Chrysler 300

Thanks to characteristic styling, powerful performance and the roomy interior, the Chrysler 300 has become popular in the sedan category. Thanks to the V8 engine the 300C trim is known to be an impressive vehicle. This beautiful model is bracketed between another two V6 models that are affordable at the one end and at the other end is the high-performance SRT8.

The Chrysler 300 made its debut in 2004. It was designed to attract consumers that have the desire for personality compared to a regular sedan. The mechanicals underlying the 300 derive from technology used in Mercedes-Benz, and this is an obvious benefit. The style of the 300 is without a doubt American. The beltline, large grille, bulging fenders, doubled-lens headlights and large wheels make the presence of the Chrysler strong on the road.

The wheelbase is 120 inches and this shortens at the front of the car and overhangs on the rear. This way it provides plenty of space for the occupants inside the car. The dimensions of the cabins are generous no matter how you look at it, and with the Chrysler 300 there is more legroom compared to most of the competitors. The interior design of the 300 many would say simple, but it is also elegant. The dash combines luxury, semi-retro and sporty motifs.

The consumer has a choice of 5 Chrysler 300s styles to choose from: Chrysler base, Chrysler Touring, Chrysler Limited, Chrysler 300C and finally the Chrysler 300C SRT8. The base model will probably appeal to the budget-orientated customer because of the vehicle’s low price, but you will probably be suggested to settle with either the Limited or the Touring, because the trim levels on these cars have standard features. The Chrysler 300C and the Chrysler SRT8 are models that are for the performance-orientated. The difference between the two models is the SRT8 is tuned to provide maximum performance.

When one talks power, they talk Chrysler. The base for instance, has an amazing 200 horsepower V6 engine connected to a transmission that is automatic and four-speed. The Limited and the Touring have slightly more horsepower than the base. It has a 250-horsepower V6 engine connected to a transmission that is five-speed. The 300C and SRT8 have a V8 engine, and although the 300C has an amazing 340-horsepower engine, the SRT8 sits at 425-horsepower. The SRT8 has stiffer suspension, the tires and wheels are larger and the brakes are more powerful. Chrysler offers the consumers front and rear-wheel-drive vehicles when considering the 300C and the Limited.

Experiencing the Chrysler 300 behind the wheel, one would say that the 300 is one of the best sedans that have been tested. With the style, the size and the design, the Chrysler 300 retrains its characteristics and could easily be described an American unique. Measured by its efficiency and its responsiveness, the 300 has international quality. For consumers who have become a little wary for rear-drives for the day to day driving, and those in show-filled areas, the 300 was proved suitable enough to take to the road.

By Dennis J James.

Chrysler Parts-A Legacy of Innovation

Chrysler was founded by a man who had a reputation for saving foundering companies. Walter Chrysler rose from the ranks to become the president of Buick. He resigned from his position and was hired by Willy's Overland Motor Company to supervise the rehabilitation of its ailing operations. He did a similar job by turning around the Maxwell-Chalmers Company. In 1925, he purchased Maxwell's assets to form the firm that still bears his name - Chrysler Corporation. Aside from the Chrysler marque, the Plymouth and DeSoto marques were created to cater to the low priced and medium priced ends of the market, respectively. Chrysler acquired The Dodge Brothers Motor Company and by spinning off Imperial as a separate luxury brand in 1955, Chrysler has assembled a five-brand lineup to compete with General Motors, which has a similar offering.

What sets Chrysler Corporation apart from other car manufacturers is its emphasis on automotive engineering rather than styling. Walter Chrysler supported engineering research and continued funding the department even through the Depression era. Because of this, Chrysler cars have been at the forefront of automotive engineering since Chrysler Six, Chrysler's first car introduced in 1924. The Chrysler Six is touted by many as the first modern car, scoring several firsts in the industry such as an oil filter, air cleaner, high compression engine, four-wheel hydraulic brakes, and other advanced Chrysler parts. Innovation also resulted in part from the input of brilliant engineers throughout Chrysler's history who invented those Chrysler parts and pushed the envelope of automotive engineering. The Three Musketeers, a trio of talented engineers composed of Frederick Zeder, Owen Skelton, and Carl Breer set the direction during Chrysler's early years.

The Chrysler Corporation has gone through a series of financial difficulties, but it has always pulled through. The Plymouth and Dodge brands sustained the company during the Depression, when its introduction of the world's first aerodynamic car, the Airflow, proved a failure. National recession again put the company in the red in 1957 but continuing innovations like the now-standard unibody helped the company recover. The 1970's proved costly to Chrysler. Its big investment for a new full-body lineup went down the drain as demand for large vehicles plummeted during the first gas crisis in 1973. It was saved in turn by a spike in sales of its old but smaller compacts. Unsuccessful product launches and the second gas crisis would have killed Chrysler if not for the 1 billion dollars the government loaned in 1979 to bail out the company. With Lee Iacocca at the helm and with a new trio of talented car designers, the Gale-Herlitz-Creed team, Chrysler steadily recovered and became once again, a dominant force in the American automotive industry. in 1998, Chrysler merged with Daimler Benz to form the DaimlerChrysler AG company.

The Chrysler history is one in which innovation holds the key for long-term success. The passion for upgrading, refining, and looking for ways to improve Chrysler parts and Chrysler as a whole is what the company is all about. Chrysler parts like the air filter, transmission modulator, torque converter, and brake systems all contribute to make Chrysler what it is today. A car, after all, is a sum of its parts.

By Catherine Covarubias.