7 February 2011
Low, wide, clean cut and a powerful presence, it's no wonder parallels are commonly drawn between Soprano-esque mobsters and the 300C's appearance; and when Chrysler introduced the head-turning sedan to the New Zealand market late in 2005, it made no secret of its intentions to 'muscle in' on the relatively unchallenged sales of Fairmont and Calais.
Now with the introduction of the 300C SRT8, Chrysler have taken out a contract on Kiwi's staple performance brands and are gunning for the likes of Ford's FPV or Holden's HSV range.
The SRT8 stands over similarly priced competitors with an intimidating stance, and firepower to back up the image. It is the most powerful car available in New Zealand under $100,000 delivering 317kW @ 6000 rpm from its 6.1 litre Hemi V8, peak torque is 569Nm @ 4800 rpm.
SRT (street and racing technology) is Chrysler's high performance tuning division, and its all about go rather than show with the SRT8, the chrome adornments of the standard, more executively dressed 300C have given way to 'Louisville slugger under the tracksuit' looks with the SRT8.
Aggressive 20-inch wheels, subtle boot spoiler and darkened tail lamp lenses add to the vehicle's street-savvy brawler attitude, the interior has been upgraded to feature hip hugging sport seating with attractive suede inserts, chunkier steering wheel, revised facia colour treatments and straightforward, sporty instruments.
Should you ever grow tired of conducting the roaring V8 symphony with your right foot, a booming 322-watt, 13 speaker sound system is incorporated, including a mirror shaking subwoofer on display in the boot.
At 1888 kg, it's less portly than the standard Hemi 300C, and SRT specific, Short/Long arm suspension (front) has lowered the ride height by 38mm and improved the handling with little compromise to ride comfort.
Time constraints on the day of the SRT8's launch meant only a very brief drive was available; the vehicle devastated straights and was notably more confident and engaging through corners. The competent five-speed auto has been reprogrammed to hold ratios in manual mode and downshift when the driver sees fit.
Even with the vehicle's electronic stability program switched on, the torquey wiseguy under the hood has no trouble 'roughing up' the rear tyres with a brief flooring of the throttle.
To keep the muscle in check however there's massive 360mm vented brake discs up front and 350mm vented discs on the rear, the discs are gripped by vice-like, four pot Brembo callipers all round.
The sonorous V8 has a longer piston stroke; higher flow cylinder heads, increased compression ratio of 10.3:1 and drinks fuel through larger injectors than the standard Hemi 5.7. Being a performance application, the SRT8 has dispensed of the smart cylinder deactivation system as used on other Hemi engines in Chrysler's line up.
Purchasers will require a true love of the deep burbling exhaust note and exhilarating acceleration the 6.1 litre V8 offers, outweighing the inflated fuel expenditure they can undoubtedly expect.
Standard safety features include multi-stage front and curtain airbags, ABS with brake assist (BAS) electronic stability program (ESP) and high intensity discharge headlights. The SRT8, at $82,900 carries a $13,000 price premium over the 5.7 litre 300C but the level of kit it picks up for the money is impressive.
You'll feel like a 'made man' behind the wheel, could that be the point of difference that rubs out the competition? Time will tell, but one things a certainty, after one drive and you won't be able to 'fugedaboutit'!