Chrysler 300C Touring Range
Darwin was really onto something when he came up with the theory of natural selection. Although its tough to fault his logic, as a spectator sport, evolution makes crown green bowls look a hot ticket. In nature we have to wait thousands of years before finches develop beaks to reach a certain plants nectar. Aside from the obvious question of whether they know theyre being short changed in the interim, its not something that we can see developing in our own lifetimes.
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Perhaps a word or two of explanation is in order. It was only about seven or eight years ago that the estate car sector was looking very much like an evolutionary dead end. It was the Neanderthal being ruthlessly wiped out by the Homo Sapiens that were the MPV-style vehicles. Nobody was interested in a car that didnt feature flippy spinny seats, multiple cupholders, auxiliary power points and a whole host of jaunty lifestyle promotions to push it out of dealerships.
Over the space of a few years, the penny finally dropped. There was nothing preventing any of these features being built into an estate. Whats more, customers would have all this practicality, a place to stow luggage and a driving experience not radically removed from that of a conventional saloon or hatch. Suddenly driving around in a high-sided vehicle that looked more like something youd queue up at for a 99 with flake looked about as appealing as, well, quadripedal walking.
Estates have become big business. Whats more, smart designers have found ways of making them look in certain instances even better than the salons and hatches that spawned them. The fact that Chryslers 300C Touring doesnt is a compliment to the striking styling of the saloon rather than any deficiencies in the penmanship of an estate version, but its nevertheless a very neat job. This car shares the same specification and engines as the hugely successful 300C saloon but adds striking estate proportions to create what, in its makers eyes is one of the best-looking estate car on the road today.
"The 300C Touring is, if anything, even more impressive looking than the saloon"
Apologising in advance for an awful pun, that may be stretching it a little, but the 300C Touring shares the same bluff front end that has the ability to scare outside lane dawdlers onto the hard shoulder. Its the same metalwork back to the windscreen pillars but beyond that all of the panels are different, ending up with a neatly integrated set of wide windows and tailgate. Whats more, this is no lifestyle sportswagon that serves up less carrying capacity than the car its based on. With the rear seats in place, the 300C Tourings load area holds 630 litres of cargo, compared with the saloons 504 litres.
With the rear seats folded down, cargo capacity rises to a monstrous 1,602 litres. In case youre wondering, thats better than established class benchmarks like the Audi A6 Avant and Saab 9-5 Estate can manage. A rear cargo organiser and cargo cover are also included to keep luggage safe and sound. Two engines are offered.
The big gun is the 5.7-litre Hemi unit costing £34,800 in this guise. With this powerplant, history comes as standard. Chrysler first C300 was launched way back in 1955, fitted with a 5.
4-litre hemi (named after the hemispherical combustion chambers) engine. Billed as Americas most powerful car, the 300 cleaned up in various road racing events including Nascar and the Mexican Carrera Panamerica. Fast forward to the modern day and the 300C offers Chryslers third iteration of the hemi powerplant. Its not an inherently efficient engine design, the shape of the combustion chambers and pistons combining to fire a good deal of unburnt fuel down the exhaust, but it is most certainly characterful.
Still, Chrysler have pulled out all the stops to make a hemi engine relevant today. A cylinder cut out system switches the engine to four cylinders when cruising under part throttle but even then the combined fuel economy figure of 28mpg seems very optimistic. To appeal to those buyers who cant meet the asking price and fuel bills of the V8 model, Chrysler also offer a 3.0-litre 218bhp diesel which is set to be the best seller in the Range.
This uses the same Mercedes engine as is found beneath the bonnet of a Mercedes C320CDI and costs £27,750. Unless youre a sucker for the petrol V8s yowl at high revs, youll go for the diesel every time. Not only is it quicker, its more economical, emits lower levels of carbon dioxide, will be cheaper to insure and feels a whole lot nicer to drive thanks to some serious torque. When one factors-in the relatively low upfront cost of the 300C Touring, neither of these models, even the V8 Hemi, is going to work out hugely expensive over a typical three-year ownership period.
Used demand looks strong enough to prop up residuals, the only factor to look out for being the one that afflicted the PT Cruiser. That which is instantly fashionable can rapidly become instantly unfashionable. If one was to specify a BMW or Audi to the level of standard equipment that the 300C comes equipped with, the price would got through the roof. Stretch out in the generously proportioned cabin and crank up the 300C V8s excellent Boston Acoustics stereo while ticking off the standard satellite navigation, 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. Evolution has proved to be many things, but one of them is rarely predictability. Whod have thought an American estate car could prove to be a hot ticket? StRanger things have happened.
Its just that Im struggling to come up with one right now.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Chrysler 300C Touring Range
PRICES: £27,750 £34,800 on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 16-18
CO2 EMISSIONS: 215-291g/km
PERFORMANCE: [5.7 V8] 0-60mph 6.6s /Max Speed 155mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [3.0 CRD] (combined) 40.5mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: ABS, stability and traction control, brake assist, twin front airbags, front and rear curtain airbags WILL IT FIT IN MY GARAGE?: length/width/height mm 5015/1880/1462
