New Autoweek in mail

[Redster]

Got my new Autoweek today. How is this for a quote.
"Here is a car America has been longing for, a truly large rear-drive domestic four-door sedan".
The MM? No, the Chrysler 300. It sounds like a decent car but they totally ignore 2 years of MM models. In fact, from the stats it has more HP and a little less weight. But I guess they don't like the MM and I'm sure they had their chance to drive one for awhile.
Oh well, the press does their thing.

[TAF]

"Please buy this car....uh...even though it's the ugliest thing since the Pontiac Aztec....uh...and like many fine Chrysler products...the...uh...interior fit and finish will....well...uh...look like the cheapest crap we could find...."


http://www.alltheweb.com/r?ck_sm=2e0a7e15&rpos=7&oid=-&rpge=1&ref=200340086&r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canadiandri ver.com%2Fnews%2F03images%2F30 0c_launch.jpg

[Bigdogjim]

As always TAF your right on the money

Well put:)

[Long Live #3]

I think it's a pretty sweet car! They offer 3 different engines; 3.0, 3.8, and 5.7 Hemi! IMHO, I'd go with the Hemi.

[213Cobra]

Yeah, as soon as I got my Autoweek with that toad of a car on the cover I fired off an email to them, pointing out the new 300C is too ugly to be cool and that I recall seeing cooler cars in the Kremlin around 1990 when I was doing business there. I finished by pointing out that there already is a cool American sedan (well, it's a NAFTA sedan with profits going to Dearborn) called a Mercury Marauder. We'll see whether they print it.

Here in SoCal I get to see a lot of prototype and pre-launch cars under test. I started seeing 300Cs around L.A. and Orange County last fall and over the winter with test cables on a rear wheel. Gawdalmighty, this car is supremely ugly, worse in the metal than in photographs. It looks especially horrible in maroon. I can't imagine what those guys had in mind when they drew this car. Sure, the grill is vaguely heritage for Chrysler. And yeah, I suppose you can see a hot-rodder's chop job in the short greenhouse. But they seem to have been committed to these design elements before they ever thought about the form of the whole car. It doesn't matter what motor they put in it. It's just too ugly to wear.

Unlike a Marauder. There's a reason a black leather jacket is the perfect complement to the car.

Hey, Kirk.....would you hurry up and win your shareholders' suit and see if you can't tear Chrysler out of the hands of those weenies across the pond? Which reminds me. Anyone see that juvie lookin' spoiler they're putting on the SRT-6 Crossfire? This thing's an old-model SLK underneath. Audi TT, Z3, Z4, SLK, Crossfire -- ever since BMW tried running Rover, the Germans can't seem to deliver a two seater without a tacked on spoiler or ugly hump to overcome the 1965 Triumph handling dynamics.

Another thing. My Marauder just passed 6,000 miles. It's still stock (soon to begin changing). Last week a Mitsu Lancer Evo (another hideous rolling affront to good taste) couldn't beat me on a loooooooong uphill run of smooth asphalt. I expected to get thrashed. He stayed close and was clearly trying. He seemed mighty steamed to be unable to overtake what he thought was a creampuff cruiser. What did people miss about this car when they reviewed it? I have yet to find anything to be even mildly unhappy about.

Phil


Got my new Autoweek today. How is this for a quote.
"Here is a car America has been longing for, a truly large rear-drive domestic four-door sedan".
The MM? No, the Chrysler 300. It sounds like a decent car but they totally ignore 2 years of MM models. In fact, from the stats it has more HP and a little less weight. But I guess they don't like the MM and I'm sure they had their chance to drive one for awhile.
Oh well, the press does their thing.

[Redster]

NAFTA MM vs. 300 with a MB tranny? Which is worse? (although a 5 speed auto in a MM doesn't sound bad)
I think they may have us on weight and HP. And, I guess the car mags have to make it sound good to keep getting those loaner cars.

[BillyGman]

I'm w/TAF and Cobra on this one. That thing is NOT my cup of tea, and it simply baffles me how some magazines just don't have much of anything good to write about the Marauder, and yet some of them can actually attempt to boast about a hideous lookin thing like that.

Personally I don't see how anyone can look at a Marauder, and at that ugly thing, and think that it even compares to our cars. Sure it would be nice to have a 350 cube engine under the hood, but given the choice, I'd much rather have the cool sporty looks of the Mighty Marauder hands down. And w/the MODS that are now available for the Marauder, it will out accelerate that thing even if it does have a Hemi engine simply by adding the stallion converter, and the Kooks headers and exhaust, or the Reinhart exhaust(a supercharger wouldn't even be needed for that task).

Do you think that there will ever be enough interest in that thing by performance enthusiasts to cause after market companies to produce headers and a hi-perf torque converter for it? No way.

[89VERT]

Could this possibly be Chrysler's Edsel...?

