out on the road, the blend of American and European elements in its nature is truly delightful.
Remember when we used to wonder why the imports could make fun rear-drive sedans and the domestics couldn't? Well, that was the previous century. Today, the two meld wonderfully. The Hemi truly is Detroit iron, with a cast-iron block and aluminum heads, producing 340 hp and a beefy 390 lb-ft at 4000 rpm. You want high-tech? Besides the dual-spark-plug hemispherical combustion chamber and all the electronic gizmometry you could wish for, the 300 goes a step further and offers "multi-displacement." That means at low loads and constant speeds, four of the eight cylinders "shut down" and the engine runs on the remaining four. This is managed electronically in such a way that the pushrod-operated valves trap an exhaust charge in each cylinder. It is blown out instantly, and the car returns to normal operation as soon as the driver demands power. We tried to catch any trace of it in action on the road over several hundred miles and never did-after awhile, we forgot all about it. Over challenging mountain roads and with an aggressive driver, the in-dash trip computer told us we were getting 17 mpg in the 4046-pound Hemi C, while gently cruising the interstate returned a reading in the low-30-mpg range. The official EPA ratings are 17/25 city/highway for rear-drive and 17/23 for all-wheel drive. Those numbers aren't far off the 19/27-mpg city/ highway numbers for the mid-range 3.5-liter V6 model or even the 21/28-mpg rating for the base 2.7-liter V6.
Credit not only the multi-displacement system, but also the five-speed Mercedes transmission, where the V6s with rear-drive use Chrysler's own four-speed design (a rear-drive adaptation of the transmission used in the 300M). It works here as smoothly and unobtrusively as ever it did in the Mercedes products, and the Chrysler Autostick can still be shifted quickly when you need to pick your own gears.
Those trading a Chrysler product will be astonished, too, by the quiet of the cabin. Development included time in the aero-acoustic wind tunnel that opened at the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan, back in 2002, and it really did the job. It's no trouble hearing the six-disc in-dash stereo system (if you get the optional navigation system, its single DVD is also integrated) or the optional Sirius satellite radio. Noise from headwinds and normal travel is comparable to Lexus levels, though crosswinds on the bluff sides are audible, as is a pleasing growl when you dip your toe into the Hemi's electronic throttle control.
While the Hemi has plenty of thrust, it doesn't come on with a bang at low rpm like an old Hemi, nor does it have that big gulping intake sound to it. It does deliver its power in a recognizably Detroit way, even while the car's handling and over-the-road prowess stands up against the more refined import brands. The mass of the iron-block Hemi has its effect (about 300 pounds heavier than the V6s; the 2.7-liter V6 model comes in at 3721 pounds, the 3.5-liter at 3767 pounds) on twisty roads, where the V8 doesn't turn in as sharply as its lesser siblings.
Which brings us to the steering. Unlike Mercedes, Chrysler uses a constant-rate steering assist. We liked this in the mountain driving, where the predictability of the steering feels better in situations such as under braking into a hairpin turn, where a Mercedes or BMW or Audi can sometimes go light and over-responsive on you. The steering has a robust, weighty feel to it, even more so in the nose-heavy Hemi, which might cast Hemi Magnum as the "man's car" of the lineup by middle America. The V6s don't have this sense, and share the 300C's good road feel.
Those mountain roads also showed off the efficient, fade-free performance of the big, Bosch-built disc brakes front and rear. Four-wheel traction control and ABS is standard, as is stability control (the ESP system from Mercedes) and brake assist. We couldn't make the car misbehave, and even turning off the ESP to play some throttle-steer games in the tight stuff never saw it do anything alarming. The base tire on the 300C is an 18-inch Continental all-season touring tire with a 60-profile-not an extreme high-performance design, but one that gives a good ride and stays relatively quiet until you push it. A self-sealing "Conti-seal" design is optional. The three V6 models (300, 300 Touring and 300 Limited) use 17-inch wheels and a stock Goodyear tire, again with self-sealing Contis optional. Enthusiast drivers may want more aggressive rubber and we could live without the chrome on the 300C wheels, too-a polished wheel is promised for the all-wheel-drive version. While the car's stance looks good from the factory, expect to see plenty of 300s sporting 20-inch dubs in no time.
We don't know that we'd be in a hurry to mess with the ride quality, though. We did manage to induce a nasty freeway hop on a stretch of I-10, bad enough that we got out to take a look and see if we hadn't thrown off a wheel weight or something to create such vibration. It was just the combination of the freeway surface and our rapid pace setting up a resonance. This is a notorious problem on some Southern California freeways, and shouldn't be held against the car's exceptional ride quality in all other circumstances.
Those stepping out of trucks will find the 300 can tow up to 2000 pounds in its stock configuration, with a 3800-pound-capacity option in Hemi models equipped with the hitch offered through the Mopar catalog. That short-deck trunk looks small from outside, but will hold up to 15.6 cubic feet, and the rear seat is a 60/40 split bench, so larger loads fit readily enough.
The 300 can seat five, but those accustomed to front-drive cars will notice the large rear-drive tunnel that holds both the driveshaft and exhaust system.
That driveshaft, by the way, is a telescoping/collapsing unit, an innovation in the industry. The rest of the 300 reflects the parent company's longstanding research into crash safety, including precisely engineered collapsing structures front and rear. At the rear, where the car meets 2006 standards for a 50-mph impact, another innovation is the way the well for the compact spare tire is integrated into the cargo-area floor, at an angle that causes it to rotate into an upright position in a severe crash. This allows the frame structure to collapse as designed; whereas the spare wheel/tire itself would be too stiff, and transmit crash loads into the rear passenger seat if not mounted at the angle.
For all its refinement, there remains a pleasant sense of Detroit iron about the 300 in its anvil-like rigidity. Those who remember rear-drive, V8-powered American sedans fondly will find little to argue with in the revival of the form in the 300C-there is space, there is a sense of substance and presence and plenty of performance. Chrysler claims a 6.3-second 0-to-60-mph time, which is conservative: Based on hand-held stopwatch times and assuming relative accuracy on the speedometer, we suspect it will easily run it in 5.8 or 5.9 seconds when we get it to the test track. Even with the 250-hp 3.5-liter, this car is no slouch. We're eager to take this flagship on some long voyages.
