300C Test Drive

[duhtroll]

In the little town where I work there is a Chrysler dealership right on the corner where I turn down the main avenue. This morning I notice on my way in, a silver '05 300C sitting prominently right in front of the lot.

On my way home, same thing on the way by, only this time I see my hands pulling the steering wheel into the lot. The MM growls a bit at this, but after some soothing words she's OK with me "just looking."

I couldn't tell on the driveby if this car had the bigger V8, so of course the first words out of my mouth are the obvious catch phrase. After a positive reply, the next words are "may I drive it?"

"Sure."

I have purchased a car from this dealership in the past so they know me and I figure I can get away with a test drive even though they probably know I'll never buy it. I have to admit I *was* looking at this car the same time I found the MM, but once I saw the concept pic of the 300, the MM was inevitable.

He rides along, we talk about the "EuroDaimler" look and feel that hits me in every corner of this car. I think to my self "boxy, even WITH the Euro sedan style." It is a nice, smooth ride, smoother and quieter than the MM, but not as firm, and the steering has more play, and suprisingly it wanders a bit. Benefit of the doubt on this particular car - doubt all of them do this. Shifting is MUCH smoother.

We approach the highway, and I am waiting for the turn onto the county road because we both know what's coming. I slam my foot to the floor once we have turned, and the pickup is nice. Nicer than an '03 stock MM I would have to say. (haven't driven an 04 stock yet)

Then . . .

Well, the only word I can think of is "blah." Off the line, it will probably run with my MM with stage I, maybe a bit faster. Once we hit about 2500-3000 RPMs, I am sure that my MM would own this race. Shifts like I said were much smoother, meaning programming would be the first thing to go on this machine and then we could see how it improves.

The other part of "blah" would be the exhaust note. Seriously, where the hell is it? I know this was marketed as a luxury sedan, but like they are so fond of saying "It's got a Hemi."

Sure as hell doesn't SOUND like it has a Hemi. Unless Hemi is Greek for "librarian."

We finish marvelling at this car (for his benefit), and I floor it a couple more times just to see if ti was a fluke. Nope.

We arrive back at the dealership, and I make the commenst that "it's really great that another domestic is RWD," and "how great it is to compare it to my car," and all the similarities and differences between them. Then he says "well, I've never ridden in a Marauder, so I can't help ya there."

"Let's fix that."

I hand him the keys and we are off again. Same route. He hits the county road and floors it - we take off at about the same rate. Once we hit the aforementioned "point of impression that the Marauder ROCKS harder than all others," he flinches a bit.

"Wow, nice shifting in this one."

"It's programming," I add, "and you notice the exhaust on the acceleration."

"Yep, no mistaking this car for a lame family sedan once you drive it."

On the way back we talk some more about similarities and differences, weight differential, size, etc. The 300 is more of a cockpit feel, the MM more space, and so on.

I mention how my wife would kill me if she knew I was driving another new car.

He blurts out "There's nothing wrong with this one!"

THAT made my day.

In short, yes, we have some competition. However, it is easily overcome. I am happier than ever that I own the MM. The look, feel, and performance are FAR nicer as a package than the 300.

I can't wait to meet one on the street. :rock:

Thanks,
-A

[Bluerauder]

In short, yes, we have some competition. However, it is easily overcome. I am happier than ever that I own the MM. The look, feel, and performance are FAR nicer as a package than the 300.

I can't wait to meet one on the street. :rock:

Thanks,
-A


Good write-up and a fair shake-out. You oughta send the story to MotorTrend or some such and ask for a freelancing fee. How's $1,000 sound?

:up:

[Haggis]

Ewwww, how could you. If I was your car I would have stalled out on you if you tried to force me to drive onto a Chrysler lot. :nono: And then to leave it behind while you drove that, what was the word you use oh yea BLAH. I hope you disinfected yourself before you got back in your Marauder, you don't know what Gremlins you could have brought back with you. Now go apologize to your Marauder and give her a bath and a nice wax job to show her your SORRY.

[duhtroll]

Why should I be sorry? All I did was prove how much better a car the MM is.

Gonna go drive the Dodge Magnum too should I ever see one - same reason.

It gets rid of that nagging doubt or "what ifs."

