Test drive Chrysler 300m 1998 - 2004 sedan

European approach

Combining the best qualities of American and European machines in the same model were managed by Chrysler engineers.

Chrysler-300m Chrysler 300M
Back in 1995, Chrysler, literally gushing concepts, showed his needle jazz. And in January 1998, the 300m model debuted at the Detroit car dealership, in which the concept of three years ago was clearly recognized. Chrysler 300m was created on the Concord chassis/LHS; It is produced in Canada (Bramalea, Ontario Province) only with a sedan body and two V-shaped six-luminaires of 2.7 or 3.5 liters, with an automatic four-speed gearbox.

In America, Chrysler is a name. In Europe, for ten years of the official presence (since 1989), he adequately performed in two classes: the Grand Prix became a legend among all-terrain vehicles, and the Voyager became the standard of mini-wan. As for ordinary cars - alas, did not go in the old world neither neo, nor stopwood, nor Vizhna. Correct the situation is designed to CRESTRAL 300M, uniting the virtues of American cars - space, comfort, moderate price, and European - forced motor, dense suspension, sharp steering wheel. So, on our test, a 2.7-liter Chrysler 300m, which costs $ 36,500 in Russia.
This car is not so easy to tie to the European classification: at a price, it is comparable to middle-class D machines (in a similar configuration), in size barely fits into the highest middle class E, and in terms of standard configuration claims to be a place among luxury models of the F-class.
The branded feature of Chrysler is the Cab Forward (the cabin in front) gives the car a peculiar appearance and allows you to increase the volume of the cabin: three people will be located at the back, throwing the leg. Ahead, even with a maximum raised, the seat above the head remains another 70 air.
Along with the open, the salon is amazing with luxury: leather upholstery of the seats - and that in standard configuration! And so that the particular lean does not spoil the image of a luxurious car, the modest velor is displayed in the option and estimated more than the skin. The list of options is short - the second (and last) position is occupied by the hatch in the roof. All kinds of controls, from cruise to the climate, servants of everything and the whole, an audio system with eleven (!) Dynamics- in the standard. The emerging (2: 3) rear seat is not a sign of utilitarianism, but rather a tribute to the possible sports of the owner - skis, for example, transport.
There were also disadvantages. Settling back, you need to take care of the face - the upper part of the door is very littered inside, and the doorway in the back is low. The front passenger can not stretch his legs properly - the cab advancement forward rested on the elements of the suspension and transmission.
We get behind the wheel. The seat has four electrical adjustments and memory for two positions. White scales of devices (in the style of the 50s) transparently hint at the historical roots of the three hundredth. You don’t need to get used to anything - everything is convenient and in place. The selector of the automatic box in shape resembles a crashed cobra, but does not bite and lies well in the hand.
On the road, Chrysler also found no similarity with American cruisers. A fairly rigid suspension does not allow the body to swing and provides minimal rolls in corners, while quite effectively extinguishes blows from the coating defects. The reactions to the turn of the steering wheel are accurate and moderately sharp. A hydraulic power control of a variable of productivity prolongs control as speed grows, providing feedback and information content. However, the performance of the amplifier is small for a car claiming sports: with a sharp rotation of the steering wheel, the force on it is abruptly increasing. Powerful and at the same time soft brakes with magnificent ABS are good.
From a liter of working volume, the American gives out 75 forces-more of the Mercedes E-Class, BMW of the 5th series and Audi A6. Its motor is completely different from a multi -liter American murmur. This is a highly phoned V-shaped aluminum six: she has a very moderate working volume, two camshafts in the head of the block, four valves per cylinder and adjustable inlet collectors. It is located longitudinally and brings the front wheels. However, it is better to evaluate the engine on it.
The motor willingly gaining up to 6500 rpm easily accelerates one and a half -ton car; Excellent dynamics is combined with a moderate fuel consumption (the flight comprehensive comprehensive comprehensive compartment showed an average of 10.2 l/100 km during a test). The machine does not provide sports, economic and other modes - it is adaptive, it independently adapts to the style of the driver. For lovers, the manual mode of Auto Stick (Auto Stick) is provided for fans of the lever of the box: pressing the lever to the left or right forces to switch to one gear up or down. This is especially convenient when braking with an engine and energetic overtaking, since a reduced gear can be turned on in advance. There is no danger to twist or drown out the engine - without waiting for the command from you, the machine will switch on its own, as soon as the engine speed exceeds the permissible ones.
The Russian package for Chrysler -300M is not provided - the roads in the USA are not so strikingly different from ours, like European ones. Therefore, the suspension, with all its density, has very impressive moves, and the tires with a dimension of 225/60R16 mixing to the rim is almost impossible. Modest road clearance in 128 mm

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
General data: number of places - 5; Equipped mass - 1623 kg; full weight - 2100 kg; maximum speed - 210 km/h; acceleration time from a place to 100 km/h - 10.5 s; fuel consumption in conditional suburban and city cycles - 7.8; 11.2 l/100 km; fuel supply - 65 liters; Fuel - unhealthy gasoline with an octane number of at least 92. Dimensions, mm: length - 4999; width - 1890; height - 1422; base - 2870; The track in front/back - 1573/1564; Road clearance - 128; trunk volume - 530 l; The turning radius is 5.7 m. Engine: a six -cylinder V -shaped, with distributed injection, 4 valves on a cylinder adjustable by the intake manifold, is located in the front longitudinal; working volume - 2736 cm; cylinder diameter and piston stroke - 86.0x78.5 mm; compression degree - 9.7; Power - 149 kW/202 l. With. at 5800 rpm; The maximum torque is 258 N.M at 4850 rpm. Transmission: adaptive automatic four -speed with the function of manual control AUTO STIK; Transporting numbers: I - 2.84; II - 1.57; III - 1.00; IV - 0.69; h. X. - 2.68; The main program is 3.89. The suspension is independent, such as McEferson with reptile stabilizers, collected on subframes. Brakes - hydraulic with a vacuum amplifier and ABS, ventilated disk. Steering: rheck with a hydraulic power control variable. Tire size: 225/60R16.

SUMMARY
Chrysler 300m has good chances to conquer the sympathies and wallets of not only Europeans, but also our wealthy compatriots. At a fairly moderate price, he absorbed, perhaps, the best features of cars of two continents: American scope and luxury and European behavior on the road.

+ Spacious salon, rich equipment, good dynamics, a successful gearbox, an energy-intensive suspension and wheels, powerful brakes, the use of 92nd gasoline, a full-sized spare wheel, a long warranty period from corrosion of the body is permissible.

- Invisible hoods and trunk, thick front stands of the body, some inconvenience of landing in the salon, in front is limited in length of the legs, unacceptable etched gasoline, small road clearance. It will be possible to some extent to compensate for the Kevlar protection of the motor compartment (surcharge - $ 150). When ordering a car, select any of the nine options for shock absorbers, eight - springs or at all a sport suspension - harder and lower. Warranty - 1 year or 20 thousand km, for a body (from corrosion) - as many as 12 years! The mileage between that is 15 thousand km.
Yuri Nechetov. Photo by Anatoly Fomin and company

Source: The magazine "Driving"