Review of the new Chrysler 300C SRT Design

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 engine model makes so much more sense to so many people. The best news is that you can get that engine with SRT looks in the shape of the 300C SRT Design model.

If there was ever an automotive equivalent of 'Through The Keyhole', the 300C SRT Design 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, just 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 claims an average of nearly 35mpg for this car but possibly an even bigger attraction is the asking price.

"The real kicker is 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 around £32,000 in SRT Design guise and only £1,000 more for the Touring estate. That might sound expensive but where else can you get some of the top SRT-8 version's 'street racer' appeal?

With this car, Chrysler aimed 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 around £30,000, the 300C looks great value next to 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.

Standard features on the Chrysler 300C include Electronic Stability Programme (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. Climate control air-conditioning and heated leather driver and front passenger seats also come as standard on all vehicles in the range as does an excellent Boston Acoustics stereo. The SRT Design model adds a chrome mesh grille, lowered sports suspension, the multimedia infotainment system with sat nav, SRT-branded leather seats and a leather steering wheel.

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 talkative. 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 SRT Design. Not sold in the US, this is a car we can keep to ourselves.