Category: Executive 
Price Range: £27,600 to £32,500
Unique image, spectacular looks, lots of character, good Mercedes diesel engine.
Thirsty HEMI petrol engine, rather brash, not actually that roomy for such a huge vehicle.
An executive car like no other - you'll either love it or hate it. We love it.
The front-engined, rear-wheel-drive 300C is a fine driver's car, with its good weight balance, well-contained body roll, direct steering and adept cornering abilities.
It feels its size - and 1800kg-odd weight - but it is nonetheless agile and easy to manoeuvre despite being five metres long and almost two metres wide.
The new-generation five-speed automatic gearbox has a sequential-shift function, though it is responsive and reasonably intuitive in fully-auto mode. Progress through the gears is smooth and quiet.
The 3.0-litre diesel engine (215bhp) has received piezo-electric fuel injection and a particulate filter. It delivers a stonking 376lb ft of torque, giving loads of mid-range pulling power and a 0-60mph sprint time of 7.6 seconds (8.6 seconds for the Touring). Top speed is 143mph (139mph Touring).
The SRT-8, with its 6.1-litre, 425bhp/420lb ft petrol engine, is obviously going to be faster - 0-60 in five seconds and 168mph - but the more relaxed diesel seems more in keeping with the character of the car, as well as offering perfectly decent performance.
The SRT-8, named for Chrysler's Street & Racing Technologies Division, has much stiffer-riding suspension and sharper brakes.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Chrysler 300C
wrote on 10 10 2007