<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"connection was going to help or hinder its development. We left off with the question of cost. Could Chrysler build a better 300 without raising the price? The answer is yes they can.   Designers and engineers of the all-new 300 are thumbing their noses at the old Chrysler. Once a company that favored cutting costs and improving profits by squeezing quality, style and performance out of their cars, they are now vigorously putting it back in. They&amp;#039;ve significantly improved the car and kept the price almost exactly the same. The base 300 is actually less expensive, at $27,995 (including destination), but considerably more of a car. If you were looking at a 300, now&amp;#039;s a good time to pick up an old one at a heavily discounted price; dealers probably can&amp;#039;t wait to get them off the lot to make room for this new version.   The 300 is Chrysler&amp;#039;s bread and butter. It is unique for its rear-wheel-drive architecture, large size and reasonable price. This all-new car continues in the footsteps of the previous generation, but is seemingly improved everywhere. Increased use of high-strength steel makes for thinner A-pillars and a stiffer chassis. The unibody is an evolution of the previous structure, but with significant changes, the most noticeable of which is the windshield that&amp;#039;s been raked back by an additional three inches. Suspension now comes standard with monotube shocks and better isolation bushings on stiffer and lighter hydroformed subframes. A electrohydraulic power steering system is more fuel-efficient, and on cars equipped with the touring-tuned suspension gain a 25-percent quicker steering ratio for a more sporting drive.           Same Price\u2014Better Car   It&amp;#039;s a simplified lineup for 2011. Available are the V-6-powered Chrysler 300 ($27,995), 300 Limited ($31,995), or Hemi V-8-powered 300C ($38,995) and 300C AWD ($41,145). The V-8 is the same 5.7-liter pushrod unit making 363 horsepower and 394 lb.-ft. of torque that was previously available. It maintains its cylinder deactivation technology that allows it to seamlessly switch between running on four or eight cylinders. The Pentastar V-6, however, is now the only V-6 in the Chrysler lineup. The new all-aluminum 3.6-liter makes a more than adequate 292 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. Unfortunately, the W5A580 5-speed automatic transmission continues on for all models, although we believe an 8-speed automatic is in the works for 2012. As it is, the V-6 300 should be good for a city/highway EPA rating of 18/27 mpg. Want that fuel efficiency and the comfort of the V-8 300C? Upgrade a 300 Limited with the Luxury Group option for $3250. There are only two other option packages\u2014a premium Alpine audio system upgrade or SafetyTec Group, available for all but the base model. The SafetyTec features go beyond the standard front, curtain, side, and driver&amp;#039;s knee airbags, and include adaptive-forward lighting, HID headlamps, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, blind-spot detection, front and rear park assist, exterior mirrors with integrated turn signal and approach lamps, and rain-sensing wipers.   You might be wondering about navigation. Although the new 300 is standard with an 8.4-in. touchscreen, only the V-8-powered cars get the nav system as standard. The 300 Limited can be upgraded, but not the base 300 model. The only other significant single option is the panoramic dual-pane sunroof.           Image   One of the biggest changes to the 300 is its looks. A new Liquid Chrome finish covers the grille&amp;#039;s seven blades, in contrast to the updated Chrysler wing badge set on a bright chrome surround. Gone is much of the car&amp;#039;s blocky styling, with a more aerodynamic shape in its place. Attention was paid to minimizing the wheel gaps, that space between the tire and fender lip. It was reduced by 8 mm, and the all-wheel-drive model that previously sat higher than necessary is now lower than a car equipped with 20-in. wheels and comes with 19-in. all-season tires. That should make for a much more appealing all-wheel-drive 300C.   Two suspension calibrations are available, Comfort and Touring. Comfort is standard, while Touring is available on cars equipped with 19- or 20-in. wheels. All 300s have improved performance, though, thanks to suspension improvements that incorporate a more sporting geometry with -1.0 degrees of front camber and -1.75 degrees in the rear. If the 300 drives like the new Dodge Charger, with which it shares a platform and components, the all-new 300 will drive smaller than it is.   Most drivers won&amp;#039;t focus on the improved driving dynamics at the dealerships, but instead on the real wood inlays, refined soft-touch interior plastics and uniform Blue Sapphire lighting. They might find the 300 quieter, too, thanks to a serious effort to deaden road noise. Body-cavity-filling foam, triple door seals, acoustic wheel-well liners and composite underbody panels all work to absorb sound energy in the new car.           We thought the new 300 had a chance before we&amp;#039;d learned the new car&amp;#039;s price. Now we&amp;#039;re confident it will do well. But what about reliability and build quality? Thankfully, Chrysler has addressed those issues by investing $20 million into the Brampton Assembly Plant near Toronto. The money went to a Metrology Center that verifies production consistency, so that the first and last car off the line will be the same. But before the first car was even produced, a new Perceived Quality team focused on making the design better by benchmarking against other manufacturers. One example of this is the steering wheel&amp;#039;s diameter, thickness and feel. It&amp;#039;s similar to that of a more expensive German luxury car. But most significantly, Chrysler has tested the 300 in the real world, subjecting the new car to 50 percent more reliability test miles than before. It looks as though Chrysler has worked hard to make the 300 a better car. If only they&amp;#039;d made these changes two years ago, maybe they could have kept out of bankruptcy. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-shows/detroit-auto-show/news/a16883/2011-chrysler-300/>