Fun fact.

"mkbruin, Atlas VP" (mkbruin)
03/07/2018 at 16:06 • Filed to: None

There wasn’t supposed to be a Chrysler 300m. The car we know as the 300m that kicked so much ass in all the comparison tests of the time was really developed to be the Eagle Vision. Development was almost entirely complete when ChryCo shuttered Eagle, and after a quick rebadge the 300m was born.

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Before you begin scribbling that letter of outrage, yes, we are aware that one of our 10Best cars is finishing second in this comparison. Be advised that it became runner-up by a single point based essentially on slightly higher marks for the winner in the areas of engine sophistication, fit and finish, and ride, even though this Chrysler was judged to have the better transmission and brakes. We still love the 300M, based on its overall road manners, its solid, broad-spectrum power, and its dazzling, off-the-beaten-path good looks. In retrospect, among our nine competitors, only two cars — the sensuously lined 300M and the boxy little Volvo S70GLT — could instantly be identified among an androgynous mass of conventionality.

But as they say, beauty is only skin-deep. It is the visceral sportiness of the 300M, enhanced by its interior comfort, functionalism, and overt emotionalism, that generated such high marks. Although it was the second porkiest of the group — 3630 pounds — it boasted the best power-to-weight ratio and was among the most nimble. It won for best brakes (stopping from 70 mph in 180 feet) and tied for best grip (0.82 g). It trailed the featherweight Volvo S70GLT by just 0.3 mph in the emergency-lane-change maneuver, at 60.5 mph — the only two cars to break the mile-a-minute barrier in this difficult evaluation of steering and suspension capabilities.

It is also apparently a tough bird, having survived a ditching on a snow-covered Adirondack Mountain road while being driven by one of our California-based staffers whose total foul-weather driving experience involved a brief rain shower on the San Diego Freeway. Once the 300M was extracted, it behaved fine — but for a slight vibration from the right-front suspension.

The 300M was the widest of the nine cars, and perhaps consequently it was the most commodious, gaining high marks for its fully adjustable front buckets and its large rear seats, which fold down to enhance the barn-size trunk. This is Chrysler’s so-called five-meter car, a truncated version of its LH-sedan sisters designed for export to other nations where size is a factor in urban areas. The 300M is truly an international automobile, and its 253-hp, 3.5-liter SOHC V-6 propels it to an autobahn-worthy top speed of 138 mph. Add a crisp-shifting four-speed AutoStick that behaves much like a manual, and you have a reasonably priced ($31,845 as tested) sports sedan that can play in any league, any time, anywhere

DISCUSSION (16)

Nick Has an Exocet > mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/07/2018 at 16:21

an autobahn-worthy top speed of 138 mph

...really though?

interstate366, now In The Industry > mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/07/2018 at 16:23

Sadly, the winning Acura could not be reached for comment as it was sent to the junkyard after its eighth transmission failure in 2011.

DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish! > mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/07/2018 at 16:25

I can’t help but love the sporty luxurious look of the 300M. I wish the platform wasn’t such a trash heap, cause they’re so cheap and enticing.

Ash78, voting early and often > mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/07/2018 at 16:26

I remember when I was about 14 trying to convince my parents to buy an Eagle Vision or Dodge Intrepid. IIRC, the 300m was a subsequent generation or maybe just a refresh.

But yeah, they were winning left and right.

FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
03/07/2018 at 16:27

At least they are one of the rare FWD platforms with a longitudinal engine so the motor is easy to work on.

WilliamsSW > Nick Has an Exocet
03/07/2018 at 16:29

18 years ago that was pretty good.

Quadradeuce > mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/07/2018 at 16:31

$35K for a 300M or Bonneville in 2000? That’s over $50k in today’s silly money! And we all bitched about the pricing of the Chevy SS??

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Quadradeuce
03/07/2018 at 17:15

Yeah but the economy was good then. People could actually afford to buy things. Unless you were my parents who in 2000 bought a 99 Taurus because my Mom’s HSN addiction meant we couldn’t afford a new Sable.

diplodicus forgot his password > Ash78, voting early and often
03/07/2018 at 17:31

The first gen vision/intrepid was based off of this Lamborghini concept

Kinja'd!!!

I think the second gen was just a few suspension modifications, new engines, and redesigned body/interior.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/07/2018 at 19:53

When I was in high school, my best friend had a second gen Intrepid. And we all LOVED that car. And then when I went off to college, someone in the area had a gloss black Intrepid R/T and had done some proper good work on it with gloss black wheels and accents, lowering springs/coilovers, and probably some engine work too ause that thing sounded quite nice and apparently harassed a number of cars in our car club when they’d go back road drag racing.

I just spent this afternoon going back and forth with someone on here about how the Dart was not a very good car when compared to the rivals of the day but....man did CHrysler group get it right with the LH platform.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/07/2018 at 20:39

Kinja'd!!!

I wouldn’t object if someone dropped a 300M Special into my lap.

Nothing > mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/07/2018 at 21:13

My father in law bought a used low mileage (around 80k) for his work commuter car about 3 years ago for really cheap. He’s loved it, and hasn’t had to do a thing to it.

ranwhenparked > mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/07/2018 at 22:51

I was aware that the 300M was supposed to be the new Vision, but never saw a picture of it with an Eagle badge. I always assumed it would have had a totally different grille treatment, but, nope, looks like they just swapped the badge to Chrysler-ize it.

Considering that Eagle was created to replace both AMC and Renault (North America), took its name from the last AMC model, and the LH platform was derived from the AMC-Renault Alliance platform, you could say the 300M was basically the last AMC passenger car.

While the last passenger vehicle from AMC was the BAW Qishi S12 that unfortunately seems to have ceased production on 2014, which leaves the AM General HMMWV as the last American Motors product still standing.

duurtlang > mkbruin, Atlas VP
03/08/2018 at 03:49

I just looked up some European (well, Dutch) reviews of this car from the period. I had expected massive negativity, but didn’t find any. They actually liked it. They considered it a quirky comfy cruiser (certainly not a sports sedan) with a few flaws. They specifically noted that it didn’t wallow like older American barges and had acceptable handling. A car you could buy to stand out, although they also mentioned that it would probably be more expensive to own than something like a Benz due to the instant and massive depreciation of the Chrysler. In its best calendar year (1999) it reached a market share of 0.04%. For a comparison from 1999, the Mercedes E class scored 0.71% and the 5-series 0.59%.

It’s been ages (years?) since I’ve last seen a 300M, yet I still see Benzes and BMWs from the 90s every day.

Long-Voyager > DaftRyosuke - So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!
03/08/2018 at 07:29

It’s a great platform with excellent suspension feel, a smooth ride, and a bulletproof engine.

The only thing to be wary of is how the trans was maintained, if it hasn’t had regular fluid/filter changes (every 15-30k), run away.

Long-Voyager > duurtlang
03/08/2018 at 07:31

Around here seeing a foreign car from the 90s is very rare. Domestics from the 80s and 90s are still very common.