Palm Springs, California, has more than its share of Rolls-Royces and Bentleys on the roads, more than its share of people who have accumulated wealth over a lifetime and landed here in retirement. A Mercedes-Benz S600 just means a few more folks on their way to the casino or an early dinner. No one blinks at any of this. Park a new 2005 Chrysler 300C at the curb on what looks like a sleepy stretch of Palm Desert Highway, though, and you can draw a crowd. And suddenly, you find the younger people, too.
Here is a car America has been longing for, a truly large rear-drive domestic four-door sedan. And it is built for people who like their cars big. Ten feet from wheel center to wheel center, the new 300's distinctive style gives it an undeniable curbside presence. No Chrysler, not even the Town & Country extended minivan, has boasted this 120-inch wheelbase for more than 25 years.
Don't get the idea that the car is only about wretched excess. It replaces the LHS, Concorde and 300M in the lineup, and with the base 190-hp 2.7-liter V6 the price starts at less than $24,000, in the heart of the sedan market. Even with the Hemi-equipped 300C, starting at less than $33,000, you'll work the option list to push the MSRP very high. If you want to stretch it near $40k, wait for fall when all-wheel-drive models arrive. Otherwise,you can start taking delivery in April.
For all the expanse of its wheelbase, the 300 isn't even absurdly huge, just big enough that you don't feel dwarfed on highways full of SUVs. At 4999 mm (196.8 inches) bumper to bumper, it just squeezes inside the five-meter limit that defined the outgoing 300M, a length that has much to do with European sales ambitions. So, as the long wheelbase smooths its ride and leaves plenty of room for a spacious cabin, the short overhangs pay benefits in parallel parking and mountain twisties alike, we found.
In a way, this car has been a decade in the offing, though its development time is measured in the modern 24-to-36-month fashion. In the pre-merger days at Chrysler, Tom Gale and Bob Lutz were in a constant search for a proper flagship for the marque. Thinking of a limited-production car that would do for Chrysler what Viper was doing for Dodge and Prowler (supposedly) for Plymouth, defining the brand image, beginning with the 300 concept of 1991 and right on through the Chronos of 1998, the old team kept coming up with ideas. They were great concepts, but only the last one, Chronos, stood a chance of seeing the showroom. That was just when the merger with Daimler came along, and the notion of a long, voluptuous V10 luxury sedan looked superfluous when the company was harnessed to Mercedes-Benz.
But there was a flip side to that coin. Where the biggest obstacle to the establishment of a true Chrysler luxury flagship was the lack of proper, sophisticated drivetrain and suspension bits on the Chrysler shelf, the new partner came with an array of intriguing parts.
After time consolidating the businesses, a period during which Lincoln with its LS range and Cadillac with its CTS both turned to their European partners for help in returning to the rear-drive business, Chrysler's opportunity finally came. By now there was a Hemi V8 in its own arsenal, and access to a Mercedes-Benz rear differential, suspension design and transmission.
"It all came together nicely," the now-retired Gale told us during this year's Detroit auto show, when the car was revealed in production form. "The availability of the Mercedes pieces, the Hemi, the design work we'd done to develop the face for the brand."
The 300 is Gale's last car, the last one completed before he handed over the design realm to englishman Trevor Creed, whose own stamp and European perspective are also evident in the details. The 300's face is heavily influenced by the Virgil Exner-commissioned Ghia design studies Chrysler did in the 1950s, which themselves influenced the original 300s and letter-series cars. Big egg-crate grille, the way the hood forms a visor over the dual headlights, which are modern units (HID optional, even), but rendered as circles. These were constant touchstones throughout the '90s as Gale's team produced Chrysler flagship concepts. Also evident (look at the shape of the rear-door glass and its relationship to the roofline) is Gale's involve- ment in the hot rod scene, including a long-hood/short-deck look that really puts an end to Gale's own cab-forward theme of the front-drive era.
Inside are strong reflections of the work done on the Chronos design, though this car has an upright and boxy cabin where that one had a coupe-like greenhouse with a more raked windshield and sweeping lines. The black-on-white gauges are developments from those on the outgoing 300M, but with a font even more reminiscent of old Smiths or Jaeger gauges. The center console can be trimmed in metal-as was that in Chronos-and there is an option for tortoise-shell trim on the steering-wheel rim, door handles and shifter.
Yet this isn't a limited-edition, ultra-luxury Chrysler as envisioned by Lutz and Gale. It is a mainstream high-volume sedan that, if fully equipped, reaches only as far up as the near-luxury market, barely overlapping into Mercedes' territory, but with a distinctive American character. If the swoopy lines of the concepts didn't make production, the new sedan arrives just in time to catch two emerging trends. The first are buyers tired of SUVs and trucks, and ready for a car again, if only someone would give them the interior space and robust "safe" feeling they've become accustomed to. The second is a patriotic zeal that has some former import buyers willing to give a Detroit brand-even a German-owned one-another chance.
Just as the crossfire owes some of its goodness to the outgoing Mercedes SLK/CLK platform, the 300 (and its Dodge sibling, Magnum) must give a nod in the direction of the recently replaced Mercedes E-Class. One of the transmissions (the five-speed automatic with Chrysler Autostick shifter in the Hemi-equipped or awd models) and the rear differential are Mercedes parts, while the five-link rear suspension mounted to a subframe and the short-arm/long-arm front suspension are similar in design and engineering. The suspension parts and subframe, though, differ from the Mercedes units: The Chrysler has a longer wheelbase, wider track and bigger wheels than did the E-Class, so the parts had to be retooled. Some are no longer formed of the aluminum alloy used by the Germans, but rendered in less-expensive iron or steel.
The driver with Mercedes experience will really recognize only one part: the steering column and its pair of stalks to operate the cruise control and the turn signal/wipers. But he will also recognize Mercedes' "influence," from hefty metal grab handles to open the doors through the upright seating position (fully two inches higher than that in the outgoing fwd 300M, and with much better ingress/egress). Once you get the 300 out on the road, the blend of American and European elements in its nature is truly delightful.
