- Oct 13, 1999
- 9,000
- 109
- 106
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.
Originally posted by: Ornery
- Oh Gawd, shades of the Cadillac 4-6-8 :Q
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.
Originally posted by: Ornery
There's no problem legally, but it was such a fiasco, I can't believe they'd try it again!
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.
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...
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.
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!
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.