1999-2004 Chrysler 300M

November 17, 2006 - John LeBlanc

Although the blush of the rose called the Chrysler 300C may have recently faded, this new icon of what an American sedan should be—rear-wheel-drive, confident style, thank you—still resonates enough with most to blow it’s predecessor into the weeds of most car buyers’ memory banks. 

Can’t remember? Times up.

It was the 300M. And if your alphabet doesn’t have C following M, don’t worry. Chrysler’s so-called letter cars date back to the original rear-drive 1955 C-300. (Don’t ask what happened to the A or B models.) The C-300 delivered a powerful V8 in a luxury sedan, in essence, one of the first American muscle cars.

A decade of Chrysler letter cars would follow, logically culminating in the 300L.

Over 30 years later, when Chrysler decided it had another big, powerful car to launch, they went back to the alphabet and picked up where they left off with the current 300C’s antecedent: the 1999 Chrysler 300M sedan.

An off-shoot of Chrysler’s front-drive, five-passenger LH series of sedans that included the Intrepid, Concorde and LHS, as one of Chrysler’s new entries into the European market, the 300M was tagged the “five-metre” car to fit in European garages and meet local tax laws favouring smaller vehicles.

In Canadian garages, the 300M was still considered large. Especially against luxury imports it was designed to compete against like the Infiniti I35, Lexus ES 300, and Volkswagen Passat.

Sharing a 253 horsepower, 255 pound feet of torque 3.5-litre V6 with the more luxury oriented LHS, with a sportier mission in life, the 300M came with a four-speed automatic exclusively with an early rendition of Chrysler’s manumatic function called AutoStick.

In 2002, Chrysler added an even-sportier 300M called the Special, loaded with special (get it?) trim, a lower and stiffer suspension, one-inch larger wheels and tires (at 18), and Xenon headlights. Even with incremental power and torque increases, the bigger and heavier Chrysler is notably slower than most of its import V6 competitors.

The 300M Special’s steering is accurate with good weight, but ultimately denies the driver of feel. The four-speed slushbox’s manumatic function is OK, but its slow to downshift and shifts are less than crisp. Stability control was never offered on the big Chrysler, leaving only traction control to help you get rolling in slippery conditions.

Don’t’ assume the 300M Special would have a cushy, quiet ride. Extra tight suspension settings, and the rubber-band 18-inch rubber, combine for an unyielding ride and lots of road noise. The upside is that there’s little body roll and the 245/45ZR tires provide plenty of grip. Of course, regular strength 300Ms deliver more of a luxury car ride.

Most of the 300M’s trouble spots are relegated to the first few years. The interior lights may not work and the overhead courtesy lights may flicker due to damaged wiring near the trunk light or bad terminal in the courtesy-light connector. (‘99), pinhole leaks in the rubber bellows of the steering gear may cause a rattle from the front end (‘99-‘00), the range of the optional automatic garage door opener is poor (‘00), and loose or sloppy steering feel may be due to bad inner tie-rod bushings. (‘99-‘01).

All in all, pretty reliable. But misaligned body panels and interior rattles do show the Chrysler can’t match some of the import competition in overall build quality. It shows when it comes to buying pre-owned, as a 300M can be had for about two-third’s the cost of a similar vintage Lexus ES300/330.

Nonetheless, the 300M’s interior and cargo room are relatively generous, especially if you are of the big and tall type.

A later model 300M Special is a sporty car to drive if you aren’t concerned about lethal acceleration. But there’s a “but” to buying this generation of Chrysler 300s, and it’s a big one.

With 2005 V6 Chrysler 300s trading hands for little more than late model 300Ms, it’s hard to recommend the 1999-2004 Chrysler 300M. Further fodder to erase memories of the one and only front-drive Chrysler letter car.

- John LeBlanc, Publisher, www.straight-six.com

© National Post 2006. This article originally appeared in The National Post's Driving.
 
THE SPECS

TYPE OF VEHICLE Transverse front-engine, front-wheel drive, five-passenger sedan.
ENGINE 3.5L V6, 253-255 hp, 255-258 lb-ft of torque.
TRANSMISSIONS Four-speed manumatic.
SAFETY Driver, passenger front, and door-mounted side airbags (optional); antilock brakes, and traction control.
NHTSA Crash-Test Results Front Impact (Out of Five) Driver 3, Passenger 4.
NHTSA Recall History: Some vehicles may have faulty seat recliner bolts (‘99-‘02). Inadequately manufactured seatbelt shoulder height-adjustable turning loop top mounting bolt may not withstand sufficient force to function properly in certain impacts (‘99-‘00). Passenger-airbag inflator assembly in small number of cars contains incorrect inflator charge amount (’00). Manufacturing molding error can prevent operation of G-lock and tilt lock functions on some driver-side seatbelt retractors (’00). In the event of a crash, there is a potential for injury if the occupant's head were to contact the B-pillar (’00-’01). Some owner's manuals are missing full instructions for properly attaching a child-restraint system's tether strap (’00-“01). An inadequately manufactured hood latch component may cause hood to open without warning (’03).
PROS 1. Big on the inside. 2. Handling (Special). 3. Low price.
CONS 1. Languid accelearion. 2. Sub-par build quality. 3 a ride (Special).
PRICE: ‘99, 140,000 km, wholesale: $7,300, retail: $9,078; ’04 40,000 km, Special, sunroof, wholesale: $20,725, retail: $23,828.  (Prices supplied by VMR Canada).