- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
6.1i, 8 cyl.
- Engine Power
317kW, 569Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (98) 14L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Chrysler 300C SRT-8
Beautifully bold
With fuel prices making headlines, you'd think it would be a good time to be selling something small and efficient.
But one company is bucking the trend. Despite the gloom at the bowser, Chrysler's 300C - about as big, bold and politically incorrect a vehicle as you can get these days - is going gangbusters, seizing almost 30 per cent its market segment since its launch last year.
Having given Holden's Statesman and Ford's Fairlane/LTD something to think about, Chrysler is setting after the local performance divisions, HSV and FPV.
The 300C SRT-8 (SRT for Street and Racing Technology, 8 for the number of cylinders) is the second SRT-fettled Chrysler to reach our shores.
On paper it's a tantalising prospect. For $71,990, or about what you'd pay for a HSV Senator or FPV GT-P auto, Chrysler throws in more power (a mammoth 317 kW from the 6.1-litre Hemi V8), the biggest rims and rubber in the business, and a well-rounded standard specification, from Brembo brakes and curtain airbags to heated power seats and stability control.
Then there's the SRT-8's knockout style, which - in a segment in which modified-taxi visuals, if we're to be brutally honest, are the norm - could prove to be the biggest lure.
Step inside and the SRT-8 appears the same as other 300Cs. But there are differences, such as more supportive, power-adjustable sports seats, chunkier leather-shod steering wheel and unique suede trim.
Otherwise, it's business as usual, which is a good thing in terms of space and comfort but not so impressive when it comes to style and quality. The blocky dash design and cheap-looking centre-console layout certainly aren't state-of-the-art. And don't go looking for a full-size spare because even the 300C's under-boot cavity can't fit the 20-inch wheels.
The SRT-8's performance is hugely potent, which isn't surprising given its power and hefty 569-Nm of torque.
The big Chrysler surges forward with authority and a generous helping of traction control to quell wheelspin. Rolling response is swift and strong from 1000 rpm, yet the Hemi engine is willing to spin right up to its 6000 rpm rev limit. Sounds suitably serious too.
The standard five-speed auto is an excellent dancing partner, offering smooth shifts and manual shifting with a simple tap of the gearknob left or right.
Fuel consumption is heavy around town. We averaged 18-19 L/100 km of premium in city driving, but combined urban/highway running returning more acceptable 14s.
It's worth noting the SRT-8 is not fitted with the fuel-saving cylinder deactivation system of regular 300C V8s.
Despite its sporting bent, the SRT-8 maintains much of the standard 300C's loping, relaxed feel. Typical urban irregularities are telegraphed faithfully at low speeds and there's a chunk of tyre noise too, but the Chrysler absorbs the vagaries of B-grade back roads with good grace.
It's also capable of heroics when whipped along twisty tarmac, though even the amazing grip and low levels of body roll can't disguise the sensation that you're punting something big and bulky. The steering is precise and well-weighted but lacks the sharpness you'd expect of a true sports chariot.
We've already described the SRT-8 in these pages as something of an AMG Benz on a beer budget, and after a more in-depth assessment that description stands. For the V8 sports sedan buyer raised on a diet of local fodder, it could prove very tempting indeed.