2005 Chrysler 300C

When Chrysler and Daimler-Benz became DaimlerChrysler, there was much speculation about what that would mean for American car buyers. Among the speculation was concern that product from America’s No. 3 automaker would become unrecognizable to American fans. The global mindset would take over and Chrysler’s cars would become European clones. But, like so much speculation, those fears prove unfounded. If anything, the collaboration is giving us back some of what has been lost trying to compete with imports. If you don’t believe me, take a spin in an all-new 2005 Chrysler 300C. How long has it been since America offered a V-8-equipped, rear-drive, roomy, good-looking, performance-oriented big sedan that is (drum roll, please) affordable? What used to be America’s trademark has all but disappeared, thanks in part to fuel constraints and quality import competition. Now, the 300C resurrects all that we loved about those trademark sedans minus the drawbacks. For those of us who grew up viewing the world from those gargantuan backseats, the 300C feels like home.

The good news
You already have the good news in a nutshell: The 300C is roomy, good looking and affordable with the kind of response and reflexes now reserved for coupes and high-priced sedans.

The 300 comes in four models. The basic version offers a 190-horse 2.7-liter V6 with few frills starting around $23,000. Next up the ladder are the Touring and Limited models with a 250-horse 3.5-liter V6 and more frills standard (as well as near-necessities like anti-lock brakes) starting at roughly $27,000. Then there is the model I tested: the 300C Hemi starting at $32,700. This price isn’t exactly pocket change, but it buys a load of candy in this car.

The 300C Hemi doesn’t share verbatim many pieces and parts with its fine and pricey cousins, those Mercedes sedans, but it definitely gathers inspiration and benefits from these renowned four-doors. This is obvious in everything from firm leather seats to flat cornering and silky rollout of pulse-racing power.

The power is all-American, a product of Chrysler’s much-celebrated 5.7-liter Hemi engine. It produces 340 horses and 390 foot pounds of torque in this sedan. A Mercedes five-speed shifter makes the connection instead of the four-speed found in other 300Cs and can be shifted manually (clutchless) if the mood strikes you.

And the mood will strike you. Independent tests clock 0-60 in 5.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 13.9 at 102 mph. For a car this size – or any size, for that matter – that’s hang-on fast. When I first got this 300C, I stepped on it hard to make what I thought would be a swift but graceful entry into moving traffic. Instead, this lovely sedan executed a full Dukes of Hazard tire-burning peel out, much to my secret delight and outward embarrassment.

Despite this muscle, this 300C is no brute. Driver and power become easy partners once fully acquainted. The luxury sedan manners show up first. The mischief only comes when summoned.

So do the cylinders. To save fuel, this Hemi features a Multi-Displacement System that taps only half of its 8 cylinders when the going is easy and activates the rest instantly as needed. The system is so efficient, the driver never senses a difference.

But everyone notices the difference in the 300C’s looks. From its wide-mouth grin in front to high-shoulders, low windows and big 18-inch wheels in profile to its cropped tail, there is nothing shy about this sedan’s architecture. It’s a love-it-or-hate-it design, with most folks I encountered siding with the first camp.

Inside, hints of that German gift for logic and simplicity show up, thankfully, as well as pleasant extras. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes electronically. The firm leather seats heat and support from thighs to head. Killer Boston Acoustic audio entertains. Backseat passengers stretch their legs 40.2 inches. Rear seatbacks split 60/40 and fold flat to expand 15.6 cubic feet of trunk.

All-wheel-drive (another Mercedes share) is now available as an option on the Touring, Limited and 300C Hemi. Mine was standard rear-wheel.

The bad news
Those looking to trade their aging Ford Crown Victorias and full-sized Chevy Impalas for this 300C may be dismayed with the ride quality here. This Chrysler’s confident handling requires stiffer underpinnings, not the old sedan boat float that has too long defined American comfort. The ride may be less numb inside the 300C’s cabin, but it’s more secure. On the highway, it’s plush and fluid.

Inside, the combination of high doorsills, abbreviated windows and deep roof pillar in back limit rear visibility and make me uncomfortable. I could also do without the plastic tortoise shell trim inside, especially on the steering wheel. The daylight passing through creates a distracting glow. I would go for the walnut option instead, even at extra cost.

Is it worth it?
I am blown away by this Chrysler 300C Hemi, and I am not the only one. It recently ranked among Best Magazine’s “Best Cars for the Money” and won Motor Trend Magazine’s prestigious Car of the Year award, to mention a couple. Although there are many formidable performance/luxury sedans on the market both foreign and domestic, none touch this car’s comforts, style and performance for anywhere close to the dollar mark.

If the 300C Hemi proves to be as reliable as it is attractive, we have a new American benchmark in our midst and a thank-you note due some foreign friends.

Particulars
Front-engine, five passenger, large four-door sedan

Price
Manufacturer’s base, $32,370;
Price as tested with destination, $33,855

Engine
Type: 5.7-liter Hemi multi-displacement V8, 16 valves
Power: 340 horses at 5000 rpm; 390 ft lbs of torque at 4000 rpm

Drivetrain
Transmission: five-speed automatic with manual mode
Rear-wheel drive (all-wheel drive is available)

Dimensions
Wheelbase: 120 in.
Overall length: 196.8
Curb weight: 4066 lbs.

Gas mileage
EPA rated 17 mpg city/25 highway

Website: www.chrysler.com

During her 16 years reviewing new vehicles, Beth Stein has written for Nashville's dailies (circ. 185,000), national magazines and BestStuff.com. She appeared coast-to-coast on-air for Road Test Magazine, Car And Driver Television and Motor Trend Television.