NFB: Life is getting interesting, more performance choices on the way

[Joe 1320]

This one has my attention as a "family" car.


http://automobile.auto123.com/en/inf...&make=Chrysler

[02Z28]

ehhhh....that's a nice car, don't get me wrong....it's rated at 340HP with the Hemi in it, but it weighs in at 4046 Lbs!

that's one heavy mutha!

not to mention it's priced at $33,495....for that much, i'd rather buy the 2005 LS2-powered GTO which is rated at like 400 - 405 HP and weighs less (if i'm not mistaken, i believe the GTO is around 3700 - 3800 Lbs...correct me if i'm wrong)

[Joe 1320]

ehhhh....that's a nice car, don't get me wrong....it's rated at 340HP with the Hemi in it, but it weighs in at 4046 Lbs!

that's one heavy mutha!

not to mention it's priced at $33,495....for that much, i'd rather buy the 2005 LS2-powered GTO which is rated at like 400 - 405 HP and weighs less (if i'm not mistaken, i believe the GTO is around 3700 - 3800 Lbs...correct me if i'm wrong)

Um.... the 425 HP SRT8 is:

By the way, in case you were wondering, at 69.8 horsepower-per-liter the 6.1-liter HEMI delivers the highest specific-output of any engine ever sold by Chrysler Group, even more than the 1966 "Street HEMI," according to Chrysler.

And just what will 425 horsepower do to the car's zero to 60 mph sprint? It'll knock about a second off of its time, from just over 6 seconds to the low 5-second range with the quarter mile achieved in the "high
At 69.8 horsepower-per-liter the 6.1-liter HEMI delivers the highest specific-output of any engine ever sold by Chrysler Group. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler)
13-second range," according to preliminary performance targets set by Chrysler.

But hold on. In my initial road test of the 300C I mentioned how it felt much faster to 60 than the 6-plus second rating Chrysler gave it, and commented that I thought the brand was being extremely conservative. Is this conservatism being repeated for the 300C SRT8? Yes it very well could be. Chrysler actually comes clean about real performance figures for the regular 300C in the SRT8 press release, stating the following: "Note that these (SRT8 0 to 60 specs) are extremely conservative, considering that the 340-hp 300C delivered 0-60 in 5.3 - 5.5 seconds." Expect the SRT8 version to break into the high 4-second range when production examples surface.



Read the whole article.

[Fastbird93]

Thank you, I'll be holding out for an SRT? Magnum. That would be a family car.

[Rhode Island Red]

You think that is interesting Joe.. read this http://www.kokomoperspective.com/new/article.asp?6336

“We are also going to have the Charger RT, which will be going into production in 2006, so people can get a feel for what is to come.

The charger to be debuted this weekend

[Dave M]

I read about the SRT8 300C a few weeks ago in Autoweek and fell in love with it then. If I had the money, I'd be first in line for one of those cars. I've loved the looks of them since they came out and now with the SRT8 performance what's not to like?

[markd79ta]

I drove the Magnum R/T about a month ago. It is a really nice car. There were three things that I didn't like about it. I wished there was an on/off switch for the traction/ride control stuff. Additionally, the materials used to build the containers and tubs in the rear cargo area are cr@p. This is kinda petty, but I really didn't like the lever that controls the steering column movement. I felt as though it would break in the first year of ownership. Other then those few things, this car is excellent. I am torn between the utility of the Magnum vs. the styling of the 300C. However, I liked the interior a little more in the Magnum. Anyhow, this new platform is incredible. The front and rear suspension is awesome. For those of us with kids, this car is a great step forward. We were stuck with the '94-'96 b-bodies before these came out. The 6.1 Charger R/T is going to be incredible. I will have some decisions to make in the next few years. I will either get the Magnum/300 or '96 Impala SS and the Charger R/T or a Vette. We shall see...I never looked seriously at a Chrysler product before, but they definitely have my attention now.

[NorthernSS]

Cadillac CTS-V I would wayyyy rather have that over a 300. The Cadillac is a 4 door Vette capable of pulling 1g in the shid pad. Plus Im not a fan of the styling of the 300 cars and I will never buy a Chysler vehicle after the problems I've seen from expierience.

[Coop '02Z]

They are a whole new company from the one that earned that reputation you speak of.

[Rob B (shoebox)]

They are a whole new company from the one that earned that reputation you speak of.

If I remember correctly, Ken posted something a while back about fleet vehicles and the Chrysler brand had the worst maintenance record. Not saying that all cars can be lumped into one category, but Chrysler has a history of putting out high powered vehicles that don't last long. Just saying that everyone should shop wisely.

[Coop '02Z]

Well the long term quality on the new platforms is yet to be seen, but for better or worse they are being very heavily controlled by the German side. I wasn't trying to comment on the quality issues necessarily. Just that they are majorly reorganized now and have potential to do well. Time will tell

[02Z28]

sorry, you're right....i was at work reading the forums in between things to do, and i didn't have time to read the whole article. i just saw the 300C on the first page and threw up the #'s for it....i totally forgot about the SRT-8.

yeah, that would be a nice car to have...but personally, i really kinda like the looks of the GTO better anyway, and if it's true that the traction control can't be turned off like markd79ta said, that would totally suck....

don't get me wrong, the 300C/Magnum are nice looking also, i just prefer the GTO's styling

[Dave M]

From what I remember of the Autoweek article, it said all the electronic guru's like traction and stability control were not nearly as dominering as on other cars. The way I read the article, they did have an "off" switch, but even when turned off they were still subtly working in the background but weren't very noticeable. I'll try to find the article.

[Dave M]

Here's the Autoweek article on the 300C SRT-8. I still love it!

http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=100555

[02Z28]

yeah, i actually just got through reading the article that Joe posted, and it does mention having an on/off switch, so that's not a big deal.

but one other thing, unlike the GTO, you can't get the 300C with an M6 tranny, or even an M5 for that matter....it think the only "manual" option is the auto-stick, which just isn't quite the same.

and yes, i do realize that the GTO and 300C are in two totally seperate classes, and that the 300C is still the better choice for the "family car", in my case, i would prefer the GTO.