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2002 Chrysler 300M Special by Grant Yoxon For $3,405 over the $41,065 base price of the 300M, a limited number of buyers - only 500 300M Specials will be available in Canada - receive a serious luxury and performance upgrade. Only side air bags are optional.
Chrysler's big sport sedan gets a boost
When the former Chrysler Corporation introduced the re-engineered LH series cars - the Intrepid, Concorde and LHS - for the 1999 model year, a new model based on the same 113 inch wheel-base chassis, the 300M, joined the lineup. Although its name would certainly attract attention from 40-something buyers who could recall the legendary 300 letter series cars of the 1950s and 60s, the 300M was not simply a retro marketing ploy. More importantly, the 300M added something at the top end of Chrysler's model lineup that was missing, a sport sedan.
The car was well-received by auto writers, who applauded the handling ability of such a large sedan, but also by North American buyers. In its first year, the 300M outsold its more overtly luxurious sibling, the LHS by nearly 2 to 1. The LHS nameplate was dropped after the 2001 model year, replaced by the Concorde Limited.
Chrysler showed what the 300M could have been at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in November 1999, revealing a 300M Special concept car that sported low profile tires on 18 inch wheels, a slightly lowered suspension, thicker sway bars, larger brakes, dual exhaust and "ground effects" lower body cladding. For the concept, the 300M's new all-aluminum 3.5 litre V6 was souped up to achieve the benchmark 300 horsepower that the original 300 letter cars possessed.
Numerous other features differentiate a 300M Special from "ordinary" 300Ms: automatic reversing exterior mirrors with signal repeaters, an enhanced electronic vehicle information centre with tire pressure monitoring system, high intensity discharge headlamps, 240 km/h speedometer, unique "carbon fibre" trim instead of woodgrain, brushed aluminum sill plates, premium "Waterfall" leather seats and 360-watt "Infinity II Spatial Imaging" sound system with four-disc in-dash CD changer and 11 speakers in nine locations.
Even a base 300M is a well-equipped car. Both models, base and Special, receive Chrysler's Memory System which includes personalized settings for the driver's power seat adjustments, power heated exterior mirrors and radio station presets for two drivers. The driver's seat is eight-way power adjustable, with a manual driver's lumbar adjustment, while the passenger seat is six-way power adjustable.
Seat heater controls are located out of sight on the outboard side of the seat, next to the power seat controls where it is impossible to find the setting you want - high or low - or turn it off without pulling over or waiting until the next red light. Better that the seat heater controls were placed in a visible location.
The standard sound system in the 300M is a 240-watt, nine-speaker Infinity system with in-dash CD player. The 300M receives a 360-watt system with four-disc in-dash changer and 11 speakers.
The 300M is a big car with big car interior space. There is plenty of room for drivers of all sizes and three adults in the rear. Edmunds.com recently listed the 300M among the top ten passenger cars for interior room.
Yet, the 300M doesn't look like a large car. Even though it shares the same 113 inch wheel base with the Concorde and Intrepid, the 300M is 252 mm (9.9 in.) shorter than the Concorde and 150 mm (4 in.) shorter than the Intrepid.
It is surprising then to find that the 300M Special, at 1656 kg (3650 lbs), is heavier than either of its corporate cousins. And it takes quite a bit of power to move this much weight.
The engine also feels somewhat unrefined. Part of the problem is in the transmission - a four-speed automatic with "AutoStick" manual shift feature. Power doesn't build in a linear, progressive fashion in response to throttle input. To get the 300M Special moving briskly requires some concerted effort with your right foot and a double down-shift from the transmission which might return more power than the occasion requires.
I found that manually shifting the transmission worked best, preventing the double down-shift and premature up-shifts. But this is the Jekyl and Hyde of transmissions. In automatic mode, up shifts are quite lazy, but in manual mode they are as solid and abrupt as an old four-speed manual behind a V8. I found myself wanting something in between.
The 300M Special is equipped with performance brakes - stiffer front calipers, outboard-vented rotors and higher-performance linings - with ABS and low speed traction control. With the performance tires neither ABS nor traction control is particularly useful in the conditions for which they were designed to work, although dry pavement braking is excellent.
Road feel is good, perhaps more than you'd expect from a large car like the 300M - and for some, it may be a bit too much road feel. The ride is firm, even a bit rough as you hear and feel every crack and ridge in the road. But in fairness to the 300M Special, too much comfort would detract from the handling capability of this large sedan.
Technical Data:
Grant Yoxon is an Ottawa-based automotive journalist and managing editor of CanadianDriver |
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