2012 Chrysler 300C Pricing and Specs Released..

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Gezza1er

Don't know if anyone cares but I work at Chrysler Jeep and Dodge in Perth and we got one of the 300c SRT-8 in I had to do the Pre Delivery on it and then My foreman went for a drive in it with me and i have to say for a heavy car the thing goes bloody well. and it handles surprisingly well. if i had the money i would have one but i don't so.... The only ting i don't like is the rear end it reminds me of a Bentley Continental. IMO

Now this is what I'm talking about...it might be a big solid car but to some buyers, that makes it a car of substance..

[HLC]

The back end is real nice, but that front. Crook.

[Gezza1er]

Originally Posted by HLC

The back end is real nice, but that front. Crook.

Really I don't mind the front end and with the day time LED's it dosen't look too bad. i feel as if the way the rear is it makes the rear look thin but with that much power most people will be seeing it as a blur as you plant your foot to the floor(SAFELY) But that's what i think anyway.

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Problem is a lot of people probably believe it to be true. Just like the people who claim the current I6 is basically a 1960 XK engine with a few changes.

its an inline 6, must be the same.... right?

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

its an inline 6, must be the same.... right?

Usually goes "it shares the same bore centres, so must be basically the same".

Just don't mention it doesn't share a single part. Even the AU 6 doesn't share a single part with FG.

[jpd80]

The 300 is a more polarising style with people either liking or hating the front or back of the car,
in some ways that makes the car stand out more in public instead of bland non-offensive mush.

[csv8]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Usually goes "it shares the same bore centres, so must be basically the same".

Just don't mention it doesn't share a single part. Even the AU 6 doesn't share a single part with FG.

It does..the wheel nuts..

[russellw]

Originally Posted by Wretched

You can confirm the servicing won't be good? Got facts to back it up?
It really can't be worse than what the locals provide anyway.

Yes. Having been through the ownership cycle with the SRT8 their warranty support is worse than either of the traditional big two and the dealer service experience is considerably worse. Finally found a half way decent one but it shouldn't have been that hard.

Someone at DCA needs to learn to convert US pounds into kilos - the quoted weights on the Australian web site had better be wrong (between 2167-2341 kg) as they don't match the US specs that put them closer to 1800-1900 kg which is what I'd expect.

As they read the power to weight ratios are horrible:

300C V6 - 10.48 kg/kW
Falcon G6 LE - 8.87 kg/kW

300C SRT 8 - 6.64 kg/kW
FPV GT (315) - 5.82 kg/kW

Working on the US weights:

300C V6 (1814 kg) - 8.24 kg/kW
300C SRT8 (1983 kg) - 5.71 kg/kW

They are well equipped for the money; the styling is a matter of personal taste but I mostly like it and it will be interesting to see how the performance number stack up here.

Disappointing that the 5.7 is missing from the line up - it was nice middle ground between the SRT and base models and the 4-tiered model line up defies logic when there is very little difference between Limited and the 300C - I guess they are aimed at XR/G6 and then G6E with the Luxury.

Will be interesting to see what happens.

Cheers
Russ

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by russellw

Disappointing that the 5.7 is missing from the line up - it was nice middle ground between the SRT and base models and the 4-tiered model line up defies logic when there is very little difference between Limited and the 300C - I guess they are aimed at XR/G6 and then G6E with the Luxury.

A 5.7 limited would have been very interesting, I wonder why they didn't do it..

[nstg8a]

probably the same reason ford dont...

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by csv8

It does..the wheel nuts..

He was talking about the engine.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by jpd80

A 5.7 limited would have been very interesting, I wonder why they didn't do it..

Every second Chrysler I look at currently is a 5.7.
Not sure why they don't have it in the new one.

I might have a look at a new srt8. Would be good to have new and old side by side in my garage

[Rodge]

U.S. weights quoted by Russ above are correct, see Chrysler N.Z's website

http://srt.co.nz/sites/default/files.../SRT_WEB_0.pdf
SRT8 is 1979 kg's dry, that's a not insignificant 191 kg's more than a FPV SC GT measured with a full tank of fuel at 1839 kg's by Autocar N.Z. (68 litres x 0.75 kg per litre = 51 kg's of fuel so GT's weight is approx 1788 kg's dry). SC GT-P weigh's a bit more with its 6/4 brembo's, so circa 180 kg's difference between SRT8 and Sc FPV GT-P.
Engine is made in Mexico and assembly of the vehicle is in Canada.
Deep cherry red looks like a very impressive colour.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

probably the same reason ford dont...

