New Chrysler 300 debuts

Chrysler unveiled its "all-new" 300 sedan at the 2011 NAIAS Detroit motor show, treading carefully with the design that played a major part in putting the US company on the map in Australia.

Presenting the latest version of the 300, Chrysler brand president and CEO Olivier Francois said the new model "symbolises the greatness Detroit-designed vehicles offer the streets, highways and boulevards of the world."

Some might not agree wholly with the sentiments, but the 300C certainly did a good job of bringing the essence of US cars back to Australian roads from the moment of its Australian launch in 2005.

With a new interpretation of the familiar mafia staff car look incorporating sharper lines, bulging wheel arches and reinvented front and rear ends, the Chrysler manages to look new while retaining its basic, intrinsically American character.

Almost as a matter of course, the Chrysler adopts the familiar LED daytime running lights and taillights.

No data appears on the press release for the new 300, but it can be assumed the dimensions are essentially similar to the current model. Keeping with the more chiselled look, Chrysler has nonetheless improved the driver's field of vision through thinner roof pillars -- widening the view by a claimed 15 per cent. Aerodynamics have been enhanced by reclining the windscreen around 76mm.

Inside, Chrysler says it has put a lot of effort into upgrading quality -- something questioned by the local press.

In an interior said to be a lot quieter (there’s around 2.5 metres of acoustic insulation and double-glazed windscreen and front side glass), the choice of materials is reportedly a lot classier than the current model. The seats are all-new and are claimed to offer greater comfort.

Underpinning the Chrysler is a reworked suspension that has lowered the ride height by 4mm, while the tighter wheel arches are filled by even bigger, 19-inch wheels.

The company is said to have spent more than a billion dollars on the 300's E-Class Benz-derived chassis, which undoubtedly helps justify the claims of its being all-new.

New to the 300 is an all-aluminium 3.6-litre V6 developing 218kW and 396Nm and delivering improved fuel economy to the tune of around eight per cent. It is 16 per cent more powerful than the previous 3.5-litre V6 and produces slightly more torque.

The 5.7-litre HEMI V8 remains, of course, justifying itself with 271kW of power, zero to 100km/h acceleration in around six seconds and the Fuel Saver cylinder shutdown system that helps improve light-throttle economy.

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