THE GT335 competitor 300c SRT8 is going to be cheaper...

[chopstar87]

Well this could be good news or bad news. (hoping good news)

The pricing of the 2012/3 300c SRT8 has been announced - its $66k+ on roads which is cheaper then a GT335 or HSV Clubsport R8.

The 300c has more Power (on the badge anyways: 347Kw & 631Nm) plus more equipment. So hopefully this new competition may get FPV on reducing the pricing on the GT335 and could be a reason behind the $68k driveway price been advertised by FPV themselves.

- the 300c SRT8 ran 0-100km/h in 5sec flat in the WET! so this has serious go in a Straight line.

Some standard Equipment:
-19 speaker 900w stereo (Harman Kardon)
-Heated and Ventilated Front Seats
-Heated Rear Seats
-Heated and Cooled Front Cup holders
-Sat Nav
-Paddle Shift
-Leather
-Keyless Entry
-Adaptive Cruise Control
-Blind Spot Monitoring

More Competition, hopefully means better prices and better Equipment levels and better performance (Panther??)

Is the SRT8 a Threat to FPV GT??

[mcnews]

For sure, perhaps if the looks grow on people a bit.

[XWGT]

I think it has a reputation for poor handling to overcome (which I beleive the new model has improved on significantly), a reputation for poor quality and finish to overcome (no comment either way) and the ugliest looks in history to overcome (seriously.......that front end.....gawdddddddddddd)

But it has a 6.4 HEMI which cant be a bad thing, and a stereo worthy of a G4nG5t4 rapper coupled with heated and cooled seats........

If it only spurs FPV to turn up the boost and intercool the existing V8, then I think its a great thing!

[Benny D]

dont they also have the 8speed auto? double that of my btr :/

[XWGT]

Originally Posted by Benny D

dont they also have the 8speed auto? double that of my btr :/

No I think the SRT only gets a 5 speed, yet the lower versions get the 8 speed.

[Road_Warrior]

Only the petrol V6 gets the 8 speed.

[bangm001]

I love my fords/fpvs and up until recently have accepted that they are low on technology due to the awsome engines and power they make.

But to stay in the game IMO we are well oversdue of some serious tech toys to keep up with what many people have had for years and with other newer makes such as this one.

I have been for a drive in the new 2012 jeep grand cherekee (TD) and it had bloody everything from electric opening boot (and closing), blind spot indicators, front and reverse sensors, front and reverse cameras, GPS, massive sun roof, heated and cooled seats etc etc. I was very suprised and taken back, my feelings are that it has become very "mercedes like" and alot of the tech from their cars has gone into the chryslers.

What ford/fpv need to do now is take the best of them and make it standard. I always used to think of heated seats as a gimmick. My wifes car has them and I rarely drive my car when we are together in the coldest parts of winter as it doesnt have them! LOL! Soft i know but we now need to catch up a little. We have the engines, now time for some tech toys!

[mcnews]

Agreed, part of the main reason I went GTE over GTP was that the E gets a lot of niceties that should be standard across all models in my opinion, but you can't even get as options in the other models... But still the lack of heated seats etc. and a lot of the nice touches that are par for the course in their price segment in other brands is troubling.

[VICFPV]

Dear FPV

Please take note of the interior option list and lift your game. Or will start losing buyers very soon.
You have a great car in making but need better interior options.

[GTPete]

Paddle Shift... Yes please FPV

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by GTPete

Paddle Shift... Yes please FPV

Surprising they haven't done something with this sooner. The tech is there, and they had buttons on the steering wheel for this purpose in the AU-T series days.

[Rodge]

Yeah I reckon it is a threat. Provided one can get their head around the highly controversial looks, reputation for extremly poor resale values, antiquated 5 speed gearbox and questionable quality control, (some would argue even more questionable than FPV), then there's no question the new SRT8 offers a huge amount of interior kit and technology that's missing in any FPV.

Add to the list the Op presented, Adaptive suspension and Playstation G Force graphics on an 8.4 inch touchscreen, excellent sports seats with proper looking lateral support and so on....

Has anyone got the significant amount of time or stomach for it to go through the SRT8's full spec sheet and detail everything that's there that's not in any FPV, I havn't got either and suggest it would be too depressing.

