YACT: AutoWeek gets their hands on a Chrysler 300C

thedarkwolf

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 1999
9,000
109
106
Yo

Like that first pic :)?



I did a search and nothing popped up but just incase this is a repost I want to go ahead and say Bite Me!

;)
 

Ornery

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,022
17
81
"Here is a car America has been longing for, a truly large rear-drive domestic four-door sedan."

BS on that. America apparently likes eensie econoboxes, or this wouldn't be so unique.


"Even with the Hemi-equipped 300C, starting at less than $33,000..."

Lop $10,000 off that, and they've really got something.


"...this car has been a decade in the offing..."

Not too long after they offed the RWD in the first place. Brilliant... :confused:
 

Viperoni

Lifer
Jan 4, 2000
11,084
1
71
What a pansy burnout. DOD present too :D

Besides the dual-spark-plug hemispherical combustion chamber and all the electronic gizmometry you could wish for, the 300 goes a step further and offers "multi-displacement." That means at low loads and constant speeds, four of the eight cylinders "shut down" and the engine runs on the remaining four. This is managed electronically in such a way that the pushrod-operated valves trap an exhaust charge in each cylinder. It is blown out instantly, and the car returns to normal operation as soon as the driver demands power. We tried to catch any trace of it in action on the road over several hundred miles and never did-after awhile, we forgot all about it. Over challenging mountain roads and with an aggressive driver, the in-dash trip computer told us we were getting 17 mpg in the 4046-pound Hemi C, while gently cruising the interstate returned a reading in the low-30-mpg range. The official EPA ratings are 17/25 city/highway for rear-drive and 17/23 for all-wheel drive. Those numbers aren't far off the 19/27-mpg city/ highway numbers for the mid-range 3.5-liter V6 model or even the 21/28-mpg rating for the base 2.7-liter V6.
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
Considering the grey cloud of lifelessness that most live in I doubt many will care whether this is FWD, RWD, or 1WD.
 

jagr10

Golden Member
Jan 21, 2001
1,995
0
0
Originally posted by: Ornery
  • Oh Gawd, shades of the Cadillac 4-6-8 :Q

First thing I said to myself too! I wouldn't be surprised if they get slapped with a lawsuit. Too many similarities.
 

geno

Lifer
Dec 26, 1999
25,074
4
0
Originally posted by: jagr10
Originally posted by: Ornery
  • Oh Gawd, shades of the Cadillac 4-6-8 :Q

First thing I said to myself too! I wouldn't be surprised if they get slapped with a lawsuit. Too many similarities.

A lawsuit? No way, yes it's the same idea but Chrysler has their own system for it.
 

Ornery

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,022
17
81
There's no problem legally, but it was such a fiasco, I can't believe they'd try it again!
 

geno

Lifer
Dec 26, 1999
25,074
4
0
Originally posted by: Ornery
There's no problem legally, but it was such a fiasco, I can't believe they'd try it again!

Mercedes has been doing it successfully for years :confused: I realize the original 4-6-8 was a fiasco, that doesn't mean every iteration of it will be as well
 

Siddhartha

Lifer
Oct 17, 1999
12,502
1
81
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Considering the grey cloud of lifelessness that most live in I doubt many will care whether this is FWD, RWD, or 1WD.

Speak for yourself.
 

CraigRT

Lifer
Jun 16, 2000
31,440
5
0
Originally posted by: Ornery
"Here is a car America has been longing for, a truly large rear-drive domestic four-door sedan."

BS on that. America apparently likes eensie econoboxes, or this wouldn't be so unique.


"Even with the Hemi-equipped 300C, starting at less than $33,000..."

Lop $10,000 off that, and they've really got something.


"...this car has been a decade in the offing..."

Not too long after they offed the RWD in the first place. Brilliant... :confused:

yet again slamming something that isn't a full size Ford.
broaden your horizons man :)
 

DougK62

Diamond Member
Mar 28, 2001
8,035
6
81
Originally posted by: Dr Smooth
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Considering the grey cloud of lifelessness that most live in I doubt many will care whether this is FWD, RWD, or 1WD.

