Drove a 300C SRT8

[gpfarrell]

I didn't get to drive this one much... only a half mile or so.

From the outside it looks as good as a 300 can... you like them or you don't, and this one won't really change any of that.

It does lack the exclusivity of a Marauder... we're very different looking from a GM, where it would take a really Mopar guy to pick out an SRT8 from a regular Hemi.

Opening the door... it's not as nice as the Marauder either. The inner door panels are mediocre plastic, and the dash has a very plastic feel to it as well. On the plus side, the seats were nicely done leather/suede affairs and the car I tried had a dvd player with a screen that appeared out of the center armrest. In fact, it even had a freakin' remote for the dvd player so the folks in back wouldn't have to lean forward! Not all bad....

The acceleration was just beyond description. The magazines claim 60 in 4.9 and the 1/4 mile in 13.3. I couldn't try either of those, but after dis-engaging the traction control the tires would spin until you lifted on wet roads.

Using what traction was available... and actually I had lots... the car just lunged forward. TORQUE in capital letters doesn't do it justice. No fuss, No wait, just BOOM.

Really strong, I guess like 425hp should feel.

The one I saw stickered at just over $47,000. My (Ford-driving) buddy pointed out that for that kind of jing I could have bought my blue Marauder, another just like it, and still had enough $$ left over to put whatever hooper-charger I wanted on one of them.

Still... nice enough car, and fast enough to more than make up for a weak interior.

Oh, once agian... I post this for those interested & curious. I don't believe any of us care how ugly you think three-hunerts are, or just how much chryslers suck....

Cheers,
Greg

[stevengerard]

Thanks for the post, I'm for one interested, not in buying one just as appreciating what it is.

[RF Overlord]

For 47 large, that crate BETTER be "all that"... :rolleyes:

[bigslim]

Let's see. I spent $26,000 on my car and $6000 on a blower. That's $32,000 I spent to kick the SRT-8's A$$.

[snowbird]

Let's see. I spent $26,000 on my car and $6000 on a blower. That's $32,000 I spent to kick the SRT-8's A$$.About the same for me.

BUT, a good thing about those hemis invading everywhere is, that it may finally wake up those nasty beans counters at Ford headquarters with a 2 X 4 heavy smack on the head !! i wish they will cook up something in response.

I guess i'm only dreaming.

[MikesMerc]

I can also appreciate the car for what it is. Its pretty damn fast for an off the showroom floor car.

As far as "Ford waking" up....I dunno. As gas prices hit the $3 a gallon mark in the next 18 months, we'll see which company had the right/wrong idea about making large displacement v-8 powered sedans. Being in the Tier 1 auto supplier market here in Detroit, there are already deep rumblings about the lack of wisdom about continuing to make heavy V-8 sedans. Although Chrysler may be saluted by the enthusiast crowd, and enjoy lots of success for now, those companies that stuck with smaller displacement and better fuel economy may have the last laugh. Gas prices are going no where but up (and up big time) and I see these horsepower wars being brought to a close in the not so distant future. Sad as that is.

[prchrman]

MikesMerc...I think you may be right...$2.45 per gal and $40 a fill up makes you think...willie

[Jolly Roger]

I saw one on I-71 going south in Ohio last week.
Appeared to be a dark charcoal color of some kind.
Very ominous looking, very dangerous in appearance (IMO).
God help me but I liked what I saw.:(

[MarauderMark]

Personally i like the 300 and the charger looks and interior as well as the new
Cherokees too...if i didn't have my MM they surely wouldv'e been runner ups..
The 300C cream color reminds me of the old gangster cars..the charger reminds me of the mamounth car on speed racer.. and the Cherokees look better with more power ..wtg Chrysler .But i still love my mm:up:

[bigslim]

I can also appreciate the car for what it is. Its pretty damn fast for an off the showroom floor car.

As far as "Ford waking" up....I dunno. As gas prices hit the $3 a gallon mark in the next 18 months, we'll see which company had the right/wrong idea about making large displacement v-8 powered sedans. Being in the Tier 1 auto supplier market here in Detroit, there are already deep rumblings about the lack of wisdom about continuing to make heavy V-8 sedans. Although Chrysler may be saluted by the enthusiast crowd, and enjoy lots of success for now, those companies that stuck with smaller displacement and better fuel economy may have the last laugh. Gas prices are going no where but up (and up big time) and I see these horsepower wars being brought to a close in the not so distant future. Sad as that is.
But in the same token, Chrysler offers two V-6 300 models as well as the 5.7 V-8 with a variable displacement engine which shuts off cylinders when not in use.

[MikesMerc]

But in the same token, Chrysler offers two V-6 300 models as well as the 5.7 V-8 with a variable displacement engine which shuts off cylinders when not in use.

The V-6 models might do okay in sky rocketing gas situation, but you can kiss the v-8 halo effect good bye. The variable displacement engine is a nice way to increase fuel economy, but motors that were designed ground up for less displacement will out perform it in the MPG race. When gas hits $3+ gallon its gonna be the car companies that invested in fuel efficient technologies that will do well.

[MikesMerc]

MikesMerc...I think you may be right...$2.45 per gal and $40 a fill up makes you think...willie

Wait til it hits $3. That's the price point most economists beleive will have a mental triggering event with American drivers. It'll be 1974 all over again. SUVs and trucks will be out, v-8s will be out, basic low cost, safe transportation will be in.

Its coming. OPEC is already near capacity. The prices aren't up becuase of supply. Its all about demend now. China is powerhouse consumer of oil now. The crunch is looming.

Okay, enough of the off topic:)

[ctrcbob]

They said when gas got to $2.00 a gallon, people would change what and how they drive. They did not.