[SergntMac]

I'm w/TAF and Cobra on this one. That thing is NOT my cup of tea, and it simply baffles me how some magazines just don't have much of anything good to write about the Marauder, and yet some of them can actually attempt to boast about a hideous lookin thing like that.
AutoWeek seemed to like my Marauder a whole lot last march, but that was a year ago...

http://www.autoweek.com/search/search_display.mv?port_code=au toweek&cat_code=reviews&content_code=01859921&Search_Type=STD&Search_ID=1955053&record=2

[jfclancy]

AutoWeek seemed to like my Marauder a whole lot last march, but that was a year ago...

http://www.autoweek.com/search/search_display.mv?port_code=au toweek&cat_code=reviews&content_code=01859921&Search_Type=STD&Search_ID=1955053&record=2

This week they made out like this UUGLY Beast was the best thing since sliced bread. Would not mind a 351 with a 5 or more speed in my Marauder.
BUT for now will not be Running any of these Nasty looking things at the local red lights.

Joe CLancy

[CRUZTAKER]

I think it's a pretty sweet car! They offer 3 different engines; 3.0, 3.8, and 5.7 Hemi! IMHO, I'd go with the Hemi.
I'd have to agree with you there....the Hemi would make it sink to the bottom of the lake quicker!:D

[Silver_04]

http://home.earthlink.net/~ctt9/images/chrysler.jpg

I just can't leave pictures alone.

[JET]

I love the idea of this car. I got to see it and its Dodge wagon sibling at the auto show. The front of the 300C is just so dam ugly that I couldn't give it a second thought however the Dodge version looks much better. Now I'm not saying that it looks great it's just much tougher looking than the Chrysler.

[woaface]

The mag's hafta say something nice! It's half German!
Don't get me wrong, there are some great German vehicles...but I live 20 minutes from BWM...the 3 series is nothing special...it's a really nice Camry as far as I'm concerned...they are ALL over the place here...

[Paul T. Casey]

Just bring 'em on! I'm ready to hunt Hemi's. :uzi:

[Long Live #3]

Why don't you hunt them Hemi trucks? :D

[bigslim]

I like this car. It has good power (340hp) and is a good size. It is about the size of a LS. I have seen about ten of them on the road. At least Chrysler has the balls to make something like this. Rear or all-wheel drive and a big V8. Ford chose to go the safe route with the Five Hundred. It will be front or all-wheel drive but with a whimpy V6. For the money the Chrysler looks real good.

[Paul T. Casey]

re.: hunting hemi trucks.

Joe, I do. Guy at work here has one, and bottom line, it's nothing!
(The above statement was proved at a traffic light.)

[woaface]

I think the 2005 lightning is the first truck that (to me) has had attractive interior styling...that big open space with hard to reach places and all just never did it for me.

The 300C? It's 'eyes' droop to much. It's just natural looking IMHO and appears awkward...like a box or something.

Anyways, I've seen some 300Ms with 18inch rims that look stock... and small apperance packages around the edges and tinted windows that I really like when it comes to smooth lines.

[BillyGman]

Why don't you hunt them Hemi trucks? :D

Yeah, I agree w/what Paul Casey said. Hemi trucks are no biggie as far as aceleration goes. They have a powerful engine for a car, but because they're trucks and weigh 1400 lbs MORE than our Marauders do, they're not very fast. My brother bought a new Dodge hemi truck a few months ago. I also let him drive my car twice, and I told him to get on the gas pedal. As a result, he refuses to race me w/his tuck even though when he first bought it, that's all he was talking about. He knows better now. :flamer:

[Haggis]

........"Here is a car America has been longing for, a truly large rear-drive domestic four-door sedan".

No I don't think so. how can you call it an American car when the profits are all going over to Germany. IMO Chrysler is nothing more then a sell-out and they can take that imitation Hemi .....nothing polite to say.


...The MM? No, the Chrysler 300. It sounds like a decent car but they totally ignore 2 years of MM models. In fact, from the stats it has more HP and a little less weight. But I guess they don't like the MM and I'm sure they had their chance to drive one for awhile.
Oh well, the press does their thing.

Of course they don't like the Marauder for it is truly a North American performance sedan. It seems that nowadays the media is in the pockets of the foreign automobile companies and ignoring good old American muscle. Like I tell people at work "Don't complain about the econony if you went out and bought a foreign made car."

[BillyGman]

[QUOTE=SergntMac]AutoWeek seemed to like my Marauder a whole lot last march, but that was a year ago...


Yes, I know that some mags have acknowledged the positive presence of the Marauder, but others refuse to. That's a great article, however, your car is in a whole other class than the standard Marauder is. IMO we shouldn't have to add 16K to the Marauder's price tag for any given euro-loving car magazine to acknowledge the positive points about it.

[woaface]

Yes, I know that some mags have acknowledged the positive presence of the Marauder, but others refuse to. That's a great article, however, your car is in a whole other class than the standard Marauder is. IMO we shouldn't have to add 16K to the Marauder's price tag for any given euro-loving car magazine to acknowledge the positive points about it.
It's all in the presentation. Those were smaller articles. Look at the new test in Car and Driver of the SUVs. The Nissan came in second, but they show it ahead of the first place car in many pictures. They shape iminations with images. You know?

