Inside & Out:
It's a cliché, prejudiced by generations of American metal, but the Chrysler 300C is a big car. A really big car. The spec sheet tells us the vital dimensions are close to those of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, but in reality the proportions suggest it is far larger than that. Which, along with the 20-inch alloys and extrovert chrome detailing, probably accounts for why the 300C is quite so imposing on our roads. Be in no doubt, you'll stand out from the crowd - we're just not sure if that's really a good thing or not.
One thing that is good though, is the space inside. Aided by doors that swing open a full 90 degrees (this is rare, trust us) and a seat and steering wheel combination that slide apart to aid ingress and egress, the 300C feels no smaller from the cabin. There's room wherever you stretch, your passenger seemingly located in the next time zone, and the boot holds a useful 481 litres too. Of course it's not all picture perfect, and the Chrysler is let down by some of the detailing (garish Garmin-based satnav), ergonomics (an awkwardly placed foot-operated parking brake) and low-quality materials (the wood-effect trim).
Ride & Handling:
You never fully forget that the 300C is a very large car; threading it through tight British country lanes at anything approaching a convincing speed is something of a challenge. There's little feedback from the steering, which requires plenty of turns to cajole into reacting, making it hard to place the car perfectly in the corner. It seems the 300C would agree with us, our test example consistently flashing up a collision warning when rounding any bend lined with hedgerow, walls or trees.
Ignoring any electrical glitches for a moment, the feel-free steering is joined by considerable body roll, and there's no denial of this car's near 2,150kg kerb weight from behind the wheel. Even on the motorway, a habitat this car's roots were designed for, it feels hefty (especially on the all too common narrow lanes during sections of roadworks). And though the soft ride proves perfectly comfortable, those large alloys thump and crash over sharper imperfections.
Engine & Transmission:
A five-speed automatic gearbox is something of an antiquated technology these days, especially in the luxury saloon sector; most of this car's rivals have at least six speeds, many up to eight. And to some extent that does hamper things slightly, though in truth each cog swap is completed with acceptable smoothness and speed.
But speed is not what this car is about, despite the official 7.4-second 0-62mph time. Sure it'll pick up its skirts and trot off into the distance at a convincing rate, but deep down the 300C is much more relaxed than all of that, and even quick prodding of the throttle highlights a delay to the reactions. At least the 3.0-litre V6 unit itself is smooth and refined, throughout the rev range - even if it can't match the urge of some of its rivals.
Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:
It's clear the 300C can't compete with its likely alternatives for quality, driving dynamics or to some extent its looks, so as with the previous version this Chrysler needs to offer something else. It should be no surprise that that something else is value for money. Don't get us wrong, nigh on £40,000 is a lot of cash, even for a large executive saloon like this, and pound-for-pound doesn't drastically undercut the big BMWs, Mercs and Audis.
But what it does do is offer a host more standard equipment. Our Executive model came with an 8.4-inch colour touch screen display for the audio, satnav and climate functions, keyless entry, leather seats, a rear-view camera, ventilated front and heated rear seats (and a heated steering wheel), adaptive cruise control, a panoramic glass roof, active pedestrian protection, heated and cooled cupholders and adaptive bi-xenon lights all as standard. In fact, only the pearlescent paint and Harmon Kardon audio system bumped up the 'as tested' price.
Even the 39.2mpg economy figure is acceptable, though many of its competitors can beat the 191g/km CO
2 emissions with ease. The biggest killer is likely to be depreciation: the previous model shed value like a stone on the UK used market.
