I like to think of myself as a laid back kind of person but one thing that really gets my blood boiling is to hear Americans whinging at the prospect of having to pay three dollars for a gallon of petrol. Don't they realise how fortunate they are, to be able to drive around in extravagantly powerful cars without having to foot a significant bill? It seems not.

Over here, things are very different. As much as I loved the 6.1-litre Chrysler 300C SRT-8 when I first tested it, the sobering fuel figure that emerged from my calculator at the end of the week was a meagre 18mpg. Admittedly, a lot of that was through urban areas but it still didn't make pretty reading. That's why the 300C CRD diesel model makes a lot more sense.

If there was ever an automotive equivalent of 'Through The Keyhole', the 300C CRD would make a fascinating case. Who, indeed, would drive a car like this? On the exterior it's about as flamboyant as a four door saloon car gets but under that bonnet, or perhaps hood, is one of the most eminently sensible engines around. It's also one of the best engines around too. Generating 215bhp, it'll haul the big Chrysler to 60mph in 7.6 seconds and on to a top speed of 143mph. Thanks to that massive 510Nm of torque, it doesn't feel significantly slower than the 6.1-litre 'Hemi' V8 when you're up and rolling. Perhaps the most telling fact about the muscle power of this car is the fact that it hails from Graz in Austria, rather like one A.Schwarzenegger.

Even with that amount of torque, 1,928kg of car takes some shifting but the engine never sounds strained or harsh. The direct injection unit is very linear in its power delivery and the turbocharger gets going from very low engine speeds. This means that even while trickling about town, letting the engine and gearbox do all the work for you, you'll still return reasonable fuel consumption figures. Chrysler claim an average of nearly 35mpg for this car but possibly an even bigger attraction is the asking price.

"The real kicker is that that sticker price.."

This looks like a £35-£40,000 piece of hardware and parked next to a BMW or Audi that costs this much, the Chrysler will draw more admiring glances. The real kicker is that the sticker price is just £27,495 on the road for the saloon and only £1,000 more for the Touring estate. That's about the same as a decently specified BMW 320d. I know what I'd rather have. Find another £5,000 and stretch to the SRT-Design variants and you can even have some of the top SRT-8 version's 'street racer' appeal.

With this car, Chrysler aim to 'bring some passion back to the E-segment, with a great looking, well-equipped, competitively-priced car.' They don't see the Chrysler 300C competing directly with the big German brands - which is quite right. Apart from anything else, at under £28,000, the 300C is nearly a third cheaper than these saloons. Instead, the marketeers in Milton Keynes say that prospective customers are looking for a practical alternative with good fuel economy and interior space but don't want to compromise on looks or outright performance.

But as with any fashionable purchase, there's a danger of it getting left behind as the market moves on. Hence Chrysler's attempt to refresh things with a few well judged nips and tweaks. Outside, there are changes to the rear fascia and rear light clusters. The rear saloon boot lid is also restyled and now incorporates an integrated spoiler and high-mounted stop light. Inside, there's a fresh instrument panel and centre console design, highlighted with satin silver bezels. Soft touch surfaces on arm rests and door panels and a darker interior colour offers more of the kind of feel you'd get in a prestigious German alternative. Other changes include an ignition key with one-touch start-up, a fully adjustable steering wheel and LED lighting that extends to the front cup holders and front and rear door pockets. In addition, seat-mounted airbags have been added to the front and side-curtain airbags to the rear.

Standard features on the Chrysler 300C include Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and an all-speed Traction Control System, front and rear side-curtain airbags, xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps, rain-sensing windscreen wipers and a rear park assist system. Air-conditioning and heated leather driver and front passenger seats also come as standard on all vehicles in the range. In the UK, the car is covered by Chrysler's three-year, 60,000 mile warranty.

Like most American models, the handling isn't quite up to the standard of its key European rivals. The steering is somewhat vague and the handling soon lapses into safe and predictable understeer. This isn't surprising given the weight in the nose, but it does make the 300C feel a little stodgy, an impression backed up by the nautical levels of body roll the car displays if the driver gets a little enthusiastic at the tiller. Despite this relaxed attitude to cornering, the ride quality is surprisingly garrulous. If you drive this car in a straight line, it will feel sporty - which is enough for the domestic market but may not satisfy customers here.

The basic design of the fascia is clean and rather Spartan, but the execution leaves a little to be desired. You'll forgive it, however, when you get that turbocharged V6 spooled up. The five-speed Mercedes-sourced automatic gearbox slurs between the ratios nicely, the engine's broad spread of torque helping here. You'll be grateful for rear parking sensors when you need to reverse it into a parking bay though. The high rear shelf limits rearward visibility and you're left with a vague approximation of the 300C's extremities.

Next time I hear an American moaning about fuel prices, I'll have a little chuckle to myself and calm my soaring blood pressure by thinking about what a deal we've got on their Chrysler 300C CRD. Not sold in the US, this is a car we can keep to ourselves.

TOP 4 300C DEALS

The results below show the top 300C deals on buyacar

	Chrysler 300C 3.0 V6 CRD SRT Design 4dr Auto Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £577	Saving £7,115	Price £24,699
	Chrysler 300C 3.0 V6 CRD 5dr Auto Touring Estate
	ETR	Mthly £502	Saving £2,113	Price £25,786
	Chrysler 300C 3.0 V6 CRD 4dr Auto Saloon
	ETR	Mthly £527	Saving £6,670	Price £20,250
	Chrysler 300C 3.0 V6 CRD SRT Design 5dr Auto Touring Estate
	ETR	Mthly £594	Saving £2,536	Price £30,012

typical 12.32% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000