Super TestCar reviews - Chrysler - 300C - sedan/wagon rangeChrysler modelsOverviewChrysler tweaks the edges of its successful 300C sedan and wagon range6 Mar 2008 YOU can count the number of big hits that Chrysler has had in Australia over the last 50 years on one hand: Valiant - 1962 Charger - 1971 Sigma - 1977 Jeep XJ Cherokee - 1994 300C - 2005. So when it came to giving the last one a refresh, the Americans thought long and hard about what to change. In the end, with the Series II upon us, it isn’t much: more safety and equipment a dash of higher-quality trim a stronger value message and virtually unaltered styling. Now with Ford’s Fairlane gone and only the Holden WM Statesman around to give the 300C some competition, it will be interesting to see if the big Chrysler still has what it takes to keep the US styling icon popular. Model release date: 1 March 2008 to 1 June 2012 All car reviewsAlfa Romeo Abarth Alpine Alpina Audi Aston Martin BMW Bentley Chevrolet Chery Citroen Chrysler Dodge Cupra Ferrari DS Ford Fiat FPV Foton GWM Great Wall Holden Haval HSV Honda Hyundai Hummer Isuzu Infiniti Jeep Jaguar Lamborghini Kia LDV Land Rover Lotus Lexus Maserati Mahindra McLaren Mazda Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-AMG Mini MG Nissan Mitsubishi Peugeot Opel Proton Porsche Renault Ram Rover Rolls-Royce Skoda Saab SsangYong Smart Suzuki Subaru Toyota Tesla Volvo Volkswagen Previous modelAn unexpected big hit in Australia, the 300C married brash American styling with the most sober of German vehicular architectures – the W210 E-class-derived rear-wheel drive platform from one-time Chrysler overlord Mercedes-Benz. So while the 300C looks like it would fall apart in the first corner, the fact is it has a solid and competent (if not inspiring) dynamic ability to match the muscular styling. Four models were offered in sedan and (from mid-2006) Touring wagon shapes: a base 183kW/340Nm 3.5-litre V6 petrol 160kW/510Nm 3.0-litre V6 CRD diesel 250kW/525Nm 5.7-litre Hemi V8 petrol with MDS Multi Displacement System cylinder cut-out and a high-performance SRT8 version fitted with a 317kW/569Nm 6.1-litre Hemi V8. All 300Cs use a Mercedes-Benz designed five-speed automatic. |
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