Bottom line is I like my car even more than I did when I got up this morning, and that says a lot.

-A

[duhtroll]

Oh, and besides - the 300 is a very respectable car.

It's just ugly. :nono:

-A

[Haggis]

Not to me..To your car for driving it on to a Chrysler lot.

Andrew I was just kidding with you, did not mean for you to take it the wrong way.

[bigslim]

I am not thinking of getting one but I would like to drive one to see how it drives compared to our cars. The exhaust and suspension will probably be tune differently when the SRT version comes out next year. That I hear will have 400+ hp. I got off work early today and rode Woodward for a while to catch one of these cars. I saw a couple but they were going in the other direction. I did catch one but it was a lady from Canada driving it and didn't even look my way. Dammit, I wanted to get some of that too.

[RCSignals]

Nice review Andrew. Thanks.

[David JP]

Why should I be sorry? All I did was prove how much better a car the MM is.

Gonna go drive the Dodge Magnum too should I ever see one - same reason.

It gets rid of that nagging doubt or "what ifs."

Bottom line is I like my car even more than I did when I got up this morning, and that says a lot.

-AI saw a 300C the other day. What a freakin' eye sore!!!! :down:

[ADE 1000]

I saw my first 300C on the road yesterday, a bit of a dissapointment in terms of styling. However, I can't argue about the out of the box performance. Car & Driver got 0-60 in 5.3s and a 13.9s 1/4 mile. That is stellar performance for a sedan that costs less than $40K fully loaded.

In terms of luxury features and power, the 300C is a much better car for the money. I would never give up my Marauder for a Chrysler, but I sure wish it performed as well as the 300C in stock form.

[duhtroll]

Haggis - I didn't take it "the wrong way." I'm not offended or anything - no big deal. I was just curious as to why you wouldn't like Chrysler. After all it is a large RWD sedan. Not as large as ours but still a respectable car.

Having the dealer drive the MM was far "worse" than me driving the Chrysler, because he was impressed.

Now, if I were driving a Honda, then I would expect some resistance. :)

ADE - Car & Driver is known for being inaccurate. I told the dealer about the 5.3, and he said "Yeah, but that car is probably not tuned like this one is, 'cause I sure as heck don't see this one that fast."

-A

[Haggis]

Haggis - I didn't take it "the wrong way." I'm not offended or anything - no big deal. I was just curious as to why you wouldn't like Chrysler. After all it is a large RWD sedan. Not as large as ours but still a respectable car.

Having the dealer drive the MM was far "worse" than me driving the Chrysler, because he was impressed.

Now, if I were driving a Honda, then I would expect some resistance. :)

ADE - Car & Driver is known for being inaccurate. I told the dealer about the 5.3, and he said "Yeah, but that car is probably not tuned like this one is, 'cause I sure as heck don't see this one that fast."

-A

Andrew, it is a personal prejudice thing and glad to hear no hard feelings.

[Bluerauder]

I saw a 300C the other day. What a freakin' eye sore!!!! :down:

My thoughts exactly. The 300M takes "ugly" to a whole new level. It could be "Spugly" --- for Super Ugly. The grill work says '58 Edsel but bigger and louder. That said, I wish I owned a '58 Edsel now -- of course, you need 10 of 'em to get enough parts to make a whole one operable. I didn't want to sugar coat this one.

[ADE 1000]

ADE - Car & Driver is known for being inaccurate. I told the dealer about the 5.3, and he said "Yeah, but that car is probably not tuned like this one is, 'cause I sure as heck don't see this one that fast."

-A

Motor Trend got a time of 5.8, which is also nothing to sneeze at. I know there is some tolerance in these magazine numbers, but I think Car & Driver is fairly consistant. In any case, I don't think anyone will argue that the 300C performs well in stock form.

But as I said before despite the performance, the 300C is no Marauder. :uzi:

[RCSignals]

I saw my first 300C on the road yesterday, a bit of a dissapointment in terms of styling. However, I can't argue about the out of the box performance. Car & Driver got 0-60 in 5.3s and a 13.9s 1/4 mile. That is stellar performance for a sedan that costs less than $40K fully loaded.