Or maybe they felt that the diesel option is more in sync with Aussie buyers...

[TMC]

I'd love a 6.4L one. In some ways they've captured the essence of the 1950's Chrysler 300's that preceded the Valiant in 1962.

That V8 is a cracker. I bet it'd go well with some forced induction.

[mik]

i saw an ad on the telly with the new 300 driving towards the camera in the darkness, it looked quite good.

[that guy]

Originally Posted by russellw

Someone at DCA needs to learn to convert US pounds into kilos - the quoted weights on the Australian web site had better be wrong (between 2167-2341 kg) as they don't match the US specs that put them closer to 1800-1900 kg which is what I'd expect.

As they read the power to weight ratios are horrible:

300C V6 - 10.48 kg/kW
Falcon G6 LE - 8.87 kg/kW

300C SRT 8 - 6.64 kg/kW
FPV GT (315) - 5.82 kg/kW

Working on the US weights:

300C V6 (1814 kg) - 8.24 kg/kW
300C SRT8 (1983 kg) - 5.71 kg/kW
Russ

Just read on another forum (http://hemi6pack.com) that the quoted weights are GVM and is in the process of being changed.

Cheers, Damo

[RASER]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I'm more interested in the VM Motori 3L V6 diesel engine, they've been covering it in the last few editions of diesel power magazine, very good engine.

Indeed, and the Falcodore have nothing to pitch against it, u really have to ask why those 2 never offered a diesel, they could sell a few thousand a year at the right price, in particular the ute models

[RASER]

Originally Posted by jpd80

A 5.7 limited would have been very interesting, I wonder why they didn't do it..

Its coming next year, just a short delay

[csv8]

The AWD version would be interesting..

[Ben73]

The SRT8 Front grill looks better then the all chrome grill on the first page.
Much better.
I seen a few of the new 300's in the USA early this year. They look better in the flesh.

[V3RSAC3]

Originally Posted by Ben73

The SRT8 Front grill looks better then the all chrome grill on the first page.
Much better.
I seen a few of the new 300's in the USA early this year. They look better in the flesh.

I'm going today to have a look and compare them with mine, I hope they do look better in the flesh, because the photos make them look bland!

[Ben73]

I'll also be going down to my local soon to have a proper look.
What engine do you have in your current 300?

[V3RSAC3]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I'll also be going down to my local soon to have a proper look.
What engine do you have in your current 300?

I have the 3.5Ltr V6 and with Extractors, Hiflow Cats, SRT Exhaust with Borla Mufflers and Resi's and a Predator Tune and it will eat the 5.7 HEMI that my mates have. It's a strong engine.

I went and looked at them just then and they are fantastic in person!! I have photo's that I'll upload later. I spoke to the dealer and he said they probably won't be bringing in a V8 in the Luxury range because there's not a huge power difference with the new 3.6Ltr V6.

The leather also isn't as comfortable as ours but in general it's a nicer finished car.

[SLVR GT]

Time to trade the GT me thinks..

[RPO83]

Originally Posted by Gezza1er

Don't know if anyone cares but I work at Chrysler Jeep and Dodge in Perth and we got one of the 300c SRT-8 in I had to do the Pre Delivery on it and then My foreman went for a drive in it with me and i have to say for a heavy car the thing goes bloody well. and it handles surprisingly well. if i had the money i would have one but i don't so.... The only ting i don't like is the rear end it reminds me of a Bentley Continental. IMO

From a distance yes it does catch you out for a second, I've had it work the other way where people have said I have a nice 300C!

This iteration will do well for Chrysler in Australia, the pricing is sharp, the package and toys look very reasonable and their marketing department can actually promote cars quite well. The only thing i'd do is distance the car from the sinking domestics.

[Rodge]

I know a couple of members are seperatly evaluating the new SRT8 tomorrow, Grunter and myself. I'll post a review afterwards with a special focus on how it compares to my SC GT-P in terms of handling and performance.