Remember when we used to wonder why the imports could make fun rear-drive sedans and the domestics couldn't? Well, that was the previous century. Today, the two meld wonderfully. The Hemi truly is Detroit iron, with a cast-iron block and aluminum heads, producing 340 hp and a beefy 390 lb-ft at 4000 rpm. You want high-tech? Besides the dual-spark-plug hemispherical combustion chamber and all the electronic gizmometry you could wish for, the 300 goes a step further and offers "multi-displacement." That means at low loads and constant speeds, four of the eight cylinders "shut down" and the engine runs on the remaining four. This is managed electronically in such a way that the pushrod-operated valves trap an exhaust charge in each cylinder. It is blown out instantly, and the car returns to normal operation as soon as the driver demands power. We tried to catch any trace of it in action on the road over several hundred miles and never did-after awhile, we forgot all about it. Over challenging mountain roads and with an aggressive driver, the in-dash trip computer told us we were getting 17 mpg in the 4046-pound Hemi C, while gently cruising the interstate returned a reading in the low-30-mpg range. The official EPA ratings are 17/25 city/highway for rear-drive and 17/23 for all-wheel drive. Those numbers aren't far off the 19/27-mpg city/ highway numbers for the mid-range 3.5-liter V6 model or even the 21/28-mpg rating for the base 2.7-liter V6.
Credit not only the multi-displacement system, but also the five-speed Mercedes transmission, where the V6s with rear-drive use Chrysler's own four-speed design (a rear-drive adaptation of the transmission used in the 300M). It works here as smoothly and unobtrusively as ever it did in the Mercedes products, and the Chrysler Autostick can still be shifted quickly when you need to pick your own gears.
Those trading a Chrysler product will be astonished, too, by the quiet of the cabin. Development included time in the aero-acoustic wind tunnel that opened at the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan, back in 2002, and it really did the job. It's no trouble hearing the six-disc in-dash stereo system (if you get the optional navigation system, its single DVD is also integrated) or the optional Sirius satellite radio. Noise from headwinds and normal travel is comparable to Lexus levels, though crosswinds on the bluff sides are audible, as is a pleasing growl when you dip your toe into the Hemi's electronic throttle control.
While the Hemi has plenty of thrust, it doesn't come on with a bang at low rpm like an old Hemi, nor does it have that big gulping intake sound to it. It does deliver its power in a recognizably Detroit way, even while the car's handling and over-the-road prowess stands up against the more refined import brands. The mass of the iron-block Hemi has its effect (about 300 pounds heavier than the V6s; the 2.7-liter V6 model comes in at 3721 pounds, the 3.5-liter at 3767 pounds) on twisty roads, where the V8 doesn't turn in as sharply as its lesser siblings.
Which brings us to the steering. Unlike Mercedes, Chrysler uses a constant-rate steering assist. We liked this in the mountain driving, where the predictability of the steering feels better in situations such as under braking into a hairpin turn, where a Mercedes or BMW or Audi can sometimes go light and over-responsive on you. The steering has a robust, weighty feel to it, even more so in the nose-heavy Hemi, which might cast Hemi Magnum as the "man's car" of the lineup by middle America. The V6s don't have this sense, and share the 300C's good road feel.
Those mountain roads also showed off the efficient, fade-free performance of the big, Bosch-built disc brakes front and rear. Four-wheel traction control and ABS is standard, as is stability control (the ESP system from Mercedes) and brake assist. We couldn't make the car misbehave, and even turning off the ESP to play some throttle-steer games in the tight stuff never saw it do anything alarming. The base tire on the 300C is an 18-inch Continental all-season touring tire with a 60-profile-not an extreme high-performance design, but one that gives a good ride and stays relatively quiet until you push it. A self-sealing "Conti-seal" design is optional. The three V6 models (300, 300 Touring and 300 Limited) use 17-inch wheels and a stock Goodyear tire, again with self-sealing Contis optional. Enthusiast drivers may want more aggressive rubber and we could live without the chrome on the 300C wheels, too-a polished wheel is promised for the all-wheel-drive version. While the car's stance looks good from the factory, expect to see plenty of 300s sporting 20-inch dubs in no time.
We don't know that we'd be in a hurry to mess with the ride quality, though. We did manage to induce a nasty freeway hop on a stretch of I-10, bad enough that we got out to take a look and see if we hadn't thrown off a wheel weight or something to create such vibration. It was just the combination of the freeway surface and our rapid pace setting up a resonance. This is a notorious problem on some Southern California freeways, and shouldn't be held against the car's exceptional ride quality in all other circumstances.
Those stepping out of trucks will find the 300 can tow up to 2000 pounds in its stock configuration, with a 3800-pound-capacity option in Hemi models equipped with the hitch offered through the Mopar catalog. That short-deck trunk looks small from outside, but will hold up to 15.6 cubic feet, and the rear seat is a 60/40 split bench, so larger loads fit readily enough.
The 300 can seat five, but those accustomed to front-drive cars will notice the large rear-drive tunnel that holds both the driveshaft and exhaust system.
That driveshaft, by the way, is a telescoping/collapsing unit, an innovation in the industry. The rest of the 300 reflects the parent company's longstanding research into crash safety, including precisely engineered collapsing structures front and rear. At the rear, where the car meets 2006 standards for a 50-mph impact, another innovation is the way the well for the compact spare tire is integrated into the cargo-area floor, at an angle that causes it to rotate into an upright position in a severe crash. This allows the frame structure to collapse as designed; whereas the spare wheel/tire itself would be too stiff, and transmit crash loads into the rear passenger seat if not mounted at the angle.
For all its refinement, there remains a pleasant sense of Detroit iron about the 300 in its anvil-like rigidity. Those who remember rear-drive, V8-powered American sedans fondly will find little to argue with in the revival of the form in the 300C-there is space, there is a sense of substance and presence and plenty of performance. Chrysler claims a 6.3-second 0-to-60-mph time, which is conservative: Based on hand-held stopwatch times and assuming relative accuracy on the speedometer, we suspect it will easily run it in 5.8 or 5.9 seconds when we get it to the test track. Even with the 250-hp 3.5-liter, this car is no slouch. We're eager to take this flagship on some long voyages.