Cylinder deactivation for increased economy at freeway speeds, a better coefficient of drag at 0.32 are othe rthings that quickly come to mind and they are adding the ZF 8 speed box next year to this model just for good measure FFS.

Thank God for small mercies though, they are just soooooo UGLY I doubt I could ever own one.

[Grunter]

I did Roger. You don't want to go there.

I am and have been quite anti FPV regarding what you get interior feature wise, especially on the GTP and GTE, But damn don't the engines and ZF gearbox make up for it!!

But you can't blame FPV for missing all the goodies. They can only reasonabily work with what Ford has given them.

[stazza]

I reckon it will sell like hotcakes.

Look how crap HSV's look and they sell way too well.

[Rodge]

Originally Posted by Grunter

I did Roger. You don't want to go there.

I am and have been quite anti FPV regarding what you get interior feature wise, especially on the GTP and GTE, But damn don't the engines and ZF gearbox make up for it!!

But you can't blame FPV for missing all the goodies. They can only reasonabily work with what Ford has given them.

Well said.
Copy of my post in the Chrysler 300 thread in the pub section

Rodge Handling looks like it could be better and its a real porker in the weight department.
Car Advice review http://www.caradvice.com.au/181202/chrysler-300-review/

[Iggypoppin']

It all looked good till I saw that face. I just couldn't stomach owning that, for all the good things it has.
And am I blind? No manual option? Going to miss out on sales to FPV and HSV for sure.

[I8hsv]

Arnt these things made in Mexico?? Think I'd rather have a Fpv or hsv to be honest American cars Handel like xd falcons I'd have the motor though

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Iggypoppin'

It all looked good till I saw that face. I just couldn't stomach owning that, for all the good things it has.
And am I blind? No manual option? Going to miss out on sales to FPV and HSV for sure.

Well in my view it looks 1000% better than the last one, the last one looked bloody stupid. And this one has a much nicer interior.

But...that kerb weight? Uhh, yeah.

This is from Chrysler's Australian website. Maybe they made a mistake in doing the lbs/kgs conversion. Then again, maybe they didnt

6.4L V8 SRT8® HEMI® MDS petrol engine 2,307 - 2,424

[monts351]

Just had a look at the SRT8, one thing is certain, even without glasses or contact lenses in that car is very very butt ugly.

[BeansNoMore]

I've just looked at the Chrysler website. Am I missing something but Sat Nav doesn't seem to be standard or even an option. Plenty of other goodies though as already discussed.

[Redrum]

Ugly unless you want to look like some sort of pimp my ride. Also yank cars are really lacking in the quality department... you get what you pay for

[Polyal]

Are you suggesting the quality of a FPV is better than a new 300C?

The older one did get hammered a bit for the interior...not for what it had or what the layout is like but simply the plastics were/are to hard. That was the only real complaint from what I can tell and it is clear the new version has made a massive effort to correct this.

I personally would like the 1st gen styling with the 2nd gen powertrain and interior.

Styling is all to personal. I think its great because it is different...and does stick the finger up. Is it a GT competitor? Well depends on what you prioritize. Some people like HSV's balls out style, some like FPV's subdued styling...all to ambiguous.

Auto GT buyers will defend the GT buy saying that the 300 handles like poo, which unless someone has done a back to back test they cant really justify anyway.

It will give the locals a shake up I think, and thankgod, they have had it to easy for to long. IMO it will hopefully force the issue with "one ford" and get some more tech into our Falcons.

Im tipping there would be a % of GT/GTP/GTE buyers out there who dont track their car, dont even go hunting for a nice bit of road and dont even cae about their FPV drive day..they just want the king of the hill V8 sedan. This would appeal to them because the fact that the GT can pull 0.0001 more of a G on a skid pan means veyr little in the real world...more so in one that is forcing us to drive with Miss Daisy in the back.

[PHawk]

Originally Posted by I8hsv

Arnt these things made in Mexico?? Think I'd rather have a Fpv or hsv to be honest American cars Handel like xd falcons I'd have the motor though

Yep, Comes with a severed head as an optional extra!

[Rodge]

Poyal - I test drove a Chrysler 300C when i was looking for a cruiser.
They really do have sloopy handling, a guy I know from the early days had one of the earlier SRT8's which handled a bit better and his personality was a good fit for the style of the vehicle if you know what I mean...anyway he was gutted something awful when he wanted to trade it out on something better.