[mik]

Originally Posted by Rodge

I know a couple of members are seperatly evaluating the new SRT8 tomorrow, Grunter and myself. I'll post a review afterwards with a special focus on how it compares to my SC GT-P in terms of handling and performance.

good stuff , looking forward to it Rodge !

[Rodge]

Copy and paste of a post I made in the SC section for those in the pub that may be interested.

Weather was dry here, salesman was a former John Andrew Ford one that I know from days gone by and I knew I could have some latitude with driving it enthusiastically, so I was locked an loaded. Here's my review, hope you guys enjoy it.

2012 CHRYSLER SRT8 DRIVE REVIEW

The last few months has seen a bit of chatter on here regarding the extensive kit and technology in the new
Chrysler's and questioning whether this new model will be a formidable competitor for the established large car
manufacturers.

I guess I was as surprised as many others by the pricing and technology and curious as to how the car comes together
as a package. Curiosity got the better of me and I decided to have a look.

I have to somewhat sheepishly confess I went into this with pretty low expectations, have to put my hand up and
admit I evaluated the previous model with its diesel engine way back in 2007 when we were looking for a luxury
cruiser and found it the consummate "American Tank" entirely unsuited to the very hilly area we live in with its one
thousand and one corners and bumpy pot holed roads.

So how would the new model with its adjustable suspension cope with what are ostensibly conditions it wasn't even
expressly designed to handle ? Average at best was my initial pre-determined thinking and besides the styling is so
retro and hideous they should almost be handing out free boxes of airline vomit bags to all buyers, or so I thought.

As you can see I went into this with a mixture of things I liked, (all the technology at such a gob-smacking
reasonable price), but some genuine reservations. How does it compare to my SC GT-P ?

I decided to rate the two cars with points for each section dependent on how relatively important I feel each aspect is
to the others, very subjective I know and of course everyone will have their own theories how important various
aspects of the two cars attributes are in relativity to each other which if given different weights would naturally give
a materially different result.

First Impressions / Exterior Styling (Maximum 10 Points)
Sitting on the showroom floor was a brand new un-driven black one all shined up and looking much better in the
metal than I had imagined it would. Somehow the front of the vehicle didn't look so bad with its deep spoiler and
led's shaping around in a C shape, the black matt grille looked substantially less prominent than the OTT chrome
ones in other models and the rear spoiler enhanced an otherwise slightly awkward angular rear profile. Okay, no
need for the vomit bags then.
Exterior Styling 5/10 (SC GT-P 7.5/10)

Interior Fit and Finish (Max 10 Points)
Extremly well appointed, (I'll post a link to another gentleman's video review and he really goes into it in great detail
and there's little further value I can add to his review), other than to mention the appointments and technology I
especially enjoyed.
In terms of the interior fit and finish I noted a well shaped bulky race style steering well, very soft to touch and with
excellent feel, (heated of course), excellent for getting a good handle on things on cold winter mornings like the one
experienced today, real carbon fibre trim, nappa leather seats, heated ventilated and cooled, well padded with decent
amounts of lateral support, sort of halfway between the soft ones of a GT-E and the very firm supportive seats of a
GT-P. Certain to be a good compromise that I'm sure most people would find extremely comfortable and
supportive.
Leather surfaces were nappa, perforated, with suede inserts I'd prefer nappa leather all round but hey we're all
different. Leather dashboard door tops and from memory leather on some other surfaces was a nice touch but
definitely not in the same class or quality as top line Euro's, but a great effort nonetheless and certainly a first in this
price category for any large car here. A noticeable squeak made itself known on the drive which leaves assembly
quality and tightness of the interior fit and finish as an open unresolved question.
Score 8.5/10 (SC GT-P 7.5/10)

