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Re: What th'??? (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh,  in Cars & Motorsports
It's the same system used in Mercedes sedans. When the rear wheels slip power is automatically sent to the front wheels.
The AWD is set up as a separate trim, so it will be in the standard equipment. Mere semantics. To minimize the number of trim lines in the database and make its additional cost clearer I treat AWD as an option at www.truedelta.com.
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Jun 17 '05
5:39 am PDT
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What th'??? (Reply to this comment)
by UncleJimbo
I was out today at a golf tourney and they were giving one of these away as a hole-in-one prize... It was a 300 Touring with the 3.5 liter.
As I was looking at the vehicle, I noticed something I hadn't seen before in the magazines or advertisements. On the left side of the rear of the vehicle, I saw three letters - AWD.
All wheel drive?? I checked the vehicle sticker and it wasn't listed as an included option. OK, now I'm confused. AWD in a $31K vehicle like the 300 catches my interest. Is it really offered and what are your thoughts of Chrysler's AWD system?
Great review, as always...
Thanks,
Jim
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Jun 16 '05
8:29 pm PDT
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Re: Re: Re: Very good details but some minor errors (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
With the LH-Camry comparison I was drawing on Chrysler's own positioning of the cars as mid-sized. Why position cars as mid-size when you can generally charge more for a full-size? Because that's where the market is.
The EPA rates cars based on their interior volume. Public perception, on the other hand, is often based on exterior dimensions and even perceived exterior dimensions. In interior volume there isn't much difference between the Malibu (especially the Maxx variant), Impala, and Camry.
EPA passenger compartment volumes:
300 -- 106
Concorde -- 108
Five Hundred -- 108
Stratus -- 94
Malibu -- 101
Impala -- 105
Accord -- 103
Camry -- 102
Avalon -- 106
Altima -- 103
Yes, the Stratus is lower-mid. But the otheres are actually closer in size to the 300 than the Stratus.
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Dec 23 '04
4:53 am PST
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Re: Re: Very good details but some minor errors (Reply to this comment)
by catholicman
To answer your question, you refer to the Concorde as being 18 inches longer than the Camry toward the beginning of your review. Yes I have been in a Camry lately; however, the Camry is not the biggest mid-sized car Toyota has. Some, including myself, consider the Avalon a mid-sized car. It is similar to the situation with Chevrolet. The Malibu is mid-sized as is the Impala. My definition is to establish the difference between the two. The Malibu is indisputably mid-sized, however it is the smaller one of the two; therefore, it is a smaller mid-size. The Impala is considered by most to be mid-sized, some do consider it a large car; however, it is the replacement for the Lumina on the W-body platform and the sister car to the Grand Prix, Regal, Century, etc. which are all considered mid-sized. When I say that it is a smaller mid-sized, I am not saying that it is a small compact car, but that it is not as big as other cars in that class. That is the relationship I see between the Camry and the Avalon. Also it is true that mid-sized cars are continuing to get larger as time goes on. I agree the Camry has come a long way in its size.
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Dec 22 '04
9:31 pm PST
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Re: Very good details but some minor errors (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
I just looked over my review again, and I'm a bit confused by your comment. I don't see any comparisons to the Camry, but I do see a few to luxury cars.
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Dec 18 '04
3:56 am PST
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Re: Very good details but some minor errors (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
Beginning with the LHs Chrysler has chosen to position its large cars against other people's midsize cars. As for the Camry being the smaller sort of midsize car--have you sat inside one lately? By EPA volumes it is certainly at the higher end of the midsize category.
The Stratus and Sebring are more directly comparable to the Camry, but are pretty much non-entities as far as the typical midsize consumer is concerned.
The Chrysler 300 is 196.8 inches long. In my book this rounds to 197, not 198. Perhaps your source is in error? Or were you looking at the specs for last year's 300M, which was 197.8 inches long?
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Dec 18 '04
3:47 am PST
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Very good details but some minor errors (Reply to this comment)
by catholicman
The 300 is listed to be 198 inches long, not 197 inches long. Comparing the sales of the Chrysler LH cars to cars such as the Toyota Camry is not a very accurate comparison. The LH platform is classified as a large car. Its competition was the Crown Vic, Grand Marquie, Town Car, Bonneville, LeSabre, Park Avenue, and various Cadillacs. The Camry is mid-sized, in fact, it is in the smaller type of mid-size car class. A better comparison to the Camry from Chrysler's offerings would be the Dodge Stratus, Chrysler Sebring. The reason why the Chrysler 300 series is so difficult to compare against other cars is that it is a luxury car at a price that is lower than anything it would compete against if it was overpriced like all of these other luxury cars. This is why the car is actually selling well so far.
