Road Test: 2008 Chrysler 300C SRT

Story and photos by John LeBlanc Chrysler's 300C is a full-size sedan with rear-wheel-drive proportions typical of American cars circa 1955, and its face – a combination of intimidating grille and headlights hung under furrowed brows – fills up other vehicles' rear-view mirrors like a grizzly bear peeking into a camper's tent. And, of course, it's got a Hemi: Five-point-seven litres of rumbly vee-eight. Yikes! It doesn't sound very much like the 300C – a deliberate throwback to sedans from the past – fits in with today's post-cheap-fuel zeitgeist where green is good (godly?) and small is chic. But might the Chrysler's perceived irrelevance actually be a good thing? Will it be like vinyl records versus MP3 files or handwritten letters versus email – will we eventually miss the hulking sedan's traditional qualities when, as some predict, we all end up driving cramped appliances in a few years? My 300C test car started at $39,545. With $4,145 worth of sunroof, leather, navigation, upgraded audio and SRT Design Edition package, the total bill was $43,690. But its lengthy 3,048 mm wheelbase that creates plenty of passenger room for all five-passengers and unique looks can still be had for the cost of a ubiquitous compact. With the U.S. and Canadian dollar parity and factory discounts, a base model 300 with a 250 hp V6 starts at $27,245 – $4,400 less than at the beginning of the 2008 model year. The 300C's previous weakness – down-market interior furnishings – is now one of the car's chief assets. Last year's upgraded instrument panel and centre console are now manufactured with tighter tolerances and finer materials. The new-for-2008 $1,795 SRT Design Edition is certainly noteworthy. It includes SRT sports seats and suspension, bling-worthy 20-inch wheels and tires, SRT body modifications (minus front lip spoiler) badging and a sport exhaust that bumps the mill's horsepower up by 10 to 350. My only beef? A large diameter steering wheel better suited for captaining a yacht. Experiencing the 300C's politically incorrect V8 is something for enthusiasts to relish while they can. The Hemi and the smooth-shifting Mercedes-derived five-speed manumatic attached to it always work from the same playbook. Upshifts are all but imperceptible, downshifts are quick and easily engaged. Given the whip, the 300C gallops on up to 100 km/h from rest in a quick 5.5 seconds. Then, when cruising, four of the eight cylinders switch off seamlessly to save fuel. It's hardly Prius-like, though: the 300C is rated at 13.6 L/100 km city, 8.6 L highway. During my week with the car, I saw 11.6 L. Roomy and fast, the 300C certainly is. But it's also car that can be driven with spirit when the kids have been dropped off at badminton practice. As the love child of the nine-year marriage between Germany's Mercedes-Benz and America's Chrysler, which ended in divorce just last year, the 300C's ride and handling benefit most from the five-link rear suspension taken from the E-Class. Ride quality is one of the 300's assets. Even though the suspension feels taut in the corners, it's suitably smooth when cruising down the highway. Yes, the Chrysler is a fine automobile to drive and be driven in. However, it's also big, aggressive looking, relatively thirsty – and has about twice as many cylinders as most buyers are interested in these days. Despite all that, depending on which side of vinyl/MP3 music or handwritten/email letters argument you stand on, the 300C may be more relevant than ever before.

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