Technology and Equipment Maximum 15 Points (Stereo Scored Separately)
See this Gentleman's extensive video commentary on the features of this car.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRkzk4lE490 What can I add to that ???
Well unless you've been beamed back in time or travelled back on the Delorian you'd have to be most unreasonable
to possibly expect Chrysler to cram more technology in to the car than they already have.
I noted, (very, very deep breath), bi-xenon headlights, which are directional, self levelling and auto high / low beam,
adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, adjustable suspension, adjustable heated, cooled and ventilated seats
with multi adjust-ability every which-way including two position memory settings, heated and cooled cup holders,
powered steering wheel with a high level of adjustment, ambient lighting, standard reverse camera, 8.4 inch touch
screen with excellent clarity quick response, excellent fast acting GPS system with live real time speed and a range
of other latest technology items the list of which is frankly just stunning. There's heaps more technology than what
I've mentioned, see the link to the video review for an in-depth look at the STR8. Technology and features are
easily the Chrysler's strongest aspect and frankly is makes the kit in an FPV quite spartan by comparison.
Score 15/15 (SC GT-P 10/15)

Stereo (Maximum 5 points)
I rank this separately as its important to me and is the primary form of on-road entertainment unless my wife
happens to be in a co-operative mood, but best we don't go there
19 Speakers, Harmon Kardon, need I say more...just go and listen and prepare to blow your ear drums to bits

Score 5/5 (FPV 2.5/5)

Engine / Driveline / Handling / Braking / Performance Strap yourself in and be prepared for a surprise. Brief Drive review:-
So we eased off into the traffic and the characteristic Hemi burble was humming away, hmmm, not too bad I
thought. Get to the first corner and hello where's the characteristic American tank handling AWOL that's where, it
just didn't exist. Nice...on to the motorway and its cruise time, lest have a play with that adaptive cruise, set up for
100 k.p.h. and set to number two of the three different distance settings which is two seconds to the vehicle in front,
brilliant easy cruising, very comfortable, adaptive cruise reacts brilliantly when someone pulls into the two second
gap I've set and brakes firmly but not too uncomfortably so as to re-establish the required gap with the minimum of
fuss and no effort on my behalf. Very quiet, acoustic glass all round so I'm told. Very nice experience so far.
Smooth shifting from the five speed auto gearbox that's an adaptive unit but by any stretch of the imagination its no
match for intuitiveness of precision of the six speed ZF in the FPV cars. Finally we get to some twisties that I'd been
driving towards for ages, a favourite eight kilometre stretch of black-top that's pretty close to where I live, this will
be where the suspension is found out surely ???

No lets be fair to this car I'm thinking to myself, into the touch-screen menu and select the sport mode suspension,
(which makes a noticeable difference no question) and also speeds the accelerator and transmission response, so
were into it and is where's the excessive body roll I was expecting AWOL again, simply not there, where's the
bumps unsettling the suspension through the corners, nope, no problems there...there's got to be some archilles heal
surely ????, well there sort of is, there's the extra 190 kg's of weight to contend with which makes itself known when
flicking between a series of corners, changing direction is not quite as good as the FPV, turn in not quite as good
either, well balanced through the corners though and holds a good line and the chassis seems to cope well with the
smooth linear delivery of 340 odd kw's of good old Hemi muscle and then there's the characteristic good old Hemi
sound that many of us including myself love. Importantly body roll is no more pronounced than with a SC FPV
which was a genuine surprise to me.

Four pot brembo's all round with decent sized slotted, (not drilled) rotors provided good stopping power but I prefer
the fantastic feel and superb ability to modulate out the braking power accorded by the FPV's six pot Brembo's
which are materially better in my opinion. All in with its ability to materially change the suspension settings to
convert the Chrysler into a very capable luxury cruiser, (which is if people are really being honest with themselves
and few really are, is how they drive the vast majority of the time), you'd have to give the suspension handling thing
as a win to the Chrysler mainly as a result of its decent really comfortable but still well controlled ride in the normal
suspension setting and not materially inferior handling in the firm setting as compared to the FPV. Now there's the
big surprise of the review right there !! A win overall for the ride / handling / suspension in the Chrysler, well I'll be
dammed. Brakes and performance are a narrow-ish win to the to the FPV and the drivelive a resounding win to the
incumbent performance hero as the 6 speed ZF is light years ahead of the ageing five speed box in the Chrysler.

So scoring this section separately -Performance 20 pointsSTR8's a big heavy car powered by a fantastic and raunchy 6.4 Hemi engine. 0-100 and quarter mile times are very,
very similar as has been reported in the many reviews and any difference in outright performance between this, the
SC FPV and the F6 is truly splitting hairs stuff in outright acceleration terms but the forced induction FPV pair have
on-road performance anywhere, any revs, any time that the Hemi can't match and in addition the Hemi is saddled up
with a not inconsiderable weight disadvantage. I rate the performance aspect of the Chrysler as very good at 16/20
and the FPV pair at 18/20.