In terms of luxury features and power, the 300C is a much better car for the money. I would never give up my Marauder for a Chrysler, but I sure wish it performed as well as the 300C in stock form.
well as Andrew points out
ADE - Car & Driver is known for being inaccurate. I told the dealer about the 5.3, and he said "Yeah, but that car is probably not tuned like this one is, 'cause I sure as heck don't see this one that fast."
as for the 300C being a much better car for the money, I think that boils down to personal opinion only.
That said, a car badged "Chrysler" is historically and typically "up market" from a car badged "Mercury"

[ADE 1000]

well as Andrew points out
as for the 300C being a much better car for the money, I think that boils down to personal opinion only.
That said, a car badged "Chrysler" is historically and typically "up market" from a car badged "Mercury"

I said the 300C was a much better car for the money in terms of performance and luxury features.The 300C is considerably faster than a bone stock Marauder in stock form. The 300C offers HID head lights, a navigation system, a very good Boston Acoustics sound system, rear park assist, and satellite radio. The fact that the 300C bests the Marauder in these areas is not open to interpretation.

Note that I did not say that the 300C was a much better car overall, now that boils down to personal opinion.

[RCSignals]

I said the 300C was a much better car for the money in terms of performance and luxury features.The 300C is considerably faster than a bone stock Marauder in stock form. The 300C offers HID head lights, a navigation system, a very good Boston Acoustics sound system, rear park assist, and satellite radio. The fact that the 300C bests the Marauder in these areas is not open to interpretation.

Note that I did not say that the 300C was a much better car overall, now that boils down to personal opinion.
It still boils down to someone's personal opinion.
From what I've seen advertised, the 300C kitted out like that also has a much higher price tag than 33K

But as I also said, a Chysler badged car should be more up-market than a Mercury badged car, and the price reflects it.

I'm just happy to see what appears to be a resurgence of interest in RWD passenger cars.

[hitchhiker]

I saw my first 300C on the road yesterday, a bit of a dissapointment in terms of styling. However, I can't argue about the out of the box performance. Car & Driver got 0-60 in 5.3s and a 13.9s 1/4 mile. That is stellar performance for a sedan that costs less than $40K fully loaded.

In terms of luxury features and power, the 300C is a much better car for the money. I would never give up my Marauder for a Chrysler, but I sure wish it performed as well as the 300C in stock form.
0 to 60 measurement is a joke to me.

0 to 100 - Now you're talkin my language! :beer:

Best Regards,

David

[MikesMerc]

The 300C indeed has great performance and features for the money. But, it simply has no "muscle" to it. Its a soft in the middle Luxo ride. The exhaust tone sounds like a vacuum cleaner. It may be a full size RWD V8, but it is targeted at a very different buyer than someone who enjoys the MM approach.

Did I mention the 300C is F'ugly?

[ADE 1000]

It still boils down to someone's personal opinion.
From what I've seen advertised, the 300C kitted out like that also has a much higher price tag than 33K

But as I also said, a Chysler badged car should be more up-market than a Mercury badged car, and the price reflects it.

I'm just happy to see what appears to be a resurgence of interest in RWD passenger cars.

Nope. With all the options I mentioned above, a 300C would be a little over $37K. A 2004 Marauder with a moonroof is also $37K. With the rebates the prices on the Marauder look much better right now. But there are a lot of people out there who paid near full sticker for it. And I am sure rebates will eventually show up on the 300C. As I said, there is not much room for interpretation here.


Who cares about the fact that "Chrysler" was more upmarket in the past than "Mercury"? That has no relevance today, when both namplates sell most of their vehicles in the exact same $20K - $40K ball park.

[jstevens]

Okay, I looked at the 300. Nice front, but boring back.
It is a little impressive. My favorite part is on the commercial it states "starts at 23K, but then it says 32K as shown. I mean come on, 32K for a Chrysler. Lets see what the resale does later. From history, I've seen where they drop rather quickly. Of course, with the MM being discontinued, will ours drop or become more exclusive.
Of course, I didn't buy mine as an investment though.
my 2 cents.

[RCSignals]

Okay, I looked at the 300. Nice front, but boring back.
It is a little impressive. My favorite part is on the commercial it states "starts at 23K, but then it says 32K as shown. I mean come on, 32K for a Chrysler. Lets see what the resale does later.
$23,995. But I understand that doesn't include destination charges, which are probably another $750.
That gets you a plain car with a v6, but it is RWD.