03-08-2004, 10:38 PM
#51
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One note. From sitting in this car at the Chicago AUto Show, the interior is not as qualitative as the pics suggest. It's just slightly better than in a 300M which has a nice interior for the category in my opinion. SO overall it's very good for the category, if not top, but only for the category. It cant compete with Audis.
03-08-2004, 11:29 PM
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Americans love huge cars. Americans love V-8s. Americans love RWD. THis is gonna sell like hot cakes. 23k starting is very impressive. This car is gonna take some bite out of Maxima sales, Avalon sales, Buick sales etc.
03-08-2004, 11:46 PM
#53
Suzuka Master
Chrysler 300: An American
classic with international roots
THE ROAD AHEAD/PAUL LIENERT
March 1, 2004
Our lunch stop, in between driving the new 2005 Chrysler 300 sedan and Dodge Magnum wagon, was an odd location: Frank Sinatra’s first Palm Springs home.
Built in 1946 at a cost of $75,000, the unusual one-story dwelling, furnished in period pieces, was described by the tour guide as “mid-century modern” — a reference that immediately put me in mind of the old Jetsons cartoons and some of the wacky Fifties dream cars that Detroit churned out by the dozens.
In other words, the Sinatra house was clearly the architect’s idea of something ultra-hip and modern. It’s funny, how bizarre, dated and uncomfortable the whole thing looks from our vantage point 58 years later.
The Palm Springs location and the house itself were instructive in assessing my own feelings about the Chrysler 300 and putting it into some kind of context.
I must confess that I fell in love with the 300 when I first laid eyes on it 10 months ago at the New York show. I thought then, as I still do, that the car is an instant classic, with proportions and details that really make it stand out from the crowd.
In short, it’s the best thing Chrysler has done under German parent DaimlerChrysler and the leadership of Dieter Zetsche and Wolfgang Bernhard.
It should also help dispel any doubts as to the vision and talent of Chrysler’s design team, under the direction of Trevor Creed.
The 300 is a post-modern design that is inspired by and pays homage to cars from the past, but it’s a fresh and contemporary shape that doesn’t try to ape earlier designs. It’s also a significant departure from the Tom Gale era and its then-advanced “cab forward” look.
To my eye, the 300 is the most successful creation from Detroit in recent years, falling somewhere between the edgy, uncomfortable shape of the Cadillac CTS and the more familiar but rearward looking profile of the Ford Five Hundred.
And that’s just the exterior. The cabin is roomy and appealing, but not ostentatious. The materials look and feel rich. The seats, in particular, are terrifically supportive and comfortable. Perhaps the most striking design element is the optional splash of tortoise-shell trim on the steering wheel and shift lever (you can also opt for real California walnut).
The 300’s all-new LX platform is remarkable. The car, which rides on a 120-inch wheelbase and weighs an ample 4000-plus pounds, is no lightweight, and the base model’s 190-hp, 2.7-liter V-6 won’t feel adequate to many prospective buyers. Surprisingly, the 250-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 that’s offered in the mid-level 300 Touring and 300 Limited is OK for one or two adults, provided they don’t do much uphill or high altitude driving.
But it’s the massive 5.7-liter V-8 Hemi in the top-of-the-line 300C, with its whopping 340 horsepower and 390 pounds-feet of torque, that will pop eyeballs. A Mercedes-engineered five-speed automatic with Tiptronic-style shifting is bundled with the Hemi; all it lacks is fingertip shift controls on the steering wheel.
The all-independent LX chassis is firm and well damped, but not harsh, and the steering feels precise and nicely connected to the road. While giving the 300 the feel of a grand long-distance tourer, the rear-wheel-drive chassis is also amazingly agile on the twisty roads that wind their way through the mountains surrounding Palm Springs.
It was especially useful to drive the 300 outside of Detroit, where the locals — myself included — too often are unaware of our regional blinders and biases. In southern California, you simply don’t see many big Buick and Mercury sedans, against which more than a few older Midwesterners are likely to shop the big Chrysler. As a rule, domestic products usually don’t turn that many heads out West. The 300 is an exception.
I’m still not sure which vehicles will be cross-shopped against the 300 by consumers outside the Midwest. Chrysler believes the car will compete against the Toyota Avalon, the Acura TL, the Infiniti Q45 and even the BMW 745i (the company mentions no Mercedes-Benz product as a potential competitor). My suspicion is that buyers will trade in a broad range of domestic and import vehicle types, including minivans, SUVs and pickup trucks.
About the 300’s sister vehicle, the Dodge Magnum: It amazes me that two products from the same company, with virtually the same underpinnings, could be so different in theme, flavor and visual impact.
My glib, knee-jerk reaction to the Magnum, which rides, handles and performs every bit as impressively as the 300, is that Dodge is answering a question nobody’s asked.
I have no idea to whom this big wagon will appeal, although fans of the old Buick Roadmaster will feel right at home. Perhaps the arrival of an all-wheel-drive option in the fall will broaden the Magnum’s potential audience; however, I fear Dodge’s optimism will be dashed when the marketing folks discover that their car lacks a clearly defined image in consumers’ minds and generates little excitement within any particular demographic segment. It’s certainly no alternative to a minivan, nor is it likely to reach female buyers who adore the Volvo Cross Country and undoubtedly will find the Ford Freestyle quite attractive.
The Chrysler 300, on the other hand, is easily comprehensible. A big, powerful, traditional and affordable American luxury sedan, it will cut across demographic lines and strike a chord with a broad segment of the car-buying public.
It also happens to be one heck of a good-looking automobile. Fifty-eight years from now, the 2005 Chrysler 300, unlike the Sinatra home in Palm Springs, will stand as an American classic.
That’s why it’s my early favorite for Car of the Year.
http://www.globalauto.net/clipsheet....lay&brand_id=3
classic with international roots
THE ROAD AHEAD/PAUL LIENERT
March 1, 2004
Our lunch stop, in between driving the new 2005 Chrysler 300 sedan and Dodge Magnum wagon, was an odd location: Frank Sinatra’s first Palm Springs home.
