2005 Chrysler 300 Series Road Test

Upending the Automotive Status Quo

Every now and then a car comes along that is so important to its maker that the story isn't just about the machinery. Such is the case with Chrysler's new 300.

The 300 makes an even more dramatic statement on the road than it did on the auto show circuit. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

I first saw it at last year's New York auto show, and was about as wowed as the rest of my colleagues. Talk about presence, the 300 makes an even more dramatic statement on the road than it did in the show. Passing by generic midsize sedans as if they were nothing more interesting than motorized shopping carts (hold on, that would be more interesting than some of the cars populating our roadways), man, woman and kids stop in their tracks expressing expletives that I best not write in these pages.

The kids, at least one group of them, crowded around the car during my photo shoot in Palm Springs, where the 300 was presented to the media. "Can I get in," exclaimed one, "Man what's it got under the hood," said another. "Where can my dad get this car," expressed an eager face, followed by, "Doesn't 50 Cent have one of these?"

Even rapper 50 Cent is getting in on the action, with his own lowered 300C with 22-inch rims he's shooting a video with.

"Yes," I explained, "50 Cent does have a 300C, lowered with 22-inch rims (base cars incidentally have 17-inch alloys and HEMI Cs get 18-inchers, pretty decent for stock wheels and tires). He's shooting a video with it."

I'm sorry, but what was the last American sedan that was so over-the-top that it caused one of the biggest rap stars on the continent to feature it in his video? A massive SUV, sure, that happens everyday, but do you think the Ford 500's gonna create that kind of buzz? The Chevy Impala? Not likely.