Ralph Giles must be living it up right now. Who would have ever imagined that a Hatian American Immigrant would design a vehicle that could single handedly revive the Chrysler name brand by making it trendy in the eyes of a broad age group in much the same way the CTS and Escalade rejuvenated Cadillac. As a teacher, during Black History month in school I have actually suggested to students that they write their compulsory reports on him.
The 300 to me represents everything I always loved about American cars as supposed to Japanese imports. Their uncompromisingly large interior space. Their competitively powerful engines and their larger than life styling. Originally I caught glimpses of this car in major transit areas of my cities streets and at first I remember thinking “it’s a Bentley?” “Is it a Rolls Royce?” It looks like one but it isn’t.
I didn’t like the car at first because the thought of a fine British Automobile being sold on the streets of America for affordable prices to the middle class seemed an anathema and I regarded the car with opprobrium. However, after driving my good friend’s 300C, the car quickly grew on me as I was up until that point, sworn to only SUV’s.

STYLING

I’ve already spoke on the styling of the 300 in my review about the 300C.
http://www.epinions.com/content_249811668612

The only major differences between the two trims are that the 300 has many unnecessary (however, cool) light add-ons in the headlamp fixtures and tail-lamp fixtures, as well as a few more dials and buttons in the cabin. 300C also has a slightly more slotted air dam up front, and dual exhaust pipes. The small antennae dome on the roof is irrelevant as the 300’s equipped with Navigation don’t really need it.

The 300C comes standard with a Drivers Information Center in the dashboard that is linked directly to the optional GPS Navigation system. When you use the C’s Navigation, you get turn orders, Tire Pressure psi., and vehicle information such as headlamp turnoff settings and temperature. The 300 lacks all of these except the temperature reading, but it does still have a digital odometer and trip odometer.

The worst part about the 300 is it lacks the steering wheel integrated radio/navigation control buttons. It would be nice if Chrysler made this a standard feature but they haven’t and it makes the steering wheel look overly plastic and dull.

What is interesting about the 300 and the 300C however is the huge after market tuning offerings for them. For $30, you can buy chrome window bezel outlines; $70 chrome under-door bezels or a $100 set of wood grain imitation bezels. The wood grain imitation bezels, which some dealers actually install as a courtesy really make the car’s interior look a lot better at a glance and should not be missed.
There are even chrome door handle covers and chrome port exhausts similar to the 2007 Escalade’s available on any number of tuner websites.

Unfortunately, unless you do bother going out and spending around $300 on EBAY for all these chrome bezels and wood grain imitations, the interior is entirely plastic . Honestly, this doesn’t bother me too much because #1 The plastic feels hard and high quality, and #2 the plastic interior door panels help make the car safer in the event of a side impact. Furthermore, the overly plastic interior keeps the price of the car down making even the mighty SRT-8 affordable at around $40,000 ~ $45,000.

I love the car mostly because even if you stripped it of all the chrome it would still have very impressive, classy, retro looks that might remind some of America’s 1950’s gangster cars. I’m really surprised Chrysler doesn’t offer a white wall tire option. Al Capone would love this ride!

Truly, the 300 looks most impressive when you add a mesh grill and 22” Chrome wheels.
If you pick a silver, black or other solid colored 300, its looks are enough to carry it despite its lack of a Hemi-C or SRT-8 badge. Of course, if another 300 driver who does have these marks peers at you, you might immediately feel weak in their presence And believe me, there is nothing more embarrassing than an SRT-8 pulling next to you and gunning his 425 horses.



DRIVING IMPRESSIONS

The 300 features very accurate steering which was derived from the discontinued Mercedes Benz E-Class. This is a benefit of the merger of Daimler Benz and Chrysler back in 1998.
In low speeds and in high speeds, the wheel is quite easy to turn, but the power steering is not as responsive at low speeds as it is at high speeds. This ultimately means that if you get stuck in a slow lane and have a chance to get into the next lane – but, are faced with upcoming traffic, you must plan your acceleration very carefully. The 300’s size at 197 inches causes it to feel long when making maneuvers of this nature which is the exact same problem I had with the Mercedes S550.
The real problem here is power. So long as you have a HEMI-C or an SRT-8 engine, you can rocket in and out of tight traffic situations with ease. Even at a complete 0mph standstill, the Hemis can pull you out of a jam with a respectable press of the pedal. The 2.7 Liter 190 HP engine just doesn’t have enough strength to accomplish this and once you have gotten used to driving the car, you realize very quickly the type of traffic situations you don’t want to find yourself in.

