• Year: 2006
• Make: Chrysler
• Model: 300C
• Trim:
• Body style: 4 Dr Sedan
• Mileage: 17872
• Engine: 8 Cyl. 5.7
• Trans: Automatic
• Exterior Color: Satin Jade Pearlcoat
• Interior Color: Dark Slate Gray/Light Slate Gray
• Stock: J6H252805
• VIN: 2C3KA63H26H252805

The trunk of the 300 holds 15.6 cubic feet, and opens forward to the fold-down rear seat, so the ability to tow a boat and carry all you need is there. A European-style safety innovation can be found in the trunk. The well in the cargo floor, holding the spare tire, is built at an angle, so if the 300 is crashed into from the rear, the tire will rotate upward allowing the frame structure to deform as designed.

More power available.

The Chrysler 300 stands out with bold styling harkening back to its glory days in the 1950s. Like its ancestors, the 300 uses rear-wheel drive, better for power and handling. With traction control, antilock brakes and stability control, it's effective on snowy and icy roads. Most versions are available with all-wheel drive. The 300 is exceptionally quiet and offers a wonderfully smooth and solid ride with tight handling. It's very roomy inside with an intelligent instrument panel and controls, and is also easy to climb in and out of.

The 300C feels as solid as it looks, having inherited significant mechanicals from its parent company, Mercedes-Benz. From a handling standpoint, the 300 is heavily and positively influenced by a design borrowed from the Mercedes E-Class: five-link rear suspension mounted to a subframe, and the short-arm/long-arm front suspension, modified for the 300's longer wheelbase, wider track and bigger wheels.

The ride in the 300C is very smooth and solid without any weakness that we could find in a half day of hard driving, and we wouldn't change a thing. Its 120-inch wheelbase comes within half a foot of the big Chrysler 300s from the 1950s, but in overall length this new 300 is nearly two feet shorter than those behemoths. Result: great ride, reasonable parking.

And the cornering is good enough that higher-performance tires should be made available. The 300C comes with Continental all-season tires, P225/60R18, but they squeal early and don't do justice to the chassis. Chrysler engineers have gotten the rack-and-pinion steering right; it's just the right amount of weighty, and provides a secure feeling. The power assist is constant-rate and not speed-sensitive; it's been a while since we felt a constant-rate system, and we like its accuracy. It felt heavy but not big, and was responsive and confident.

We tossed the big 300C from side-to-side through switchback turns, and it beautifully maintained an even keel, with an insignificant amount of body lean, especially considering that it's called a family sedan, not a high-performance sports sedan.

Driving the 300C hard over some twisty mountain roads, the big Bosch-built brakes really did the job. In fact, we called them ''great'' in our notes, inspiring surprising confidence in a car that weighs just over 4000 pounds. The front brakes on the 300C are bigger and better than those on the V6 models, with 13.6-inch vented rotors and dual-piston calipers compared to 12.6 inches and single-piston. The 300C rear rotors are 12.6 inches and vented (same size but unvented in the other models). Antilock brakes with electronic brake distribution, which balances front and rear, are standard on all but the plain 300.

With brakes big enough for towing, the 300C is rated to tow up to 3800 pounds, using a trailer hitch available from the Mopar catalog. Part of the reason for the rebirth of the large rear-wheel-drive sedan (Ford and Cadillac are there too) is that buyers are beginning to ask what they need an SUV for. But mostly, with 390 pound-feet of torque, you sure won't be getting in anyone's way with your trailer.

Chrysler claims a 0 to 60 time of 6.3 seconds for the 300C, but it feels quicker than that. It won't snap your neck, because it does have two tons to carry, but you'll love the deep growling Hemi exhaust note along the way. And that big torque can't be underestimated for its fun and convenience.

This V8 introduces an important new technology: a system that shuts down four of its eight cylinders when the power isn't needed. The transfers from 8 to 4 to 8 cylinders happen in 0.04 seconds, and are undetectable by the driver. As a result, the Hemi is a 340-horsepower engine that can get up to 30 miles per gallon while cruising at 60 mph on the freeway. So if you want to cruise with a light foot, you're only using four cylinders and half as much gas.

But if you prefer a heavy foot, the SRT8 is the most impressive 300 of all. This model is not a hot-rod in the traditional American sense, which might be described as rough or even crude. Rather, the SRT8 is more a complete performance upgrade, in the fashion of European models such as the BMW M cars or the Mercedes-Benz AMG models, with improvements to the brakes (from Brembo) and a suspension tuned to match the big engine without beating up the people inside.

The SRT8's Hemi is a big engine, 6.1 liters in displacement, and tuned for free revving and immediate throttle response. The result is 425 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque, and in this sense the SRT-8 is like the muscle cars of the '60s. Floor the accelerator, even for a second, and it shoves heads back into headrests. Keep it floored and you'll be talking to the local law enforcement before you realize. If you love the rush of acceleration, the SRT8 is hard to beat, but unfortunately it does not come with the Multi Displacement System. Instead, it comes with a $2,100 Gas Guzzler tax.

Still, focusing on engine performance underestimates the SRT8. It's very well sorted, and probably the best balanced American-brand performance sedan we've tested in some time, if balance is defined as a mix of grip, responsive handling and decent ride quality. From the driver's perspective, it's one of the more entertaining, satisfying and (again) interesting sedans available today. Compared to more expensive European competitors, the SRT8 is a bargain, given its price and performance potential.

We also did some miles in a 300 Limited with the 3.5-liter V6 engine, which we found to have quite decent power even after we'd been driving the 300C. Get the AWD version for its sharp-shifting Mercedes-Benz five-speed automatic transmission (built in Kokomo, Indiana), rather than the Chrysler-made four-speed that comes with rear-wheel drive.

We haven't had a chance to drive the 2.7-liter V6, but it's got a proven record as used in other Chrysler vehicles, and for the 300 it's been modernized with a new intake manifold providing more torque, and electronic throttle control.

The Chrysler 300 is clearly bold and, we would argue, cool. But mostly the styling is uncompromising and makes no apologies. Curiously, maybe magically, it might appeal to both young and old.

The 300 looks dramatic in profile. Rear-wheel-drive architecture allowed this whole new shape. The wheelwell cutouts, wrapping around 17 or 18-inch wheels, are striking. The wheelbase is long for a modern car at 120 inches (the 1955 original stretched 126), but the overhangs are short, offering a visual sense of power. The sedan roofline, a sort of '30s gangster tease, beautifully complements the lines which are long, low and carved as if from a big horizontal block of metal. The roof rakes thickly down to a short deck, and the sides are like large slabs. The long hood glides forward and drops off a cliff whose face is the massive grille, so strong it dictates the car's lines.

The high-performance SRT8 may be the coolest-looking 300 of all. Its unique features include body-color front and rear bumper inserts, mirrors and door handles; and the modifications are more than aesthetic. The front and rear ends direct air flow through unique ducts that cool the brakes, while a specially designed rear spoiler increases rear downforce by 39 percent, helping keep the rear tires firmly planted at high speed without increasing drag. Yet the coolest thing about the SRT8 might be its 20-inch, forged aluminum wheels and asymmetrical high-performance tires. These maximize that visual power, and they're staggered in the classic track-performance tradition, with the rear tires slightly wider than the fronts.

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