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Dec 17 '04
6:23 pm PST
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Re: Re: The 300 in Europe (Reply to this comment)
by hunemjho
Many thanks for your sound advice. I think it will be the Jeep dealerships here in the UK that will be retailing Chrysler (and probably Dodge too) so I'll give them a try for some specific information.
Unfortunately, I am back in the UK without having driven the 300 or Magnum but I suspect to have done so would only have made me more determined to have one in the drive-way (for very short spells between enjoying it on the road).
Thanks again. I'll keep you posted.
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Jul 25 '04
3:11 pm PDT
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Re: The 300 in Europe (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
I looked for a date, but cannot find one. It's possible that none has been announced yet. Best bet is probably to give a call to whoever will be selling the car near you and ask when they expect to have it.
Importing it yourself is without a doubt difficult and expensive. Most likely official exports would begin about the same time you figured out all the red tape. If you do attempt it, I'd try to import the car from Canada. Prices tend to be considerably lower there. I thought about importing a car from Canada once, but even though the coutries share regulations you require paperwork proving compliance with U.S. government regulations. Regulations differ far more between the U.S. and Europe.
Glad you enjoyed the review. If you're still in the country you owe yourself a test drive.
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Jul 25 '04
7:30 am PDT
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The 300 in Europe (Reply to this comment)
by hunemjho
I've just signed up to this site and already am impressed. This particular review is great.
I was in the US last week and couldn't walk past a Chrysler 300 or a new Dodge Magnum without admiring looks and covetous thoughts.
I am delighted to read that the 300 is coming to Europe (and it seems that Dodge is returning to the UK) in both sedan and wagon spec. Is there any idea when that will be ? If it's too many moons away to wait, is importing a 300 or Magnum to the UK likely to be feasible ?
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Jul 23 '04
6:11 pm PDT
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Re: Market effect (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
I'll have to see what I wrote, but the 300 hardly feels like a Caprice or Crown Vic. It does feel large, but with a tauter feel than those "classics".
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Apr 20 '04
4:58 am PDT
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Market effect (Reply to this comment)
by sfoltz
Great review, as always. I am very attracted to the looks of the 300, but your review has put the car's character back into perspective for me. I don't know that I pine for the classic big car feel.
On the other hand, I'd venture to say that if any one manufacturer is affected by the 300 launch, it'd have to be Ford and Lincoln-Mercury. The sales of the Lincoln LS and Mercury Marauder will probably continue to dive, and even the new Five Hundreds are sure to suffer. While the LS is more luxurious inside than the 300, it's too overpriced and under-powered to compete for the same type of buyer, I think.
I'm looking forward to your review of the Five Hundred, even though it's not anywhere near the top of my list for my next car (a year from now).
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Apr 19 '04
1:00 pm PDT
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One of the finest auto reviews I've read here so far. (Reply to this comment)
by asafono
You should consider a (side?) career as an automotive journalist...
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Apr 05 '04
11:45 am PDT
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Re: I've read some very positive reviews on this car... (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
This car will be sold in Europe. Not only that, but Europe gets the 300 in both sedan and wagon forms.
Or by "here" do you mean Australia?
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Apr 03 '04
6:33 pm PST
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Re: Very nice! (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
There is some resemblance to the M45, but this is a much better execution. The proportions are much tighter, for one thing. The 300 is also packaged much better, with a much larger rear seat (that folds!) and a larger trunk despite similar overall lengths.
Most Chryslers earn average ratings from CR these days, with the PT Cruiser even doing much better than average.
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Apr 03 '04
3:21 pm PST
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Very nice! (Reply to this comment)
by vara,  in Cars & Motorsports
Hey Michael,
Great review as always. Any new word on the reliability of Chrysler vehicles in general? Downright crummy all through the 90's. Anything better since then?
Me? The styling bears some resemblance to the M45, in my opinion. These cars making a comeback?
Take care. It's great to see you writing.
-Daniel
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Apr 03 '04
2:11 pm PST
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