- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
3.0DT, 6 cyl.
- Engine Power
160kW, 510Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 8.3L/100KM
- Manufacturer
RWD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
2006 Chrysler 300C Touring review
Despite its gargantuan size, the bold diesel 300C wagon is easy on the juice, BRUCE NEWTON discovers.
For families with attitude
Large station wagons have traditionally been a bland tool of trade in Australia. Enter the Chrysler 300C Touring, a passenger car that takes the concept of the station wagon and turns the character up to 11, as the 300C sedan did when it was launched last year.
As with the 300C sedan, people stop and stare; it is the centre of attention wherever it goes.
The bold front-end is shared with the sedan but the sleek rear, with its optional darkened windows, gives it a faster, flashier and more cohesive persona, all set off by deep-bowl 18-inch alloy wheels.
The 300C Touring sits on the same wheelbase as the sedan but is 16 mm longer and 52 mm higher. It shares the same rear-wheel-drive and suspension layouts and has the same choice of engines.
These include the Hemi 5.7-litre V8 and 3.5-litre V6 petrol engines and the version tested here, the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel, which is borrowed from the Mercedes-Benz portion of the DaimlerChrysler empire.
Price-wise, the petrol V6 is the entry point at $56,990 and the V8 flagship tops the line-up at $62,990. The CRD sits in the middle at $60,990.
Of the three engines, the CRD makes the least power. At 160 kW, it's 23 kW down on the V6 and 90 kW off the V8. But with 510 Nm of torque, it is 170 Nm ahead of the V6 and only 15 Nm behind the V8.
Unsurprisingly, it is by far the most frugal, with an official claimed average of 8.3 L/100 km, against the V6's 11.2 and the V8's 12.5. It's a believable figure. Our week of driving ended with an impressive 7.7 L/100 km average.
It's also fairly clean by diesel standards. Fitted with a particulate filter, it achieves a three-star Green Vehicle Guide rating, emitting 202g CO2/km. That's just behind BMW's in-line six turbo-diesel 3.0-litre and ahead of Audi's V6 3.0 TDI.
The CRD is an impressive engine. Variable geometry turbocharging and an intercooler ensures that turbo lag - the gap between pressing the pedal and getting response - is minimal. The CRD really gets along smartly, particularly once you adapt to the low 4000 rpm rev ceiling. It can tow up to 2000 kg, 250 kg more than the petrol versions.
There is little of the rattle usually associated with diesel engines. Instead, this is a very quiet, smooth and enjoyable engine around town or on the open road.
The five-speed auto helps, slurring through shifts. It offers semi-manual shifting via the side-to-side "Autostick" mode, but this is not the sort of car that encourages sporting enthusiasm.
Instead, its long wheelbase and soft suspension (self-levelling at the rear) encourage a more relaxed attitude, something backed up by vague steering and a kerb weight of almost two tonnes. The Touring is not nimble, but it is comfortable.
It's also a better load carrier than you might expect. Form has been the primary prerequisite ahead of function, but the cargo bay will still hold 545 litres. Fold down the bench seat and that increases to 1602 litres. This is not in the class of a "Falcadore" but it is very usable and far more fashionable.
The liftgate rises almost vertically rather than eating into space behind the car, there is a wet-bin cargo organiser under the floor, and the tri-fold floor cover can be removed to create more load space. There are also useful knick-knack holes and a 12-volt socket located in the rear.
Less impressive is the challenge of plotting the car's path through car parks and the like. It is big, wide and long, has limited visibility and a huge turning circle. Thankfully, rear parking sensors are standard. They are needed.
At least the battle of the 'burbs is partly ameliorated by a comfortable interior. The front seats are leather-trimmed, large, plush and power-operated. However, there is a certain flimsiness to the trim and plastics, and the lack of steering wheel reach adjustment disappoints.
Be consoled by a long standard equipment list including front and side curtain airbags, ABS, stability and traction control, xenon headlights, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, a trip computer and impressive Boston Acoustics stereo (but it's only a single-CD unit).
It's a decent list to go with a decent car, one that impresses for its presence, load-carrying capacity and efficient yet strong engine.
Its unique looks mean the 300C Touring CRD might just make some people face the reality that they don't really need a high-riding SUV for an urban lifestyle after all.
They'll come for the look and stay for its capabilities.
What's it got?
- Dual-zone climate control
- Removable floor panel
- Cargo cover
- Cruise control
- Trip computer
- Xenon headlights
- Front and rear foglights
- Leather trim
- Heated and powered front seats
- Rear park assist
- Remote central locking
- Security alarm
- Single-CD audio
- Alloy wheels
What's missing?
- Reach-adjustable steering
- Full-sized spare tyre
- Six-CD audio