You don’t want to get to close to the forward car because if that lane slows down, pulling from behind and passing will be nearly impossible if there are cars coming your way from behind. You realize that if you try and pull ahead, you’ll be rear-ended.

You’ll also realize that passing a truck moving at 50 in the center lane while you’re doing 45 is difficult unless you floor the pedal.

Merging with busy highways is especially annoying because you recognize that the amount of time required to accelerate to 60 (or high 70’s) just takes too long.

Also, as I feared, the same braking problem that reared its head on the 300C is also present here. The brakes are overly responsive causing moderate taps on the pedal at 25mph to resort in the car making overly short stops. However If you are coming down from 60 – 0, the brakes seem to take a ridiculous amount of time to bring the car to a complete halt. The SRT-8 has a 162 foot stopping distance from 60 [Car and Driver] because it benefits from higher quality Brembo brake rotors unlike the 300 and 300C.
Despite the car’s anti lock braking system, it is important here more than ever not to speed in tight traffic or in inclement weather because this car just might not stop in time.

Power more than anything else is the reason to purchase the 300C. Unfortunately, the 300c gets pitiful gas mileage compared to the 300 with the 2.7L. It costs $20 (@ $2.79) to purchase half a tank of gas. A half tank gives the 300 about 90 miles before the fuel warning light comes on. However The 300C ‘s fuel dial drops as quickly as most small SUV’s do.

As she is Rear Wheel Drive, I notice that excessive throttle causes tire spins unless the road is in good condition. I am waiting for winter to see how well this car can handle light - moderate snow. If you have the option for All Wheel Drive when searching for this vehicle, take it but know you'll get less fuel economy.


OTHER FEATURES of the 300 include hideous hubcap over steel wheels which simply cry out for no less than 18 inch chrome rims with all season tires. Because the 300 has deep tire wells, the car can accept up to 24 inch rims without need of modification of the wells. Some people are determined to get 26s fitted and with the appropriate cash, that may well be done. The car base model includes all season tires and fortunately, it does not eat them up as quickly as the SRT-8’s consumer reviews claim their vehicle does.

The 300 models all share the same deep trunk. You could really get adult bodies in here- thanks to the bustle back design which will allow you to fit anything from a humongous dual 12 inch subwoofer system inside, to massive Walmart/ Home Depot scores.

300’s, depending on your dealer may come like mine did with Limited Edition dual-toned seat leather and pre-installed Navigation systems. Of course, the base 300 models ($27,000) only include a radio with AM/FM and CD player but many dealers will move a Navigation system to sweeten deals due to the fact the 2008 Models are going to be slightly better than the first generation and they need to empty their lots. Keep in mind, that as this model clearance occurs, HEMI-C’s and SRT-8’s will be going for prices in the low $30,000’s. Just keep in mind, the fuel prices on those cars are tremendous and the SRT-8 has very high maintenance costs per year. If you want a little more power at the sacrifice of fuel economy, there is a 250 HP 3.5 Liter, TOURING model which will at least even the score against many Nissans, Cadillacs and Infinitis on the roads when you’re pulling off lights.


OVERALL The 300 is a great car, but unless you get the Hemi C, you aren’t going to get the full driving experience. The 300 is great on fuel for its size and will save you plenty of money if it’s a retirement vehicle – or even a student vehicle - and it is competitively priced with top model Honda’s Accord, Nissan Maxima and Toyota Avalon.



OTHER INTERESTING WHIPS


CHRYSLER 300C http://www.epinions.com/content_249811668612

MERCEDES BENZ S550 http://www.epinions.com/content_252095073924

AUDI A8 L http://www.epinions.com/content_254135406212

AUDI S8
http://www.epinions.com/content_401555885700

BMW 750Li http://www.epinions.com/content_252534754948


LEXUS LS460 http://www.epinions.com/content_278165753476
Amount Paid (US$): $26,500
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2007
Model and Options: 300 with 2.7 Liter V6 - Navigation system - Limited Edition Leather