Speak for yourself.

Most people couldn't care less about FWD vs. RWD. A car is an A-to-B appliance for a LOT of people. How can you deny that?

 

Demon-Xanth

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
20,551
2
81
A car may be an A-B appliance for most people, but most people don't realize that yet.

Car like ride: check
Good handling: check
Safe "feeling": check
Upper class image: check
Not hideously expensive: check
Reasonable gas milage: check

What's lacking:
Something stating a series of letters that don't make up a word (ie: VTEC, VVTI, TDI, DOHC)
Marketing saying it's an SUV or SUV cross over
Something saying that it's an import

These may sound like they're me just being a smartass, but consider the Oldsmobile Intrigue didn't sell as well as it should have because it had the 3800 instead of a DOHC V6. Nothing was wrong with the engine, and it went head to head with the Camry and came out ahead (I have a Car and Driver comparison test at home I can bring up). But people were looking for labels, whether they were important or not. The only thing worse than being completely ignorant is being partially ignorant.
 

Ornery

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
20,022
17
81
"...yet again slamming something that isn't a full size Ford."

I like it just fine, as I liked the LS400 when it first came out. Trouble is, it's also priced too damn high. We used to build these type cars for the average family commuter, nice and cheap. Ford still only charges $20K for theirs.

The writer is flat out wrong, if he thinks this is a car America has been longing for. If America wanted it so bad, why did America turn it's back on these cars two decades ago. Chrysler was the first of the big three to abandon RWD altogether. Now, all of a sudden, it's the way to go!
rolleye.gif
 

Demon-Xanth

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
20,551
2
81
GM abandoned the RWD car when america wanted SUVs and trucks that used the same basic engine, transmission, and axles as thier RWD cars. The consumer taste has been moving back from weak, small, FWD cars to large, powerful, RWD ones. Consumer taste change, all Chrystler is doing is following.
 

iamwiz82

Lifer
Jan 10, 2001
30,772
13
81
Originally posted by: Ornery
"...yet again slamming something that isn't a full size Ford."

I like it just fine, as I liked the LS400 when it first came out. Trouble is, it's also priced too damn high. We used to build these type cars for the average family commuter, nice and cheap. Ford still only charges $20K for theirs.

The writer is flat out wrong, if he thinks this is a car America has been longing for. If America wanted it so bad, why did America turn it's back on these cars two decades ago. Chrysler was the first of the big three to abandon RWD altogether. Now, all of a sudden, it's the way to go!
rolleye.gif

Too damned high? The average price of a new car last year was over $30,000 last year.
 

JDub02

Diamond Member
Sep 27, 2002
6,210
1
0
RWD offers the best driving "experience". It's not even close. Why do you think BMW, Mercedes, and most other luxury car manufacturers offer their vehicles in RWD.

I think it'll be a great seller. It's really what America is all about ... big, powerful, flashy, and fun. :)
 

Demon-Xanth

Lifer
Feb 15, 2000
20,551
2
81
The problem with the crown vic is that it lacks the fun to drive part of the equasion. It's sold as a brick with wheels. Something worth noting, is the resale price of the '96 Impala SS compared to the '96 Caprice. Same car, different suspension setups, different trim, but sells for twice as much.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,456
854
126
but consider the Oldsmobile Intrigue didn't sell as well as it should have because it had the 3800 instead of a DOHC V6. Nothing was wrong with the engine, and it went head to head with the Camry and came out ahead (I have a Car and Driver comparison test at home I can bring up). But people were looking for labels, whether they were important or not.

You think the reason the Camry outsold the Intrigue was because of the way they named the engine? BWAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

I think it probably had more to do with
a) Toyota/import reliability
b) Oldsmobile's lack of brand identity in that market
c) Oldsmobile's lack of quality
d) Oldsmobile's uninspiring design and bland interiors
e) Oldsmobile's poor resale value