In that price you can also get a Crown Victoria or Grand Marquis with a V8.

[junehhan]

The increased interest in RWD cars I believe is the most important aspect out of this. Wrong Wheel drive cars just don't interest me unless they have AWD capabilities. Chrysler lost me on the design as I find it absolutely hideous, just like most of the cars and trucks in their lineup. However, regardless of who the intended buyer of this car might be, it has a lot of untapped potential that is going to be interesting to watch. I am honestly disappointed that the Marauder didn't come with some options like HID's and DVD Navigation which I believe should have at least been offered. Thank goodness for the Marauder tuners out there!

[bigslim]

I don't know about the rest of the country but that new 300 is really popping up around here. Last year the drug dealers were in MM's, this year it is the 300C. Glad the heat will be on someone else now.

[hitchhiker]

I said the 300C was a much better car for the money in terms of performance and luxury features.The 300C is considerably faster than a bone stock Marauder in stock form. The 300C offers HID head lights, a navigation system, a very good Boston Acoustics sound system, rear park assist, and satellite radio. The fact that the 300C bests the Marauder in these areas is not open to interpretation.

Note that I did not say that the 300C was a much better car overall, now that boils down to personal opinion.

300C = BUTT UGLY



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

[junehhan]

I don't know about the rest of the country but that new 300 is really popping up around here. Last year the drug dealers were in MM's, this year it is the 300C. Glad the heat will be on someone else now.

Cincinnati must be behind the times, since the drug dealers here are still cruising around in pimped out Impala SS's. Heaven forbid they start cruising around in Marauders, which leads me to hope that they jump right to the 300C instead. The latest pimped out trend here seems to be Impala SS's with a lift kit on it. I must see at least one Imp SS a day down by the campus with a lift, huge ass rims with spinners, a custom color changing paint job, big chrome exhaust tips, and a sound system that you swear can be heard from the moon. Usually the guy driving has a bunch of gold chains like Mr. T does and is driving with the seat fully reclined back.............

[BillyGman]

I'm glad that I'm not the only one who see how UGLY that car is!! But thanks for that interesting review. I wouldn't even care if they were selling those cars for 20K. I still rather have a Marauder. S/Ced or not!! The Marauder looks so much better. It's a big car, but it looks so cool, ans so sporty. there's nothing sporty about the look of the 300. It looks like a snobbish old lady's car.

[bigslim]

I personally don't think the 300 looks that bad. It is a more upscale look than our MM's. I think our MM's have a cooler, meaner appearance. The 300, as stated earlier has a checker cab look. I like the front but feel they could have done more with the backend. It looks like a grown up Sebring in the rear. Came up on one today but he wasn't looking for trouble. Probably because he had the wimpy V-6 version.

[Redster]

It had better be faster than an MM, they are supposed to have about 40 more horsepower. If I owned one, I'd be P.O.'d if it wasn't faster than an MM. Owning the fastest car on the block is at best temporary.

[teamrope]

300C = BUTT UGLY



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


What he said....X12!!!
:puke:

[RCSignals]

At least the 300C is getting advertised well.


What a concept.....advertising

[PhkinQk]

The all wheel drive 300C goes on sale in the Fall, now that's cool for us Northerners and with all the extra lluxury features even if it is butt ugly seems cool. My lease isn't up till 2006 though, lol.

[junehhan]

An AWD 300C would be formidable, and great for those of us who daily drive our Marauders whether it snows or not. Advertising also appears to be a lost concept as well, since i'm seeing 300C ad's everywhere, while I can't even recall seeing a single piece of advertising for the Marauder.

[Constable]

I saw a handful of 300's today. I saw one in Black with chrome wheels... I really though it was sharp.

I also just priced one out on Chrysler's site. I got everything I wanted on it for 35,045... less than my MM listed for.

True, the 300C doesn't sounds muscular, but that's EASILY fixable. We all know that the 5.7's have potential to sound great... I'm sure you guys have heard some of the Dodge trucks.

One thing I noticed that I haven't read here: When you get the 5.7 in the 300, you have no choice but to go with the 2.82 rear gear ratio!! Imagine a swap to 3.55's, a chip, and exhaust... the car would be in the low 13's easy

If some of you dont like the look, fine.... but you have to admit that it is a hell of a car and that it will be modified by someone soon.

