Sunday, February 28, 2010

ON THE ROAD: CHRYSLER 300 C SRT-8


Isn’t the gangsta look outdated now?
That’s arguable. Personally I think any 300C still possesses great road presence. Gangsta might be a word that comes to mind because of the large front grille, big shiny wheels, small side windows and the massive rear end, but to some that’s just regal. It demands and commands respect.

Disappointing interior though.
Yes, that is a sore point for me as well. Look, at some point Chrysler was ruled by an autocratic German CEO who didn’t seem to care all that much about it. That man, we’ll give him the nickname Schrempf, had some parts of the old Mercedes-Benz E-Class implanted into the 300C to cut development costs. The result is a mix of overshooting plastics and cruiseliner-like comfort levels. Unfortunately the plastics are weak and the cheapness is felt in a real tangible way.

Scathing remarks.
Deservedly so too. I did like the sports speedo console though, as well as the soft leather seats with red SRT badges. The MYGIG sound system is a true oasis in a desert of ideas and compares among the best in the industry. However, very little else says “sports sedan”.

The engine sounds glorious though.
It’s a 6.1-litre V8, I’d return it if it didn’t give me shivers at high revs. Being naturally aspirated means in Gauteng (1450m altitude) it would lose some of its power, which would translate into slow performance times. The block itself is old-school cast iron with aluminium alloy heads, 90-degree angled and two valves per cylinder. It could have been more hi-tech and probably more fuel-efficient. I’ve always been of the opinion that Chrysler was short-changed when performance engines were being handed out by that Schrempf guy, that instead of benefiting from Merc’s new-generation engines of the time, the company was left to pick up where big brother had dropped off his crumbs. How else do you explain a brand new car having less power than a previous-generation Mercedes equivalent?

I guess that explains the figures.
Partly. As I said, it does lose power because of the altitude, but it was underpowered from the start anyway. Plus the 5-speed automatic gearbox, wonderful in the E55 AMG, just doesn’t come to the performance party in this case. It’s always searching and takes its own time changing when it eventually does find a gear that pleases it. Despite its image and to its advantage the car is not very heavy, pulls with the rear wheels and sounds great. Steering could have a little more feel but this is American muscle so I guess I can forgive it for that.

Would you buy it?
I’d buy it as a “starter pack” performance car that would be worked on to improve performance. Strap on the mandatory modern two turbos, sharpen the steering feel, tighten the suspension and give it better breathing. Yep, that’s what I would do to it, after buying it.


QUICK STATS
CHRYSLER 300 C SRT-8
ENGINE: 6.1-litre V8
POWER: 317kW at 6000rpm; 569Nm at 4600rpm
0 – 100KM/H: 6.4 seconds
GEARBOX: 5-speed automatic
TOP SPEED: 260km/h
FUEL AVERAGE: 15.9 l/100km
CO2 e: 390 g/km
PRICE STANDARD: R589 900

NATURAL RIVALS: Audi RS 6, Jaguar XFR, Cadillac CTS-V, Mercedes-Benz E 63 AMG

*PRICE RIVALS: Alfa Romeo 3.2 V6 Spider, Audi A5 Cabriolet 3.0 TDI, Audi S4, BMW 335i Coupe, BMW Z4 sDrive30i, Jaguar XF 3.0D, Mercedes-Benz E300, Porsche Boxster, Volvo S80 3.0 T Geartronic

BABE-MAGNETIC FACTOR: Very High


*A price rival falls within R20 000 or so of the subject’s price on either side of its price spectrum for cars over R350 000, R10 000 for cars of between R250 000 and R350 000 and R5 000 for cars below R250 000.

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