/ 2 May 2006

Maybe big is better …

It is becoming increasingly difficult to say anything positive about the United States these days, isn’t it?

Previously, the US’s most vehement critics were the sort of bunny-hugging New-Ageists who despised capitalism, never drank Coke and would rather watch a three-hour-long movie about paint-drying techniques before they watched the sort of skop, skiet and donner movies that Americans excel at making and living by.

Nowadays, however, just about everyone you bump into has a nasty word about the “land of the free and the home of the brave”, and you really can’t blame them. Americans have the worst president the world has seen in a while, who says things like: “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” They have a vice-president who shoots his friends for fun. And they continue to plunder the world’s resources and have even found a way of exploiting their own citizens by illegally tapping into their phone calls, putting forward the oft-used “we’re fighting a war on terrorism” excuse.

Despite the above and the crisis the American auto industry finds itself in, it is still managing to build impressive vehicles.

And their latest contribution, the Chrysler 300C, has been winning awards left, right and centre — including the North American Car of the Year Award, which recently added to its tally of about 39 awards, according to DaimlerChrysler.

In the past year I’ve driven a variety of cars, including some of the most exotic and powerful on offer, but none has attracted half as much attention as the Chrysler 300C. It has an unmistakeable presence and drivers of just about every car, including those who drive the most pretentious brands, were practically gawping at it.

The 300C is a huge car, so the brash, yet classy design works perfectly, and the fact that it manages to look something like a rather stately Bentley from the front makes it even more appealing.

Its aggressive demeanour permeates every aspect of the car, including its performance. My test car had a 5,7 litre V8 engine, which delivers 250kW of power, and 525Nm of torque, which propels the 300C from 0-100kph in just 6,4 seconds.

There’s a definite sense of security in a vehicle as capable and as sizeable as this. Even the huge 18-inch tyres fill the flared wheel arches and gives one the distinct feeling that sometimes bigger is most definitely better.

Inside, it has a somewhat old- fashioned look about it with an analog clock instead of the standard-issue digital clock and it has a very simple, clean layout. Of course, the build quality is of a high standard, and comfort and safety is taken care of with leather trim, electric seats, park-distance control, climate control, xenon headlights, anti-lock brakes, electronic stability programme, dual-stage airbags and much more. The only optional extra is a sunroof.

The other car in the range is the 3,5 litre V6, which sells for R349 000. Both cars come equipped with a five-speed automatic gearbox that allows you to change gears manually when the car is in drive mode.

And while we would like to believe that every car the Americans make would naturally be a gas-guzzler, the V8 300C makes use of a multi-displacement system, which shuts down four cylinders when V8 power isn’t needed. DaimlerChrysler claims this decreases the fuel consumption by up to 20%. However, given the nimble nature of this car and that it’s such an accomplished cruiser, it’s going to be difficult not to constantly put your right foot flat on the floor.

The seamless transmission and more-than-capable suspension makes driving the 300C effortless. It handles most road surfaces with ease and delivers an all-round comfortable ride. Though, given its size, it did prove challenging to negotiate the narrow path around the local fast-food drive-through.

At a very competitive R430 000, the 5,7 litre V8 300C has dropped the gauntlet in front of popular German and other luxury marques. If I was an Audi A6, a BMW 5-Series or a Mercedes-Benz E-Class owner, I would be more than a little intimidated by the cocky new kid on the block.