Built in 1946 at a cost of $75,000, the unusual one-story dwelling, furnished in period pieces, was described by the tour guide as “mid-century modern” — a reference that immediately put me in mind of the old Jetsons cartoons and some of the wacky Fifties dream cars that Detroit churned out by the dozens.
In other words, the Sinatra house was clearly the architect’s idea of something ultra-hip and modern. It’s funny, how bizarre, dated and uncomfortable the whole thing looks from our vantage point 58 years later.
The Palm Springs location and the house itself were instructive in assessing my own feelings about the Chrysler 300 and putting it into some kind of context.
I must confess that I fell in love with the 300 when I first laid eyes on it 10 months ago at the New York show. I thought then, as I still do, that the car is an instant classic, with proportions and details that really make it stand out from the crowd.
In short, it’s the best thing Chrysler has done under German parent DaimlerChrysler and the leadership of Dieter Zetsche and Wolfgang Bernhard.
It should also help dispel any doubts as to the vision and talent of Chrysler’s design team, under the direction of Trevor Creed.
The 300 is a post-modern design that is inspired by and pays homage to cars from the past, but it’s a fresh and contemporary shape that doesn’t try to ape earlier designs. It’s also a significant departure from the Tom Gale era and its then-advanced “cab forward” look.
To my eye, the 300 is the most successful creation from Detroit in recent years, falling somewhere between the edgy, uncomfortable shape of the Cadillac CTS and the more familiar but rearward looking profile of the Ford Five Hundred.
And that’s just the exterior. The cabin is roomy and appealing, but not ostentatious. The materials look and feel rich. The seats, in particular, are terrifically supportive and comfortable. Perhaps the most striking design element is the optional splash of tortoise-shell trim on the steering wheel and shift lever (you can also opt for real California walnut).
The 300’s all-new LX platform is remarkable. The car, which rides on a 120-inch wheelbase and weighs an ample 4000-plus pounds, is no lightweight, and the base model’s 190-hp, 2.7-liter V-6 won’t feel adequate to many prospective buyers. Surprisingly, the 250-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 that’s offered in the mid-level 300 Touring and 300 Limited is OK for one or two adults, provided they don’t do much uphill or high altitude driving.
But it’s the massive 5.7-liter V-8 Hemi in the top-of-the-line 300C, with its whopping 340 horsepower and 390 pounds-feet of torque, that will pop eyeballs. A Mercedes-engineered five-speed automatic with Tiptronic-style shifting is bundled with the Hemi; all it lacks is fingertip shift controls on the steering wheel.
The all-independent LX chassis is firm and well damped, but not harsh, and the steering feels precise and nicely connected to the road. While giving the 300 the feel of a grand long-distance tourer, the rear-wheel-drive chassis is also amazingly agile on the twisty roads that wind their way through the mountains surrounding Palm Springs.
It was especially useful to drive the 300 outside of Detroit, where the locals — myself included — too often are unaware of our regional blinders and biases. In southern California, you simply don’t see many big Buick and Mercury sedans, against which more than a few older Midwesterners are likely to shop the big Chrysler. As a rule, domestic products usually don’t turn that many heads out West. The 300 is an exception.
I’m still not sure which vehicles will be cross-shopped against the 300 by consumers outside the Midwest. Chrysler believes the car will compete against the Toyota Avalon, the Acura TL, the Infiniti Q45 and even the BMW 745i (the company mentions no Mercedes-Benz product as a potential competitor). My suspicion is that buyers will trade in a broad range of domestic and import vehicle types, including minivans, SUVs and pickup trucks.
About the 300’s sister vehicle, the Dodge Magnum: It amazes me that two products from the same company, with virtually the same underpinnings, could be so different in theme, flavor and visual impact.
My glib, knee-jerk reaction to the Magnum, which rides, handles and performs every bit as impressively as the 300, is that Dodge is answering a question nobody’s asked.
I have no idea to whom this big wagon will appeal, although fans of the old Buick Roadmaster will feel right at home. Perhaps the arrival of an all-wheel-drive option in the fall will broaden the Magnum’s potential audience; however, I fear Dodge’s optimism will be dashed when the marketing folks discover that their car lacks a clearly defined image in consumers’ minds and generates little excitement within any particular demographic segment. It’s certainly no alternative to a minivan, nor is it likely to reach female buyers who adore the Volvo Cross Country and undoubtedly will find the Ford Freestyle quite attractive.
The Chrysler 300, on the other hand, is easily comprehensible. A big, powerful, traditional and affordable American luxury sedan, it will cut across demographic lines and strike a chord with a broad segment of the car-buying public.
It also happens to be one heck of a good-looking automobile. Fifty-eight years from now, the 2005 Chrysler 300, unlike the Sinatra home in Palm Springs, will stand as an American classic.
That’s why it’s my early favorite for Car of the Year.
http://www.globalauto.net/clipsheet....lay&brand_id=3
03-18-2004, 10:06 PM
#56
TQ > MPG
Originally posted by 1SICKLEX
Americans love huge cars. Americans love V-8s. Americans love RWD. THis is gonna sell like hot cakes. 23k starting is very impressive. This car is gonna take some bite out of Maxima sales, Avalon sales, Buick sales etc.
Americans love huge cars. Americans love V-8s. Americans love RWD. THis is gonna sell like hot cakes. 23k starting is very impressive. This car is gonna take some bite out of Maxima sales, Avalon sales, Buick sales etc.
I've seen the 300's on the road for the last 6 months or so, and they have grown on me alot. Like posted previously the interior is maybe a little glorified in those pics, but its pretty well laid-out and nothing seems to be out of place for its price range.
04-02-2004, 09:41 PM
#59
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MT mag tested the 300C at 5.8 for the 60mph and 14.27 @ 98.56mph.
60-0mph= 122 feet
600ft slalom= 63.2mph
Weight= 4046 pounds
5 speed auto tranny
60-0mph= 122 feet
600ft slalom= 63.2mph
Weight= 4046 pounds
5 speed auto tranny
04-02-2004, 09:58 PM
#60
Duck Fuke!
Originally posted by gavriil
MT mag tested the 300C at 5.8 for the 60mph and 14.27 @ 98.56mph.
