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AMERICANS JUST DON'T do small, whether it's because they don't want to or are genetically incapable of it. Case in point #1: the Chrysler 300C. Although it borrows its basic platform from the previous-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Chrysler somehow managed to stretch the car out so it ended up virtually as long and wide as a standard-wheelbase S-Class.
Case in point #2: the range-topping 300C SRT8. Not content with already having a car with more road presence than a monster truck, Chrysler somehow managed to shoehorn an XXL-sized engine under its bonnet.
Don?t for a moment think that this car is some experimental Frankenstein on wheels, though. SRT stands for Street and Racing Technology, and it is to Chrysler what AMG is to Mercedes and M to BMW. The SRT8 is a serious performance machine, in other words.
The SRT division's engineers worked hard on Chrysler's existing 5.7-litre V8, increasing its capacity to 6.1 litres while heavily modifying its internals.
The results are nothing to sneeze at: 422bhp produced right at the 6,200rpm redline, and a huge 570Nm of torque at 4,800rpm. All from a pushrod engine with just two valves per cylinder. The five-speed automatic gearbox it's hooked up to is a Mercedes design, but this has also been suitably beefed up.
It's not all about power either - under light loads the engine can temporarily shut off four of its eight cylinders, cutting fuel consumption and emissions by up to 20 percent. So it's both mean and green.
It's not that easy telling the SRT8 apart from the standard 3.5-litre 300C, although the boot spoiler, redesigned front grille and massive 20-inch alloy wheels serve as good clues. Our test car's chrome wheel-arch liners and Bentley-like mesh grille are optional, by the way, and to our eyes the car would be better off without them.
DRIVING IT
You'd expect a big American V8 to sound like an erupting volcano even at idle, but the SRT8's engine fires up cleanly and settles down to a calm hum. Even a determined stab at the accelerator pedal brings forth little more than a polite growl that won't rattle the windows of nearby buildings, let alone shatter them.
So the engine's voice is surprisingly tame, but slipping the gear lever into D and flooring the throttle confirms that the car's performance is anything but. The SRT8 leaps off the line as if fired from a gun, and as the revs climb the V8 just keeps on pulling and pulling. And pulling.
There's simply no let up in the power delivery, making this engine feel more like a highly-tuned European unit than a typical American one, which knocks your head backwards at first but then runs out of puff faster than Carl Lewis in a marathon.
Hitting 100km/h from a standstill takes all of five seconds, and because Chrysler is exempt from the German automakers' 'gentleman's agreement' of speed-limiting cars to 250km/h, the SRT8 won't stop accelerating until the speedometer needle is pointing at the 270km/h marker. Just imagine the look on the Mercedes SL 55 AMG owner's face as you sweep past him at top whack.
The SRT8 also feels properly sorted in the chassis department. There's no pitching or wallowing in corners - it just grips and goes. The steering lacks feel despite Chrysler having reduced the amount of power assistance, but it's quite accurate so it's never a problem getting the front end pointing right where you want.
Firmed-up suspension and 20-inch wheels look like a sure-fire recipe for tooth-rattling progress over poor roads, but here again the SRT8 impresses. The ride is firm, but it's only at very low speeds that sharper bumps make themselves felt, and then only to rear-seat passengers.
Switching off the stability control system allows you to get the car as sideways as you'd like in corners, but while the car tolerates such hooliganistic behaviour, it's clearly happier being driven with finesse.
INSIDE IT
If you really want to know how Chrysler's managing to sell this car for $210,000, just look around the cabin. The cliff-face dashboard is depressingly bland, some of the plastics are cheap and brittle, and there are plenty of Mercedes hand-me-downs, like the gear lever and single column stalk.
Fabulously supportive front and rear seats aside, there's nothing inside the SRT8 that looks or feels very special. Even the steering wheel, that key point of contact between driver and car, is comically oversized.
At least everything does seem tightly screwed together so you don't have to worry about bits falling off after a few years, and the seven-speaker Boston Acoustics audio system sounds great.
DOLLARS AND SENSE
The SRT8 is a bargain to buy, but there's the small matter of forking out an eye-watering $9,168 in annual road tax. Still, even after that?s factored in, it's clear you won?t get anywhere near as much presence, horsepower and performance for this kind of money.
CONCLUSION
This is clearly not a car for everyone, but those who enjoy the attention the flashy styling gets (and who can live with the mediocre interior) will find the 300C SRT8 a surprisingly uncompromised performance saloon.
By eschewing high-tech gadgets for good old hands-on tuning, Chrysler has come up with a charming, characterful car that?s as big on appeal as it is on style.
Case in point #2: the range-topping 300C SRT8. Not content with already having a car with more road presence than a monster truck, Chrysler somehow managed to shoehorn an XXL-sized engine under its bonnet.
Don?t for a moment think that this car is some experimental Frankenstein on wheels, though. SRT stands for Street and Racing Technology, and it is to Chrysler what AMG is to Mercedes and M to BMW. The SRT8 is a serious performance machine, in other words.
The SRT division's engineers worked hard on Chrysler's existing 5.7-litre V8, increasing its capacity to 6.1 litres while heavily modifying its internals.
The results are nothing to sneeze at: 422bhp produced right at the 6,200rpm redline, and a huge 570Nm of torque at 4,800rpm. All from a pushrod engine with just two valves per cylinder. The five-speed automatic gearbox it's hooked up to is a Mercedes design, but this has also been suitably beefed up.
It's not all about power either - under light loads the engine can temporarily shut off four of its eight cylinders, cutting fuel consumption and emissions by up to 20 percent. So it's both mean and green.