[stevengerard]

R&T just had a favorable reveiw, stock 1/4 of 14.1. I was thinking of getting one myself but don't favor the looks, not bad but the MM is a more traditional American Muscle look. I also don't mind knowing it needs some "mods" to be really quick. Its butt dyno is quick enough stock, and adding to it is no different than what had to be done with most cars even in the 60's to get into the 13s.

[bigslim]

The all wheel drive 300C goes on sale in the Fall, now that's cool for us Northerners and with all the extra lluxury features even if it is butt ugly seems cool. My lease isn't up till 2006 though, lol.
By the time your lease is up Lincoln will have a couple all-wheel-drive cars too. The first one, the Zepher will by out next year. That will probably be my next car to go along with my MM. MM in the summer, Zepher in the winter.

[RCSignals]

One thing I noticed that I haven't read here: When you get the 5.7 in the 300, you have no choice but to go with the 2.82 rear gear ratio!! Imagine a swap to 3.55's, a chip, and exhaust... the car would be in the low 13's easy


I wonder how readily available different ratio gear sets are for the diff of the 300C at this point?

[PhkinQk]

My very good friend owns a local Chrysler dealership. Before my MM I had 4 leases on LHS's for two years each for business. (He wanted me to wait for the 300C, but that's another thread, lol)

So anyway, he lent me a Hemi Durango for a few nights. We were coming off lease on our R/T Durango with a 5.9 rated at 260.....(change the air induction and me and his mechanics messed around with the chip and shift points a little).

Each time I lined the two up, even changing drivers the 5.9 won by more than a trucklenght......

[ADE 1000]

By the time your lease is up Lincoln will have a couple all-wheel-drive cars too. The first one, the Zepher will by out next year. That will probably be my next car to go along with my MM. MM in the summer, Zepher in the winter.

Yes, but the Zypher is going to be introduced with a wimpy 3.0L V-6. Too bad it will not have the power to back up its good looks.

[bigslim]

Later a performance version of the Zepher will be offered. Maybe with a SVT badge.

[junehhan]

It appears to be Ford policy that SVT doesn't directly work on non-Ford branded vehicles. Of course, they do some work behind the scenes which is great, but I wish they would take an active approach to the other vehicles in the line-up as well. SVT has become a brand of it's own lately, and that should be exploited to the maximum I believe. Of course, that will create a bit of a problem as dealerships will argue who will get to carry what, but in the end the performance oriented consumer will win. Ford has a policy that SVT dealers must be Blue Oval Certified if i'm correct. This will ensure that some jackass scumbag dealer who wants to treat people like crap won't have a chance at selling these fine cars.

OTOH, I really hope Ford wakes up and realizes that despite the high gas prices, manufacturers are engaged in a hp war right now. While a 3.0 litre V6 powered Zephyr might have been okay a couple years ago, that is no longer the case as people expect more these days. Now if the Zephyr get's the new Duratec 35 coming out, that would be neat. Any pictures of this Zephyr?

[junehhan]

Yes, but the Zypher is going to be introduced with a wimpy 3.0L V-6. Too bad it will not have the power to back up its good looks.

One of the things that really impresses me about Ford, is that they seem to know how to design great looking cars. The other manufacturers on the market have brought forth automotive designs that are ugly, or just plain offensive many times. Yet Ford has yet to bring forth a car that I can call ugly. In fact, I think they make some of the best looking cars on the road today. The thing with Ford in their designs, is that they seem to achieve balance. Except for the ovalkill on the 3rd gen 96-99 Taurus, all of the design themes are integrated perfectly and at just the right proportions IMHO. The latest F150 I believe has been Ford's greatest masterpiece so far as i've never seen a more beautiful truck on the road.

[PhkinQk]

What about the new 5.0 normally aspirated 500HP, debuted in the GT-R. I took this at the New York Auto show last week......

[RCSignals]

I saw a picture of the upcoming Zephyr. Doesn't look bad, but, it's a FWD again, and even with AWD, it's primary drive is FW.
The 300C with AWD will likely be RW primary drive.