60-0mph= 122 feet
600ft slalom= 63.2mph
Weight= 4046 pounds
5 speed auto tranny
MT mag tested the 300C at 5.8 for the 60mph and 14.27 @ 98.56mph.
60-0mph= 122 feet
600ft slalom= 63.2mph
Weight= 4046 pounds
5 speed auto tranny
I was hoping for a 13.9
04-03-2004, 09:35 AM
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Originally posted by jts1207
I was hoping for a 13.9
I was hoping for a 13.9
04-03-2004, 10:48 AM
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Very impressive performance!
It a nice car when optioned up, but I sat in one of the lower 2.7L models (it had wheel covers) and it just felt plain cheap. I guess Chrysler wants to expand their sales, but having such a low-end model mixed in with the great Hemi version just seems to cheapen the entire line to me.
It a nice car when optioned up, but I sat in one of the lower 2.7L models (it had wheel covers) and it just felt plain cheap. I guess Chrysler wants to expand their sales, but having such a low-end model mixed in with the great Hemi version just seems to cheapen the entire line to me.
04-03-2004, 11:49 AM
#64
Suzuka Master
0-60 in 5.8 seconds & a 1/4 mile in 14.27 @ 98.56mph seem a little slow for 340 hp & 4000 lbs. I wonder if Chrysler may not have overrated the hp. 
I think they did the same thing with the old 300M which weighed almost as much as a CL-S & was rated at 250 hp. That car took 7.5 - 8.0 sec to hit sixty. No way did that car put out anywhere near as much power as a CL-S.
I think they did the same thing with the old 300M which weighed almost as much as a CL-S & was rated at 250 hp. That car took 7.5 - 8.0 sec to hit sixty. No way did that car put out anywhere near as much power as a CL-S.
04-04-2004, 05:55 PM
#65
Fahrvergnügen'd
C&D May Issue Reports 5.3 to 60mph for 300 Hemi C
From their test results:
0-60mph: 5.3
0-100mph: 13.4
5-60mph: 5.6
30-50mph: 2.8
50-70mph 3.4
1/4mi in 13.9@102
70-0: 184 ft
From their test results:
0-60mph: 5.3
0-100mph: 13.4
5-60mph: 5.6
30-50mph: 2.8
50-70mph 3.4
1/4mi in 13.9@102
70-0: 184 ft
04-04-2004, 09:09 PM
#66
Suzuka Master
That's more along the lines of what I was expecting. I can see this car cannibalizing market share from GTO's, G35's, and TL's as well as from upper end cars like the Lincoln LS & Infiniti M45.
04-05-2004, 09:11 AM
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04-06-2004, 12:44 AM
#72
Re: Chrysler Unveils Production 300C/Magnum
Originally posted by gavriil
I was invited at the Chicago event by Chrysler but I missed it due to business travel. There was a card sent to my house saying that I am invited at a private Chrysler party for the unveiling of the 300C and Magnum, where alcohol and food would be served for free. I had to call and register. When I called, they told me that only 250 people from the Chicago area were invited (you could bring a frient/relative with that ticket). The show would have taken place in Chicago, Los Angeles and finally New York.
I was invited at the Chicago event by Chrysler but I missed it due to business travel. There was a card sent to my house saying that I am invited at a private Chrysler party for the unveiling of the 300C and Magnum, where alcohol and food would be served for free. I had to call and register. When I called, they told me that only 250 people from the Chicago area were invited (you could bring a frient/relative with that ticket). The show would have taken place in Chicago, Los Angeles and finally New York.
05-24-2004, 10:39 AM
#73
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Chrysler's new 300 sedan lures some trade-ins, early sales strong - - By MARY CONNELLY | Automotive News - - SOurce: Autoweek
DETROIT - The 2005 Chrysler 300, a brashly styled rear-drive sedan, is attracting some owners of competing domestic and import luxury vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus models are being traded for the Chrysler 300, albeit in small numbers, according to early buyer data analyzed by the Power Information Network for Automotive News.
The car is performing well out of the gate, with customers clamoring for upscale 300C models, dealers say. The issue is how long the good times will last.
"The 300 is attracting a much more diverse, widespread owner body than the other Chrysler (brand) models," says Tom Libby, director of industry analysis for the Power Information Network. "The 300 is attracting over five times the number of Cadillac owners as do other Chrysler brand models. It is also attracting many more Lincoln owners than the other Chrysler models do."
Sales of the 300 and 300C - an upscale trim level of the 300 with a Hemi V-8 - started in March. Power analyzed a representative sample of 2005 Chrysler 300 sales transaction data from March 1 to May 9 for Automotive News. The sample covered 5,000 dealerships in 26 markets.
In April, sales of the 300 and 300C totaled 9,543 - well above the April 2003 figure of 2,473 for the 300M model they replaced. The April 2004 figure includes a small number of carryover 300Ms.
Kathy Burress, 49, the national sales manager for a software company, traded a 2003 Lexus ES 300 for a Chrysler 300C.
"This is the least expensive car we have owned in 10 years, and it is our favorite," says Burress, who lives in Cookeville, Tenn. "The Lexus was very disappointing to us in its power and size. We were never really comfortable with it."
Burress is typical of the customer seeking the top-of-the-line 300C, says David Price, sales manager at Cumberland Chrysler Center in Cookeville.
"The 300C with the Hemi is the one people are looking for," Price says. "We've delivered three this month, and I have four sold orders in the system. If I had some on the lot, I could sell more."
Customers are choosing upscale features, such as a sunroof. Eighty percent of 300 and 300C buyers are choosing a sunroof, double what Chrysler anticipated, says Michael Smith, executive vice president of Inalsa Roof Systems Inc. in Auburn Hills, Mich., the sunroof supplier.
The base Chrysler 300 starts at $23,595, including the destination charge. The 300C has a $32,995 sticker.
True to the industry pattern, the No. 1 trade-in for the Chrysler 300 and 300C was another Chrysler brand vehicle, accounting for 29 percent of the trades.
Lexus accounted for 1.3 percent of the 2005-model trade-ins. Mercedes-Benz accounted for 1.5 percent. BMW accounted for 2.7 percent. That's a small percentage, but it's better than any other Chrysler model.