Although I do like the new Armada...It looks very tough, sounds good, is rear drive if you choose so, has a nice big engine (not outputting too much power, but gobs of torque) and tows a crapload. Still too big for me, but it's cool either way.

[tetsu]

I don't see where the comparison to MM lies. I see this car and I see a mid-sized sedan with big bloated quarters. My three boys couldn't sit in that back seat.

Call me when Ford hot-rods a Town Car...... ;)

[Rob1559]

That car looks like someone on Crack tried a Bondo job on a wrecked Bentley.

[Merc-O-matic]

" New 2005 Dodge Magnum RT the most
powerful vehicle for under $30,000."
THE NEW SHAPE OF AMERICAN MUSCLE!
5.7L Hemi with 340 HP
390 torque
18" polished aluminum wheels
dual exhaust
large performace disc brakes
Boston Acoustic Premium Sound System
288 watt-digital amplifier
leather trimmed seats
Fog Lamps
Exterior chrome accents
Five speed automatic transmission
with Auto-Stick
Will be arriving at Dodge Dealerships this spring.

Need to see "Dennis" real soon for my S/C.

Gotta Love It! :rasta:

[SergntMac]

Yes, I know that some mags have acknowledged the positive presence of the Marauder, but others refuse to. That's a great article, however, your car is in a whole other class than the standard Marauder is. IMO we shouldn't have to add 16K to the Marauder's price tag for any given euro-loving car magazine to acknowledge the positive points about it.
I hear ya BillyG. I'm going to guess that you do not favor the Car and Driver coverage of my MM as well, and for the same reasons. Thanks for the 'heads up" on this, I won't mention it again.

Out of fairness here, I'm presuming that you likewise disapprove of all press coverage of any MM that has a custom "tuner" twist to it, which includes supporting vendors here such as Sean Hyland, VT Engineering, Reinhart Automotive, Trilogy Motorsports and so on. I am reading you right on this, eh?

Nevermind...I don't need to go here. Ride what you own, and enjoy that MM.

[BillyGman]

I hear ya BillyG. I'm going to guess that you do not favor the Car and Driver coverage of my MM as well, and for the same reasons. Thanks for the 'heads up" on this, I won't mention it again.

Out of fairness here, I'm presuming that you likewise disapprove of all press coverage of any MM that has a custom "tuner" twist to it, which includes supporting vendors here such as Sean Hyland, VT Engineering, Reinhart Automotive, Trilogy Motorsports and so on. I am reading you right on this, eh?

LOL, naw MAC. You've read me all wrong pal. Like I've previously stated in my post that you've taken that quote from, that's a great article. And I definately like it, and I'm also glad that atleast the mags in question DO contribute some time and space to coverage of the kenny brown cars, because they definately desrve such coverage and even more than they've received IMO.

The point I was making is that it isn't good enough, nor is it fair enough for magazine writers to only routinely acknowledge the prowess of the lofty Marauder S. if they're going to compare it to other cars that cost in the neighborhood of that same price range, then great. For that price I cannot think of another car that I'd rather have if i was to buy something brand new, or close to it.

But why don't they also give more time and writing space in their mags to write positive things about the plain old stock Marauder? And that specific topic I believe is closely related to this mag's coverage of that ugly looking thing in the pic of the first post in this thread? Don't you agree MAC?

[BillyGman]

....Hello?

[hitchhiker]

My response is:

(300 * UGLY) = BUTT UGLY !!!

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

Regards,

David

[RCSignals]

Could this possibly be Chrysler's Edsel...?

don't insult the Edsel ;)

[RCSignals]

"Please buy this car....uh...even though it's the ugliest thing since the Pontiac Aztec....uh...and like many fine Chrysler products...the...uh...interior fit and finish will....well...uh...look like the cheapest crap we could find...."


http://www.alltheweb.com/r?ck_sm=2e0a7e15&rpos=7&oid=-&rpge=1&ref=200340086&r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canadiandri ver.com%2Fnews%2F03images%2F30 0c_launch.jpg


I didn't know you were a freelance auto mag writer Todd.

Why did they put the "big truck" grille on that thing?

[Sactown]

I like this car. It has good power (340hp) and is a good size. It is about the size of a LS. I have seen about ten of them on the road. At least Chrysler has the balls to make something like this. Rear or all-wheel drive and a big V8. Ford chose to go the safe route with the Five Hundred. It will be front or all-wheel drive but with a whimpy V6. For the money the Chrysler looks real good.
I have to agree with you bigslim. I'm glad to see RWD w/ good HP sedans coming to the market. I have yet to see one of these in person, but it will probably have a following, just like the new Caddy styling. This kind of market pressure will help to drive Ford to make a better MM in the future. My $.02.