This is our longest test of any 300C so far, at least in terms of miles covered, and I must say I was quite looking forward to it in the days before I collected the car. That was quite a contrast to the attitude of the colleague who had it before me. She admitted to being wary of such a large machine, and having persuaded the beast (the car, not the colleague) through the tight confines of her office car park I think I know where she was coming from with that.If you're not trying to avoid other people's door mirrors, though, the 300C is a pussycat. Yes, there's an awful lot of it, but I don't think it ever feels intimidating, and on country roads it has an excellent trick of seeming smaller than it actually is.That's not the case with the estate version I drove recently. The Touring feels very cumbersome, and at the time I was sure it was greatly inferior to the saloon. I didn't have the opportunity to try a back-to-back comparison, but during this test I made a point of visiting the same roads, and sure enough the saloon felt light and nimble where the Touring had felt heavy and sluggish.Here's something you can consider as a good rule of thumb, if not quite a full-blown theory: whenever a large car feels small, it's because the suspension has been really well sorted. The 300C saloon gets a strong eight out of ten in this respect, failing to reach nine just because there's a bit too much body movement at the front end.Since you wouldn't expect a car like this to be so good over challenging terrain, the compromises in its sporting behaviour aren't too noticeable. The same issue has a more serious effect on the 300C's behaviour on motorways. If the surface is ideal, no problem, but of course the surface of a UK motorway is so rarely ideal. Slight bumps, taken at 70mph (or so), are magnified from the point of view of the occupants, and in two days of almost constant dual-carriageway driving I felt that the car was never entirely at ease.This was a disappointment. Surely, above all else, the 300C should be a relaxing cruiser? You could say that you get a lot of car for a little under £26,000, and that there must be compromises, but I don't think it would have cost any more to get the suspension just right instead of only nearly right.Full marks, though, for the three-litre Mercedes-Benz turbo diesel engine. Chrysler is using this unit in as many of its models as it will fit into, and it's one of the key features in all of them. Decently powerful, amazingly quiet and impressively economical, it is absolutely the number one choice in the 300C range (though the 5.7 Hemi V8 is appealing, if silly, and I can't shake off an affection for the 3.5 petrol V6, even if it makes no sense on paper).One thing that a week and a bit of 300C motoring made me realise is the tremendous visual impact it has. In a short-distance road test of the same model, Mike Grundon says that he thinks "it looks like a Bentley Arnage but with a more focussed expression of intent". To me, the 300C bears a resemblance to the devilish mechanical villain in the 1970s horror film, The Car (it wouldn't drive into a cemetery because that was consecrated ground, so you can see it was up to no good).Whether it reminds you of a hugely expensive luxury machine, or of Satan's wheels, there's no question that the 300C has bucketloads of presence. During this test it was the car everyone I met wanted to talk about - even, amusingly, when I was at the launch of another car which might be considered a rival and was the one they should have been talking about.They were all fascinated by the looks. I think some of them were caught by the fascination some British motorists still have for American cars, even though UK-spec 300Cs are actually built in Austria.The biggest talking-point, though, was the size, and in particular the enormous amount of space inside. One viewer said her husband had been thinking about buying one and setting up a business to transport guests at weddings and funerals. He may have a point.I wish the ride were better, and I hope Chrysler soon finds somewhere else to put the switch that disables the parking brake. Somewhere you can reach without stretching forward in the seat, for example. But I still like this car, and if you buy it I think you will too. Engine 2987 cc, 6 cylinders Power 218 bhp @4000 rpm Torque 376 ib/ft @2800 rpm Transmission 5 speed auto Fuel/CO2 34.9 mpg / 215 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 7.5sec Top speed 143 mph Price From £27925.00 approx Release date 01/10/2005
Our Rating