The new model is getting twice as many Ford Motor Co. trade-ins as the 300M did, the data show. And Mercedes-Benz and BMW didn't turn up at all on the trade-in list of the 300M for March 1 through May 9, 2003.
The challenge is to keep running at this pace, Libby says: "It is a challenge because Chrysler does not have the panache or brand image of a Lexus or Mercedes. Initially, it is a good job. Long term, we'll have to see."
DETROIT - The 2005 Chrysler 300, a brashly styled rear-drive sedan, is attracting some owners of competing domestic and import luxury vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Lexus models are being traded for the Chrysler 300, albeit in small numbers, according to early buyer data analyzed by the Power Information Network for Automotive News.
The car is performing well out of the gate, with customers clamoring for upscale 300C models, dealers say. The issue is how long the good times will last.
"The 300 is attracting a much more diverse, widespread owner body than the other Chrysler (brand) models," says Tom Libby, director of industry analysis for the Power Information Network. "The 300 is attracting over five times the number of Cadillac owners as do other Chrysler brand models. It is also attracting many more Lincoln owners than the other Chrysler models do."
Sales of the 300 and 300C - an upscale trim level of the 300 with a Hemi V-8 - started in March. Power analyzed a representative sample of 2005 Chrysler 300 sales transaction data from March 1 to May 9 for Automotive News. The sample covered 5,000 dealerships in 26 markets.
In April, sales of the 300 and 300C totaled 9,543 - well above the April 2003 figure of 2,473 for the 300M model they replaced. The April 2004 figure includes a small number of carryover 300Ms.
Kathy Burress, 49, the national sales manager for a software company, traded a 2003 Lexus ES 300 for a Chrysler 300C.
"This is the least expensive car we have owned in 10 years, and it is our favorite," says Burress, who lives in Cookeville, Tenn. "The Lexus was very disappointing to us in its power and size. We were never really comfortable with it."
Burress is typical of the customer seeking the top-of-the-line 300C, says David Price, sales manager at Cumberland Chrysler Center in Cookeville.
"The 300C with the Hemi is the one people are looking for," Price says. "We've delivered three this month, and I have four sold orders in the system. If I had some on the lot, I could sell more."
Customers are choosing upscale features, such as a sunroof. Eighty percent of 300 and 300C buyers are choosing a sunroof, double what Chrysler anticipated, says Michael Smith, executive vice president of Inalsa Roof Systems Inc. in Auburn Hills, Mich., the sunroof supplier.
The base Chrysler 300 starts at $23,595, including the destination charge. The 300C has a $32,995 sticker.
True to the industry pattern, the No. 1 trade-in for the Chrysler 300 and 300C was another Chrysler brand vehicle, accounting for 29 percent of the trades.
Lexus accounted for 1.3 percent of the 2005-model trade-ins. Mercedes-Benz accounted for 1.5 percent. BMW accounted for 2.7 percent. That's a small percentage, but it's better than any other Chrysler model.
The new model is getting twice as many Ford Motor Co. trade-ins as the 300M did, the data show. And Mercedes-Benz and BMW didn't turn up at all on the trade-in list of the 300M for March 1 through May 9, 2003.
The challenge is to keep running at this pace, Libby says: "It is a challenge because Chrysler does not have the panache or brand image of a Lexus or Mercedes. Initially, it is a good job. Long term, we'll have to see."
05-25-2004, 07:12 AM
#74
Fahrvergnügen'd
My dad tells me that local dealers are charging up to $10k on top of MSRP for a 300C. I haven't seen that yet, but he's in the market for a car so I guess he's seen it himself.
*shrug*
*shrug*
05-27-2004, 01:35 AM
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I saw a 300C today with manufacturer plates and I didn't like it (probably because of the ugly color though). It's rear backup sensors really stand out also (don't like them on any vehicle though). I've liked most the pics I've seen previously but not this one in person.
I took a pic of it. Link to it here
I took a pic of it. Link to it here
05-27-2004, 10:32 AM
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Originally posted by tinman
I saw a 300C today with manufacturer plates and I didn't like it (probably because of the ugly color though). It's rear backup sensors really stand out also (don't like them on any vehicle though). I've liked most the pics I've seen previously but not this one in person.
I took a pic of it. Link to it here
I saw a 300C today with manufacturer plates and I didn't like it (probably because of the ugly color though). It's rear backup sensors really stand out also (don't like them on any vehicle though). I've liked most the pics I've seen previously but not this one in person.
I took a pic of it. Link to it here
Those are less visable than the ones on the back of the windstar and other cars i've seen
The best colors are the cream and the lava red metallic
05-27-2004, 04:52 PM
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Originally posted by tinman
I saw a 300C today with manufacturer plates and I didn't like it (probably because of the ugly color though). It's rear backup sensors really stand out also (don't like them on any vehicle though). I've liked most the pics I've seen previously but not this one in person.
I took a pic of it. Link to it here
I saw a 300C today with manufacturer plates and I didn't like it (probably because of the ugly color though). It's rear backup sensors really stand out also (don't like them on any vehicle though). I've liked most the pics I've seen previously but not this one in person.
I took a pic of it. Link to it here
I don't see anything wrong with the backup sensors. Same as on many other cars that are equipped with such.
07-08-2004, 02:44 AM
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New Chrysler 300 fuels trade-ins of import cars
New Chrysler 300 fuels trade-ins of import cars
Sedan draws converts to American car
By Brett Clanton / The Detroit News
AUBURN HILLS — Chrysler CEO Dieter Zetsche likes to tell a story about a Chrysler salesman who was nearly fired recently when his boss noticed the dealership’s used car lot was stocked with hard-to-sell BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Cadillac models.
Fortunately for the salesman, he hadn’t purchased the luxury cars at auction. They were taken as trade-ins from buyers of the new Chrysler 300 sedan.
Since hitting the market in April, hordes of U.S. car buyers are trading in everything from Hondas to Jaguars to get behind the wheel of Detroit’s new “it” sedan.
“We haven’t ever seen that before,” Zetsche said Wednesday in a telephone interview. “And this is not one dealer or five dealers telling us that. It’s very much across the country.”