HandlingSorry due to its adjustability and the ability to provide very comfortable almost limousine type ride in the standard
setting I have to be objective and give this as a very marginal win to the Chrysler, I accept others may have a
different call on this but my FPV is a daily and 90%+ of its use is just regular city driving so comfort and versatility
as far as I am concerned is a valuable virtue. SRT8 8.5/10 FPV 8/10

Driveline / GearboxSRT 2/5 (FPV 5/5)

BrakesSRT8 4/5 FPV fitted with 6/4 Brembo's 5/5

Value for MoneyAny way you slice and dice it what we have here is the classic outcome of the efficiencies of world wide mass
manufacturing vs small niche manufacturer who can't hope to compete on a value for money basis.
There's almost ludicrous level's of kit and technology in the Chrysler much of which has previously been the
preserve of high end Euro';s costing several times the price.
Its impossible to score the Chrysler at anything less than 10/10 in this regard.
Does that make the FPV cars bad value for money ? I'd argue not. There unique blend of extra hard performance,
lighter weight, slightly crisper handling when pushing on and good level's of kit in area's that count for serious
performance motoring hasn't previously been available elsewhere in the market for the money asked.
I still rate the FPV cars as fair to good value for money. 7.5/10

Resale and Servicing Maximum 10 points.
Six monthly servicing requirements for the SRT8 are something of a surprise these days..
Resale value for the Chrysler brand has been a real bloody shocker historically and as resale value in particular and
servicing costs to a more limited extent are really major factors that affect the overall cost of ownership over a
typical three year ownership cycle I rank them as quite important considerations.
FPV SC V8's are not cheap to service by any stretch of the imagination but at least its only once a year and resale
according to Red book and my own experience has been very, very good.
On the other hand I'm rating the Chrysler's resale and servicing costs very low based on my perception of how I think
that will turn out but acknowledge this is a very subjective area and there are bound to be very wide variances in
people's opinion.
SRT8 2/10 FPV 8/10

God's honest truth I haven't added this up as I go so what have we got.
Chrysler SRT8 76/100 SC vs FPV GT-P 79/100So there you have it, its very, very close, much closer than I thought going into this. The Chrysler impresses as an
extremly well equipped and capable vehicle fitted with a vast array of latest technology that would make a superb
grand tourer or every day city ride and all at a very reasonable price for a large car. If you like its styling and are
prepared to accept the shortcomings of the ageing gearbox then my advice would be "Don't Hold Back" otherwise
waiting till the 8 speed ZF's on board will result in quicker acceleration, better fuel economy, (ZF are claiming a
whopping 14% improvement for this box compared to traditional five speed auto's) so with its variable cylinder
management (which is a bit of a pain in the backside to be honest in its operation), we could see the combined cycle
fuel consumption of the SRT8 drop from 13L/100 km's down into the low-mid 11's !!Interesting that it would only take a minor change in perception to something like exterior styling or re-sale value
and any other prospective buyer could easily have the Chrysler as the lead contender. As such, I'd suggest in my
opinion the SRT8 poses a serious and highly credible alternative to the established Australian performance cars.

Interestingly by my own scoring if the widely rumoured 8 speed ZF becomes available on the SRT8 next year I
would have to change the relative scoring on the gearbox driveline to 5/5 for the Chrysler and they'll then be a dead
heat at 79 / 100 each !! If I were then to extrapolate the above comparison by factoring is some scoring for fuel
economy I could have the Chrysler as the lead contender myself and that's before factoring in the enhanced real world performacne the better box would confer. My brand loyalty may be very seriously challanged next year.

Unsurprisingly I'll be re-evaluating the SRT8 when the new gearbox is released. By then my car will be 2 1/2 years
old and I'll be approaching the 3 year typical change-over period. Keeping my powder dry till then. Hope you've
enjoyed my review. Please be kind, this has taken a lot of time and I'm not a professional writer and have never
pretended to be so take it easy with your critique.
Cheers.

[mik]

well done Rodge, top review ! i think there is going to be a lot of these on the road, i like it.