Nice car. Who's the jerk in front of it?

I tackle Chrysler's 5.7L V8 Hemi-powered RWD Luxury Sedan for 3 days

(approx. value: $48,000+ CAN)

For my 23rd birthday I thought I'd be a little different by treating myself to something unique that I'd enjoy and remember for the rest of my life...rent a car that is not only one of the most powerful I've ever driven, but a car that I respect as the true definition of everything an American car *should* be. I rented a Chrysler 300C.

Not only was this car easy to slide when all the electronic stability control mumbo-jumbo wasn't working, but the time I spent with it made me lose a great deal of respect for the "drifters" of the world who compete in cars in excess of 300HP.

Bear in mind this was my first time really sliding the car since I picked it up the day before, not to mention the first time I could mess around without Traction Control stepping in and fighting what I wanted it to do. It seems that even after you turn ESP Off, the vehicle's computer will still try to keep the car under control in extreme situations if traction is detected at any of the wheels.

It's a pretty funny feeling when trying to keep a 4000lbs car sideways while four wheels seem to be frantically firing the brake calipers independent of each other and completely on their own.

The road in those vids (not the circle one) was what I could best describe as hard-packed dirt. The car slid like an absolute champ. It was extremely easy to control despite it's size and weight. In the second vid I purposely wanted to do a perfect 180 and stop facing the direction I came in, but the rear end continuing on into the ditch shows how I'm not used to sliding around in such a heavy vehicle. The car is quite deceptive that way, actually. Even though it weighs so much, it accelerates like a madman and brakes even better (as you can tell in the last vid)...so its hard to stay out of the light and nimble Corolla mindset that I'm so used to.

Overall, I REALLY enjoyed the 300C. Like I said, it is the true definition of what an American sedan should be, and I'm so happy that DaimlerChrysler had the balls to put such a profound and exciting vehicle in the market. I'd like to rent a V6 version in the future (250 hp compared to the 340 hp V8 in the 300C) because I think the Hemi power is a little excessive, but there's no arguing the sheer joy to be had from that V8 Hemi-power.

Go DaimlerChrysler Go!
 

-Migs

(23 years old and loving life)

Dreams of Drifting Copyright © 01/2000 Chris Migs

all rights reserved Vid

VIDS!

Please right-click and SAVE TARGET AS...

Migs_300C_MountainCircleRun.mov

Migs_300C_MountainDrift_01.mov
 

Migs_300C_MountainDrift_02.mov

This is my favorite vid...and when you watch it, remember that I MEANT to do the 180! If you look closely, I even wave at the camera when I slide by in mid-spin.

Migs_300C_MountainDrift_03.mov

Before anything, please take note that I knew what I was doing with this car. These vids aren't some fluke. It wasn't "luck" that kept me from spinning out and/or crashing. And I certainly wasn't "scared" while behind the wheel. I've been sliding cars around since I first started to drive over 7 years ago, and honestly, the 300C isn't much different than any of them. It may be larger in size, heavier, and  much more powerful than what I'm accustomed to, but it still handles like any RWD car should, and as such I felt right at home in the belly of the beast.