The Real American Revolution.The Chrysler 300 is significant on many levels. The first is Canadian pride. It is built in Ontario and was designed by a Montreal native. The second, it is selling like hot cakes - production has been increased to meet the high demand. The third is that people still want big powerful cars. It seems Daimler-Chrysler is really in tune with the desires of today's car buyer. We are on the edge of an energy crisis, some will even say that we are already knee deep in it, and yet car manufacturers are still producing incredibly mighty road warriors. That being said, the 300, already car of the year in some circles, does an outstanding job of combining luxury, refinement and style. It can be difficult to agree with the turn the automotive world has taken but I, as a car nut, find it even more difficult to dislike Chrysler's newest creation.
The range for the 300, from base model to the
300C AWD is between $29,995 and $51,500. I got to drive two of them back to back. The first was a Touring version with the optional sunroof. It retails for $32,195. The second was a 300C with navigation, the protection group and a sunroof. Its retail price is $47,890.
Before I continue I would like to state that in my text on the
Magnum, I misinterpreted the information concerning what was borrowed from the
E-Class Mercedes: What in fact are transplanted are some suspension components and the 5-speed automatic transmission that is mated to the Hemi.
Exterior stylingThe exterior of the 300C has more flash than both the 300 Touring and
the Magnum. It sports many chrome accents including wheels, grille and mouldings that make it the real head-turner. The Touring and Limited are much more subtle in the optical impact department. The tall muscular fenders that reach out over the hood, are almost as far as the eye can see, are visual cues to remind the driver of the old days when the cars were measured in city blocks rather than centimetres. The car's large square shoulders really give a hunkered down look. The chop-top and high beltline work in concert to make the 300 the low-slung street prowler it is.
Other little dissimilarities include such items as chrome side-view mirrors, bumper trims, fog-light shape and style, and taillights. It is obvious, when looking at both cars, to see which of the two is pricier. Overall styling is elegant yet commands respect. It is almost impossible to drive around unnoticed in these cars for the moment.
There are no curves per say in the shape of the body of the car but then neither was there in the original 300's produced between 1955 and 1965. The large front grille is inspired by the one found on the 1957 Chrysler 300
C. The 2005 300 also gives a nod to the original 1955 300 and variousothers with the "C" pillar styling and the long flat hood and trunk cover.
The body panel assembly seems no better executed than on the Magnum. Both cars had some gaps, especially between the front fenders and the hood, that were larger than average, like the Magnum. Paint application posed no particular problems.