At one stage I hear you just couldn't get a price off any wholesaler in N.Z. for second hand Chrysler 300's, nobody wanted them period....no idea what resale has been like in Australia but i'd imagine its a broadly similar story.

At least with FPV and HSV they have an established following, albeit its a small niche, with the Chrysler's its a microscopic niche so its a case of God help you if you want to get out somewhere down the track and they've fallen out of favour like the first model did, (assumes they even find favour in the first place), talk about a face only a mother could love

$5,000 extra for a diesel engine which is slower than the 3.6 petrol looks OTT but being objective about it, at least they give you the option of a diesel with decent outputs.

Thing is though with this new Chrysler, it really shines a very bright set of xenon's on how far behind FPV are with their interior appointments, a fact that's exacerbated by the fact that lots of this technology is widely available within the Ford brand. Just have a look at the kit in a Mondeo Titanium and that's a model that's about to be replaced !!...

People looking for a tech rich performance cruiser can hardly be blamed for spitting the dummy with FPV can they, how many of us have been banging on about lack of current technology for how long now....and as long as they always approach their SRT8 from the rear they might be able to live with the rest of the styling.

[GT 160]

Im a big fan, loved the old one as well even considered one over the GT but the GT won out on $ at the time.

I agree that hopefully FPV/HSV etc lift there game interior wise as that has been my biggest gripe with the GT the interior is absolute pants.

Honestly though to 99% of buyers handling, performance and 1/4 mile times mean jack when it comes to vehicle purchase.

Its all irrelevant on the school, work and grocery run which lets face it thats where most cars spend there lives but you'd swear by reading this forum that everyone drives at 10/10ths everywhere they go.

[GT 160]

Originally Posted by Rodge

Poyal - I test drove a Chrysler 300C when i was looking for a cruiser.
They really do have sloopy handling, a guy I know from the early days had one of the earlier SRT8's which handled a bit better and his personality was a good fit for the style of the vehicle if you know what I mean...anyway he was gutted something awful when he wanted to trade it out on something better.

At one stage I hear you just couldn't get a price off any wholesaler in N.Z. for second hand Chrysler 300's, nobody wanted them period....no idea what resale has been like in Australia but i'd imagine its a broadly similar story.

At least with FPV and HSV they have an established following, albeit its a small niche, with the Chrysler's its a microscopic niche so its a case of God help you if you want to get out somewhere down the track and they've fallen out of favour like the first model did, (assumes they even find favour in the first place), talk about a face only a mother could love

$5,000 extra for a diesel engine which is slower than the 3.6 petrol looks OTT but being objective about it, at least they give you the option of a diesel with decent outputs.

Thing is though with this new Chrysler, it really shines a very bright set of xenon's on how far behind FPV are with their interior appointments, a fact that's exacerbated by the fact that lots of this technology is widely available within the Ford brand. Just have a look at the kit in a Mondeo Titanium and that's a model that's about to be replaced !!...

People looking for a tech rich performance cruiser can hardly be blamed for spitting the dummy with FPV can they, how many of us have been banging on about lack of current technology for how long now....and as long as they always approach their SRT8 from the rear they might be able to live with the rest of the styling.

Don't forget that "World Class ZF"

[MAGPIE]

Cracks me up all you FPV owners slagging the 300 for it's looks, have you looked at your raccoon eyes recently.

Lots of people complain about FPV's looking underdone, lots complain that HSV's are over the top, opinions are like a-holes everyone has one.

Just because you don't like the looks of the 300 doesn't mean everyone does.

[ras351]

I think the SRT8 model actually looks pretty good, much better than that white base model in the car advice review. A black SRT8 would actually be quite nice and that interior leaves FPV for dead.
The only thing that turns me off the car is the 5 speed auto but I guess with all that torque for around town cruising and cylinder deactivation on the freeway it wouldn't necessarily need 6 or even 8 gears. Although an 8 speed would be nice.

[Erko]

definately a huge threat imo....these sell for like 48k in the states. interior, refinement and quality is miles ahead of FPV.

[FPV8U]

The 300 SRT is a Grange competitor on paper at a R8/GT pricing, that's the only cross over, I don't mind the looks of it and I'm betting they will sell quite a few, a 6.4L V8 is going to be right up alley of a lot of the traditional HSV buyers, it may cost a handfull of FPV sales but I think it's going to poach more red team sales to be honest.