Chrysler 300C   Women's view

Chryslers 300C Executive Saloon Is A Big Bruiser Of A Car. June Neary Found It An Enjoyable Experience

Rarely have I come across a car that so obviously wasnt designed for female consumption. A Mafia boss maybe. Me and the family, no. For that, I rather liked the Chrysler 300C.

To be frank, Im rather sick of cars that, in pandering to the needs of families end up rather patronising them. This one is its own hunk of very macho metal and the more I looked at it, the more I liked it.

The 300C is not an especially easy car to manoeuvre about and I was grateful for the rear parking sensors when I needed to reverse it into a parking bay. The high rear shelf limits rearward visibility and youre left with a vague approximation of the 300Cs extremities.

Even with that amount of torque, 1,928kg of car takes some shifting but the engine never sounds strained or harsh. The direct injection unit is very linear in its power delivery and the turbocharger gets going from very low engine speeds. This means that even while trickling about town, letting the engine and gearbox do all the work for you, youll still return reasonable fuel consumption figures. Like every American car Ive tried, the handling isnt quite up to the standard of its key European rivals.

I thought the steering to be somewhat vague and the slow-witted handling does make the 300C feel a little stodgy, an impression backed up by the nautical levels of body roll the car displays if the driver gets a little enthusiastic at the tiller. Despite this relaxed attitude to cornering, the ride quality is surprisingly garrulous. If you drive this car in a straight line it will feel sporty which is doubtless enough for the US domestic market.

Chrysler claim an average of nearly 35mpg for this car but possibly an even bigger attraction is the asking price. This looks like a £35-£40,000 piece of hardware and parked next to a BMW or Audi that costs this much, the Chrysler will draw more admiring glances. The real kicker is that the sticker price is just £26,250 on the road for the saloon and only £1,500 more for the Touring estate. Thats about the same as a decently specified BMW 320d.

I know what Id rather have. Standard features on the Chrysler 300C include Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and an all-speed Traction Control System, front and rear side-curtain airbags, xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps, rain-sensing windscreen wipers and a rear park assist system. In the UK, the car is covered by Chryslers three-year, 60,000 mile warranty. Stretch out in that generously proportioned cabin and crank up the excellent Boston Acoustics stereo while ticking off the standard satellite navigation, air conditioning, heated seats, full leather trim, adjustable pedal set and so on.

Youd need to tack a good £5,000 onto the cost of its German rivals to get anywhere near this. Suddenly the deal looks a whole lot more tempting.