Friday, September 11, 1998 — North Shore News ~ 35

THE new Chrysier 300M is a performance-oriented version of the LHS with a shorter overall length, unique front and rear styling, stiffer suspension and standard

four-speed Autostick semi-automatic transmission.

rys

_ THE Chrysler 300M is
_ anew $40,000 luxury-
performance sedan that
derives its name from
Chrysler’s 300 Series
cars that were produced
from 1955 to 1961.

Those massive coupes and
convertibies had big overhead
valve V8 engines with up to
375 horsepower, as well as
stiffened suspensions, and
improved brakes.

The 1999 300M, howev-
er, shares only the spirit of
the original 300 Scrics. The
300M is a front-wheel-drive,
V6 powered, four-door sedan
with smalier external dimen-
sions and a more proriounced
emphasis on handling than
straight-line acceleration.

Based on the same plat-
form as the recently-
redesigned Chrysler Intrepid
and Concorde, the 300M has
asimilar body style and pow-
ertrain to the new Chrysler
LHS, but is 25 cmt shorter

and has different front and
rear styling. Chrysler shert-
ened its length because it will
be sold in Europe where the
unofficial maximum length
for a large car is five metres.
The 300M’s V6 engine,

Base price: $38,900

Type: four-door, five-passenger
sedan

Layout: longitudinal tront engi
wheel-drive

Engine: 3.5-litre V6, SOHC, 2
Horsepower: 253 @ 6400 rpm

Transmission: four-speed automatic

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ler’s new perit

which it shares with the LHS,
is a new aluminum alloy 3.5-
litre V6 with owvin single
overhead camshafts and four
valves per cylinder. This is a
completely different engine
to the previous 3.5-litre V6
offered in the last generation
Intrepid/Concorde/LHS.

The new 3.5-live V6 is a
bigger version of the 3.2- and
2./-litre V6 cngines offered
in the 1998 Intrepid and
Concorde.

Power is rated at 253
horsepower at 6400 r.p.m.
and torque at 255 foot
pounds at 3950 r.p.m.

Technical data

Autostick
mid-size

Chrysler engineers report this
is more horsepower than the
BMW M3, Ford Taurus
SHO, Lexus GS$300 or
Mercedes-Benz E320.

“To get an engine with
even comparable performance

~ you would have to buy a car

between $56,000 and
$84,000,” said Terry
Gutermuth, Manager of
Chrysler’s Large Car
Platform Powertrain Systems.
“It’s also the only one to
optimally run using mid-
grade fuel.”

Chrysler’s four-speed
automatic Autostick transmis:

Curb weight: 1618 kg (3567 Ib.)

Wheclbase: 2870 mm (113.0 in.)

ne/front- Length

: 5023 mm (197.8 in.)

Width: 2101 mm (82.7 in.)

4 valves

Height: 1422 mm (56.0 in.)
Trunk space: 476 litres (16.8 cu. it.)
Warranty: three years/60,000 kn

i 1st $0
} _ [customers

Le ee oe. ee oe oe

sion is standard. This trans-
mission can be uperated as a
normal automatic transmis-
sion, or as a manual transinis-
sion by moving the shift lever
to. a special gate and pushing
right to upshift and left to
downshift.

The 300M is a better han-
dling car than the LHS
ovcause it has a stiffer (fully
independent) suspension with
front and rear anti-sway bars,
tirmer stecring, and standard
225/55R-}7 inch touring
radials.

An optional Performance
Handling Group package
adds even firmer shock
absorbers, steering, and V-
rated 225/60VR-16 inch
performance tires.

Four wheel disc brakes
with ABS and low spced trac-
tion control are standard
equipment.

For a fairly large, front-
wheel-drive car, the 300M is
flat and stable when corner-
ing, has minimal pitch when
braking, and has no shortage

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Sane

Ca aila

mance sedan

of acceleration power. The
quiet interior is strangely
removed from the sensation
of speed and lareral G forces.

The 300M has a very
roomy interior — basically a
full-sized interior in a mid-
size car. There’s pienty of
legroom and headroom for
frout and rear passcagers.

The dours are big and
wide for easy entry, but the
rounded shape of the rear
door protrudes out towards
the person attempting to get
in.

Standard safety features
include dual front de-pow-
ered airbags and vertically-
adjustable head restraints for
four passengers, but side
airbags are not available. An
anti-theft system is standard.

Just about everything is
included for the base price of
$38,900, such as leather
upholstery, heated cight-way
power front seats with mem-
ory positions, an-condition-

See 300M pay: 38