It’s too early to say whether the 300 sedan will bring U.S. buyers back to American passenger cars after they’ve been migrating to Japanese and European models for years. But there is more than just anecdotal evidence that the uniquely styled rear-drive sedan is changing some minds.
That’s good news for Chrysler, which has promised for almost four years that a stable of new products will restore profits.
The automaker, a unit of Germany’s DaimlerChrysler AG, generates about 70 percent of its sales from minivans, trucks and sport utility vehicles, and is banking on the 300 to gain a stronger position in the passenger car market.
The 300 is appealing to buyers who may not have considered Chrysler before, including foreign car owners and luxury buyers, according to dealer sales data tracked between April 1 and June 13 by J.D. Power and Associates’ Power Information Network.
Among the top 20 models traded for the Chrysler 300 are the Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon and Honda Accord — all from Japanese automakers — while the top 10 trade-ins include models from U.S. luxury brands Lincoln and Cadillac. Though not ranked as high, cars by foreign luxury marques BMW, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz are also coming in.
Cadillac and Lincoln owners are nearly six times more likely to make a trade for a 300 than for any other Chrysler model. Nissan owners are almost twice as inclined to swap for a 300.
Nick Davis, 38, of Bloomfield Hills recently traded a 2-year-old Jaguar X-Type sedan for a Chrysler 300C, the top-of-the-line 300 with a V-8 Hemi engine.
“It’s night and day,” Davis said when asked to compare the two cars. “The 300C feels like it rides smoother and offers much more luxury. It’s a totally different vehicle.”
The 300’s sticker price — ranging from $23,000 to $38,000 — is one of its biggest draws, said Eric Ryan, general sales manager of Birmingham Chrysler Jeep. “Nowadays, cars are so expensive that they cost more than some people’s first homes. This car gives you great content with a real reasonable price.”
Value aside, the car’s bold, muscular styling and large chrome-plated grille have a visceral appeal that is making some buyers forget their love of foreign makes.
After owning two Hondas and a Lexus during the last eight years, Greg Jacobs, a 34-year-old paint salesman from Westland, said he was charmed by the regal-looking sedan with the big wheels and low roof line.
“If it wasn’t for the 300, I wouldn’t have gone back to American cars,” Jacobs said. “I would have continued to drive foreign.”
Jacobs said he is enjoying a monthly payment that is $175 less than the payment on the Lexus he traded in for his 300C.
Though Zetsche said the core customer for Chrysler vehicles will continue to be former Chrysler owners, the early trade-in numbers on the 300 tell him the brand is reaching a new audience.
Our dealers “are meeting customers they’ve never seen in a Chrysler dealership before,” Zetsche said.
“This doesn’t mean that 80 percent of our customers will come from (luxury and foreign) brands, but it’s amazing the number of people who are leaving their BMWs, Cadillacs — you name it — to buy a 300.”
Through June, Chrysler had sold more than 36,000 of the new sedans with minimal incentives, about five times the sales of its predecessor — the 300M — during the same period in 2003.
The performance has helped lift Chrysler to a 2.3 percent sales gain this year. It is also fueling optimism that the 300 — one of nine new vehicles from the automaker in 2004 — will help return profits.
The 300 was designed to be a mid-market competitor to such models as the Nissan Maxima or Honda Accord at the low end, and luxury models such as the Acura TL or BMW 545i at the high end.
Consumers taking a serious look at the Chrysler 300 are frequently cross-shopping it against those cars, as well as the Nissan Altima, BMW 3 Series and the new Dodge Magnum wagon, according to Edmunds.com, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based Web site that provides data for prospective car buyers.
Gary Dilts, Chrysler’s senior vice president of sales, said it is hard to pin down exactly who the audience is for the new 300 because it keeps growing and changing.
“We’ve not seen a vehicle with this wide a reach and level of interest, certainly not in my history with the company, and maybe ever,” he said in a conference call this month to announce the automaker’s June sales.
One of the more interesting surprises has been the 300’s appeal to rap artists such as 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg.
New York City’s 50 Cent has helped lead a trend toward bigger wheel rims on the car that has made the 300 a darling of the vehicle accessory industry. And last month, Snoop Dogg left a voice mail message for Zetsche asking for a new 300 and promising, “if you want this car to blow (up in popularity), give it to me.” Last week, Chrysler was finalizing a deal to feature the 300 in a music video by Snoop and his West Coast rap buddies, Mack 10 and Nate Dogg.
“That car is catching every spectrum of the market,” Dilts said. “The hip-hop stuff is interesting. We’ve got a lot of youth market interest in the vehicle, but we have all the way into the senior markets getting the same kind of reaction.”
In a survey last month, the 300 was rated as the new vehicle with the most buzz in the market, beating out 41 other recently launched or about-to-be-released models. The survey, conducted by Kelley Blue Book and Harris Interactive, polled 2,000 people who intend to buy new cars during the next 12 months.
Of those who viewed the Chrysler 300 favorably, 68 percent were male, and more than half were over 45.
Respondents gave the 300 high marks for being “aggressive,” “confident,” “exciting,” and “sophisticated,” said Rick Wainschel, director of marketing research at Kelley Blue Book, who led the study.
“Chrysler has done a great job of getting the word out about this vehicle,” he said.
Now, dealers are just trying to get a 300 to everyone who wants one.
“I get five or six 300s a day, and they’re gone within 48 hours,” said Ryan at Birmingham Chrysler Jeep.
At the end of June, Chrysler reported less than a 30-day supply of the 300, said company spokesman Kevin McCormick. An optimal inventory is 60- to 70-days’ worth, he said.
Even with the high demand, Chrysler is offering a $1,000 discount on the 300 for those applying for loans through DaimlerChrysler Services, the automaker’s finance arm.
Dilts calls the rebate an “insurance policy” to keep sales brisk.
But Zetsche said he was firmly convinced, even before the 300’s launch, that it would be a hit that could help the automaker rebound from crushing losses in recent years.
“We are not at a point where we can say, ‘We are there. Everything is done,’ ” Zetsche said. “But there are very encouraging indications that we are on our way.”
.com
You can reach Brett Clanton at (313) 222-2612 or bclantondetnews.com.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/autosins...a01-206692.htm