[warren]

Last Sat. I was the guest of Chrysler and got to drive the 300C,
BMW's, Cad.'s, & others on a performance track set up at Treasure Island, CA. (Small island and Navy base in middle of SF Bay bridge) I told them that I completed a police driver skills & thrills course open to the public and would really push the 300C - they said OK have at it.
The car has a softer ride than the MM's
It does stay flat in hi-speed corners because of independent
suspension, however at 90+ turns it would is less stable than ours
because of softer suspension. You hardly feel the 11 4.5" speed bumps set up, with the MM's you would hit the roof
With the traction control off yes it will give scratch, lots. 340hp/390tq.
I think the hp is underrated!
0-60 comes 5.9 to 6.3 - what would a chip do???
The driver observer told me 155+ mph comes easy with re-program & that
a muscle version and police version will be out in 2005 ie. via Dodge.
It rides 2" lower than the MM's.
Also I noticed that it comes with as X pipe & interconnected mufflers (hard to see under as it sits so low) and has 13.6 ft.rotors and 12.6 rear rotors for brakes.
Very compact engine and under body area ie. harder to work on.
It has a 2 piece drive shaft just like MBenz.
Base $32.000+ & $37,000+ with all extras.
Good value for a luxo crusier. The local dealer in Concord CA. adds $8,000
to the price---told him goooood luck !!!

Would I buy one - No - don't need a luxo car that looks
like a flying brick & the MM is better looking.

With all that said - to compete at the track or street.
Better call Dennis tomorrow for more stuff.

We will need all of Dennis R's expertise and add on's.

WarrenB:shake:

[junehhan]

I saw a picture of the upcoming Zephyr. Doesn't look bad, but, it's a FWD again, and even with AWD, it's primary drive is FW.
The 300C with AWD will likely be RW primary drive.

A FWD Lincoln is just unacceptable. What exactly is a Zephry supposed to be?

[bigslim]

It appears to be Ford policy that SVT doesn't directly work on non-Ford branded vehicles. Of course, they do some work behind the scenes which is great, but I wish they would take an active approach to the other vehicles in the line-up as well. SVT has become a brand of it's own lately, and that should be exploited to the maximum I believe. Of course, that will create a bit of a problem as dealerships will argue who will get to carry what, but in the end the performance oriented consumer will win. Ford has a policy that SVT dealers must be Blue Oval Certified if i'm correct. This will ensure that some jackass scumbag dealer who wants to treat people like crap won't have a chance at selling these fine cars.

OTOH, I really hope Ford wakes up and realizes that despite the high gas prices, manufacturers are engaged in a hp war right now. While a 3.0 litre V6 powered Zephyr might have been okay a couple years ago, that is no longer the case as people expect more these days. Now if the Zephyr get's the new Duratec 35 coming out, that would be neat. Any pictures of this Zephyr?
Here are some pictures of the Zepher.

[BruteForce]

So like you put the widdened rims and Nitto slicks on the front end? Its that how it works?
:eek:

[junehhan]

Here are some pictures of the Zepher.

DAMN!!!!!

That is one awesome looking car! It will be a serious shame if this thing really is FWD. I can deal with it being AWD though...........

Is this what the production version will look like, or just the concept? If the production version looks anything like this, then that is just amazing.......

[merc406]

Here are some pictures of the Zepher.


If it looks like this when it comes to market they'll sell, if they advertize that is.....

[bigslim]

This is 95% of the final product. I don't think the wheels will be this big. It will have fwd and awd. It will have a performance version later. It will mb out the spring-summer of 2005.

[RCSignals]

A FWD Lincoln is just unacceptable. What exactly is a Zephry supposed to be?
I wish it were RWD too.
Zephyr is a name used by Lincoln for it's lower level cars, years ago. they are just resurrecting it.

[junehhan]

I wish it were RWD too.
Zephyr is a name used by Lincoln for it's lower level cars, years ago. they are just resurrecting it.


While I wish for RWD, the Zephyr might not be bad for Lincoln since it would fill the void left when they discontinued the Continental. The saving grace here is that AWD will be offered. However, especially in a land where even Infiniti, Acura, and others are pumping at least 265-270hp into the entry level luxury sedans, Lincoln better offer something better than a 3.0 litre motor.

I still can't catch my breath because that is so beautiful.