I like the looks of the GXP alot, that special red paint (Crimson Tintcoat) looked awesome on the test car. The Crown Vic Sport is a nice looking car with the 17" wheels and body colored grill, though the color of the test car made it look abit plain in the test. There is a black one I've seen here in town, it looks pretty good, kind of like a Men In Black car To bad you can't get a Cobra motor in the Sport.

I like the 300C for the most part too, I think it should have something dividing up the big front grill, or a different styled grill with smaller holes.

 

Too bad the bonnie isnt RWD and had a more current pontiac interior . Without cladding , the 18's and new front bumper cover , its a really sweet looking car . FWIW , the SLE's are claddless now too and look just like a GXP without the 18's.

 

Gotta agree with you. There is a Black Crown Vic (ex Police car) around here that someone has added some nice rims and a pair of 5.0 Mustang-ish tail pipes.

Hot looking car.

 

the only reason to order a Crown Vic like the way the did in that comparo is if you're running a private psudo-limo service.

 

Here's the article for anyone hasn"t read it yet:
http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=8429

 

In case nobody has noticed, the hot selling 300C was pitted against two model that are just about dead in terms of sales. Let's face it, the Bonneville GXP is hardly an advance on the deceased Olds Aurora and the Crown Vic Sport LX is even more of a half-a$$ed joke than moribund Mercury Marauder.

If Car & Driver had wanted to organize something other than a "Turkey Shoot," they should have pitted a Chrysler 300 against more appropriate competition. My personal suspicion is that a base 300 would have been spanked by a similarly stripped Crown Vic. (Wouldn't it be a hoot to compare a V8 Ford against Chrysler's wimpy 2.7 liter V6?) I'd also venture that a 300 Limited would be crushed in a comparison against the Infiniti G35.

It's a pity that the 300C hasn't been pitted against a real benchmark car like the Lexus LS430. In terms of size, power and refinement, the 300C is fully comparable to cars like the short-wheelbase Audi A8 and BMW 745i. Sadly, the 300C will only be seen as a Mercedes S-class competitor by the European automotive press.

 

except one problem is....

it would not be a realistic comparisson. Since when does buyer of an $80,000 Audi a8, $90,000 S-Class or $100,000 BMW 745 look at a chrysler?

Maybe the new Imperial coming out sure....

 

redzed, they pitted American v8 sedans against one another. They already did the v6 comparo a few months ago with the 300c. The truth is that comparing the g35 against the base 300c is idiotic. The Chrysler is significantly lower cost and the g35 is a performance luxury car. The v8 300c and the g35 are in the same price class.

 

Back in 1990, who would have comparison shopped between a $75,000 Mercedes 560SEL and a slightly anonymous $35,000 sedan with a slightly bogus sounding name like "Lexus LS400?" Toyota's big "Lexus" turned out to be a Mercedes eater. Putting aside the baggage that comes along with the Chrysler name, the 300C is just as big a breakthrough as the original LS400.

 

1. Road and Track did the V6 comparison, not Car and Driver.

2. You can option a V6-powered 300 up to $34K (not including the AWD option due out this fall). Compare a G35 to a 300, and I think you'll see that the V6-engined 300 is a pretty weak player in the "near-luxury" segment.

3. The G35 starts at $28K+, the Hemi-powered 300C (not the wimpy 300) starts at $33K. Sure the 300C is bigger, quicker...

...but far worse than any G35 in terms of handling and braking.

4. For $33K, a "stripped" Chrysler 300C is unbeatable. Still, the V6 models are pretty dubious buys. There are plenty of cars that are better than a base 300, and $34K for a non-Hemi 300 is excessive even by Cadillac standards.

 

Don't you think the V6 Chryslers should be compared to such cars as the Impala and LeCrosse since they have list prices at the 300 and 300 touring respectively instead of a G35 that has a base price about $7,000 higher and is closer in size to a Chevy Malibu than a Chrysler LX car?

 

I have not seen a g35 for less then 34k. An equally optioned 300c is right in the same ballpark. The v6 is not a weak player in the "near-luxury" segment. It is a weak player in the "near-luxury" performance segment. The v6 is damn near unbeatable as a "near-luxury" family car, and thats all it was ever meant to be.

 

1. I think that the marketing strategy behind the entire Chrysler 300 lineup is pretty confused. Is the base 300 a "Premium Mid-Sized" or a "Full-Sized" car? Is the 300C in the "Near-Luxury" (think BMW 3-series) or the "Luxury" segment (like the 5 and 7-series BMWs)?

Personally, I think the V6-powered 300s offer style and comfort without any real performance or handling advantage over the FWD competition. The non-letter 300 is just perfect for the undemanding souls who'll be trading in LH sedans. I doubt that any BMW 325i driver will consider the dynamically challenged Chrysler, though.

The 300C, on the other hand is just the sort of car that Cadillac should have been producing by now. It really says something when the slower, less spacious STS V8 is just about $15-25k more expensive than the 300C.

2. The Chevy Malibu is just about the same size as the Infiniti G35, but a loaded Malibu is around $3,000 less than a base G35.

 

That "Confused" comment reminds me of that "Crazy... like a fox" saying. It may seem confused, but can't argue with success.

I think that Cadillac is getting to the point where they are simply charging for the name, like BMW.

As for V6 300s, I think what DCX was going for is offering a high styled, well made, well equipted car on a premium chassis for the same price of a simularly optioned Impala or LeCrosse. Since it currently is outselling pretty much every sedan save the Taurus & Impala (only because it's made in a single plant working at full tilt), I'd say it's a successful idea.

 

The jury is definitely out on how well made the 300 is. Chrysler does not have a reputation for high quality and Mercedes could never bring it for a reasonable price. I would not be caught dead in a Crown Vic (maybe arrested) so if I have to pick one of these tubs the Hemi wins hands down, but I would not be surprised if they are rattled to pieces and being given away in the used car market 2 years from now. With that good motor I wonder if we are going to see the 300 become the police interceptor of choice. If so, I will be waiting for the first miled out ones to hit the used car auctions. Wouldn't dream of owning a new one but it would sure make a cool winter car.