It's not that easy telling the SRT8 apart from the standard 3.5-litre 300C, although the boot spoiler, redesigned front grille and massive 20-inch alloy wheels serve as good clues. Our test car's chrome wheel-arch liners and Bentley-like mesh grille are optional, by the way, and to our eyes the car would be better off without them.
DRIVING IT
You'd expect a big American V8 to sound like an erupting volcano even at idle, but the SRT8's engine fires up cleanly and settles down to a calm hum. Even a determined stab at the accelerator pedal brings forth little more than a polite growl that won't rattle the windows of nearby buildings, let alone shatter them.
So the engine's voice is surprisingly tame, but slipping the gear lever into D and flooring the throttle confirms that the car's performance is anything but. The SRT8 leaps off the line as if fired from a gun, and as the revs climb the V8 just keeps on pulling and pulling. And pulling.
There's simply no let up in the power delivery, making this engine feel more like a highly-tuned European unit than a typical American one, which knocks your head backwards at first but then runs out of puff faster than Carl Lewis in a marathon.
Hitting 100km/h from a standstill takes all of five seconds, and because Chrysler is exempt from the German automakers' 'gentleman's agreement' of speed-limiting cars to 250km/h, the SRT8 won't stop accelerating until the speedometer needle is pointing at the 270km/h marker. Just imagine the look on the Mercedes SL 55 AMG owner's face as you sweep past him at top whack.
The SRT8 also feels properly sorted in the chassis department. There's no pitching or wallowing in corners - it just grips and goes. The steering lacks feel despite Chrysler having reduced the amount of power assistance, but it's quite accurate so it's never a problem getting the front end pointing right where you want.
Firmed-up suspension and 20-inch wheels look like a sure-fire recipe for tooth-rattling progress over poor roads, but here again the SRT8 impresses. The ride is firm, but it's only at very low speeds that sharper bumps make themselves felt, and then only to rear-seat passengers.
Switching off the stability control system allows you to get the car as sideways as you'd like in corners, but while the car tolerates such hooliganistic behaviour, it's clearly happier being driven with finesse.
INSIDE IT
If you really want to know how Chrysler's managing to sell this car for $210,000, just look around the cabin. The cliff-face dashboard is depressingly bland, some of the plastics are cheap and brittle, and there are plenty of Mercedes hand-me-downs, like the gear lever and single column stalk.
Fabulously supportive front and rear seats aside, there's nothing inside the SRT8 that looks or feels very special. Even the steering wheel, that key point of contact between driver and car, is comically oversized.
At least everything does seem tightly screwed together so you don't have to worry about bits falling off after a few years, and the seven-speaker Boston Acoustics audio system sounds great.
DOLLARS AND SENSE
The SRT8 is a bargain to buy, but there's the small matter of forking out an eye-watering $9,168 in annual road tax. Still, even after that?s factored in, it's clear you won?t get anywhere near as much presence, horsepower and performance for this kind of money.
CONCLUSION
This is clearly not a car for everyone, but those who enjoy the attention the flashy styling gets (and who can live with the mediocre interior) will find the 300C SRT8 a surprisingly uncompromised performance saloon.
By eschewing high-tech gadgets for good old hands-on tuning, Chrysler has come up with a charming, characterful car that?s as big on appeal as it is on style.
NEED TO KNOW
Model : Chrysler 300C SRT8
Engine Type : 6,059cc, 16V V8
Max Power : 422bhp at 6,200rpm
Max Torque : 570Nm at 4,800rpm
Gearbox : 5-speed automatic
Top speed : 270km/h
0-100km/h : 5.0 seconds
Price : $210,000 with COE
Warranty : 3 years/100,000km
Contact : Chrysler Jeep Automotive at 6479-3333
PLUSES
Monstrous performance, great seats, it actually handles
MINUSES
Cabin would look cheap in a car costing half as much
VERDICT
Cut-price super saloon is amusing to drive, and not just for five minutes either. Great value for money
SIMILAR CARS WE HAVE DRIVEN
Mercedes-Benz E 500 (A) $304,888 with COE
A new 388bhp 5.5-litre V8 will debut in the facelifted E-Class, but the current 306bhp unit still delivers enough punch to make the E 500 an entertaining drive. It?s more agile than you'd think too, and ride comfort is excellent.
Volkswagen Phaeton 4.2 (A) $296,400 with COE
With 335bhp on tap the V8-engined Phaeton certainly doesn't lack for power, although the car's weight and four-wheel drive system take the edge off its performance. It's beautifully built though, and has exclusivity on its side.
Model : Chrysler 300C SRT8
Engine Type : 6,059cc, 16V V8
Max Power : 422bhp at 6,200rpm
Max Torque : 570Nm at 4,800rpm
Gearbox : 5-speed automatic
Top speed : 270km/h
0-100km/h : 5.0 seconds
Price : $210,000 with COE
Warranty : 3 years/100,000km
Contact : Chrysler Jeep Automotive at 6479-3333
PLUSES
Monstrous performance, great seats, it actually handles
MINUSES
Cabin would look cheap in a car costing half as much
VERDICT
Cut-price super saloon is amusing to drive, and not just for five minutes either. Great value for money
SIMILAR CARS WE HAVE DRIVEN
Mercedes-Benz E 500 (A) $304,888 with COE
A new 388bhp 5.5-litre V8 will debut in the facelifted E-Class, but the current 306bhp unit still delivers enough punch to make the E 500 an entertaining drive. It?s more agile than you'd think too, and ride comfort is excellent.
Volkswagen Phaeton 4.2 (A) $296,400 with COE
With 335bhp on tap the V8-engined Phaeton certainly doesn't lack for power, although the car's weight and four-wheel drive system take the edge off its performance. It's beautifully built though, and has exclusivity on its side.
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