Thankfully the American branded car is European built in Graz, Austria. The machine is well put together with no major recalls since its American launch in 2004. The retro design comes courtesy of a young designer, Ralph Giles, who is now the hottest property in North America. The 300C with its standard 18 inch wheels and massive engines was an instant success over there and became the must have rapper’s car. ‘Snoop Dog’ even rang the CEO of Chrysler Dieter Zetsche to ask how he could get one as demand easily outstripped supply, and sadly that is the case here too. All of Ireland’s allocation for this year is long sold out.
300C is a very big yoke at 5 metres long and 1.9 metres wide. Massive wheels fill the arches and the substantial shoulder-line of the car screams of strength and rigidity. Ireland for the moment gets just two engine options (both automatic) and having driven both they’ll definitely do for starters. The baby engine is the same unit found in the Jeep Grand Cherokee - a 3 litre V6 diesel. It may be the smallest engine in the range but it’s very meaty and no slouch. Despite weighing 1800kgs, the 214bhp 3 litre turbo diesel can propel the 300C from 0-100km/h in 7.6 seconds. If you want to go a bit mad get a V8 all wheel drive ‘Hemi’. There are two built - a 5.7 and 6.1 litre with the lower powered version on sale here. It produces 335bhp and can sprint to 100km/h in just 6.4 seconds. Both cars create a nice growl, which expected from the V8 came as a pleasant surprise in the CRD.
Inside the cabin is a mixed experience; leather abounds and the instrumentation and controls prove very familiar as most are taken from Mercedes E Class. The cabin is big, even the steering wheel feels as if it has come straight from an oil tanker. The price you pay for the chunky solid exterior is a reduced glass area. From inside out you feel like you’re in a cross between an Audi TT and a Second World War ‘pillbox’. Because the standard car is rear wheel drive (Chrysler chassis and Mercedes E Class running gear) the centre rear seat isn’t that comfy, so the 300C is best used as a ‘four fat cats’ mode of transport.
On the go the 300C is comfortable and runs surprisingly flat in the corners offering very little body roll. There is however no finesse to the throttle which is either on or off. The diesel with its balancer shafts is delightful to use and reasonably thrifty to the extent the Hemi seems a bit unnecessary. Outside the 300C growls but the cabin remains very civilised.
I first saw a 300C at a truck stop in Arizona on Route 66 in 2004, and while I was on a pretty cool Harley Davidson motorcycle I still felt the urge to snap the car with my camera phone and have a nerdy look through the glass. In the land of supersized cars the 300C simply had a classy presence and instantly reminded me of bulky Bentleys from the 80s.
The Chrysler 300C is one of the most imposing cars you can buy so for that reason alone you should order yours now for next year.
Michael Sheridan