Now thay say that when it hits $3.00 a gallon, they will change. They will not.

Last time I went to Europe, three years ago, gas was around $5.00 a gallon. On one fill up, I got 43 liters (about 11 gallons) of gas and it cost me $54.00. At that time, the Euro and Dollar were about even. At those prices, Europeans do not drive to save fuel. They drive their cars HARD. Sure, most (but not all) cars are smaller than here, but look at the European and Asian cars sold here. They are the same as those in Europe. They drive like they are on a race course.

I have a friend with a BMW 316i (took the 316i emblem off as he wants people to think it has a larger engine) who hardley ever gets into 5th gear. Going through small villages, he drops down gear, by gear, by gear, and zooms through in 2nd, winds out through 3rd, through 4th, etc. I go through the same towns and stay in 5th all the way.

Another friend took me out in his Renault Avontime, which has to be the most UGLY Car in the world. 2.2 TurboDiesel Engine, 6 speed manual. This car moves. Took me down small country roads at over 100mph (160kph). He drives like this all the time. The only fuel savings for him is that the car is a Diesel. (Three years ago, Gasoline cost around $5.00 a gallon, but Diesel cost only about $3.60 a gallon - has to cost even more now with the Dollar so low compared to the Euro).

I had plans to go this September, but it looks like I will have to wait until next May or June. Only good thing about that is that the Dollar is starting to slowly regain some value vs the Euro. Hope I can lease a Renault Laguna II again. Great car with the smoothest manual 5 speed I've ever had. Like shifting through butter.

[Shaft333]

$3 won't stop much.
If it had jumped to $3 when gas was a $1.80, that'd freak folks out. I think we've grown complacent over $2.69 already.

The new Chryslers are awesome. I hope there will be more to follow from all makes.

[Sidney]

I agree. Impala's were priced $10,000 less than the marauder, yet has more out the hole power. We have to tune and give up warranty to get the performance. The srt 8 13.3 et with only a 3.40 gear is nuts. Iron block with a forged balanced crank, and header style manifolds is great. They are pricey though, thats why I love my mm. Not taking sides with chrysler since I work for them, but I am just happy to see they are giving people what they want. With all the suv's on the road, a lighter performance car won't make that much of a difference. Lets face it we live in the U.S. where people by what they want just because.

Also the cylinder deactivations in the 5.7 gives better mpg than the 4.7 in the cheerokee. Lets hope Ford wakes up and makes performance vehicles less than the $150,000 GT.

Viper $85,000=Ford GT $150,000
Mustang GT 300hp=Charger 340hp

[MikesMerc]

$3 won't stop much.


LOL...that's what the US automakers said in 1973 when gas hit 55 cents a gallon. That mistake almost took Chrysler down completely, and permanently crippled AMC.

The "enthusiast" sentiment on this forum is choc full of bravado, but the hard truth remains that gas will continue to rise at an escalating rate for the foreseeable future and it will indeed influence the American consumer.

BTW, no one credible ever said $2 a gallon was any kind of threshold.

$3 is the threshold. Why? Because it represents the inflation adjusted 55 cents a gallon from 1973. And why is that important? Because that is the high water mark for "the cost of gasoline" as a percentage of disposal income for the average consumer. Furthermore, when gas hits $3 gallon, Deisel and jet fuels will also be at their all time highs which will significantly impact the cost of everything.

You guys beleive what you want. But, as the CFO of a trucking company that has been following gasoline prices and investing in futures and contracts, I know a thing or two. Everyone in my business knows it as well. An energy crisis is coming. Some will prepare for it. Others will fiddle while Rome burns :)

[STLR FN]

Who remembers the movie "Oil Storm"? It was on FX Sunday June 5th.

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/oilstorm/main.html

Man do current events.....

We are being conditioned like Pavlov's dogs

[MikesMerc]

That movie is a bit over dramatized for sure. But, hey, drama sells. The truth is boring.

Don't get me wrong, I luv the current round of horsepower wars and really like the idea of getting big powerful motors from the factory. The SRT8 is pretty inspiring performance wise.

I'm just responding to the idea that Ford is somehow asleep at the wheel. That's just not true. Whether they made the right or wrong decision remains to be seen. But, they cancelled the 6.2 liter Hurricane engine development for what they beleived were good reasons. Based on inside news and media blogs, Ford knew big engines were a short term thing given rising gas prices and they needed the money for v-6 development. They rolled the dice on loosing short term sales for long term preparedness for a future of strangling oil prices. With crude topping out last week at an all time high of $60 a barrel, and a 37% increase in crude over the last 12 months with no end in sight, Ford may have been wiser than we think.

Okay, now back to the topic on hand!

[bugsys03]

From the outside it looks as good as a 300 can... you like them or you don't, and this one won't really change any of that.

It does lack the exclusivity of a Marauder... we're very different looking from a GM, where it would take a really Mopar guy to pick out an SRT8 from a regular Hemi.

Opening the door... it's not as nice as the Marauder either. The inner door panels are mediocre plastic, and the dash has a very plastic feel to it as well. On the plus side, the seats were nicely done leather/suede affairs and the car I tried had a dvd player with a screen that appeared out of the center armrest. In fact, it even had a freakin' remote for the dvd player so the folks in back wouldn't have to lean forward! Not all bad....

The acceleration was just beyond description. The magazines claim 60 in 4.9 and the 1/4 mile in 13.3. I couldn't try either of those, but after dis-engaging the traction control the tires would spin until you lifted on wet roads.

Using what traction was available... and actually I had lots... the car just lunged forward. TORQUE in capital letters doesn't do it justice. No fuss, No wait, just BOOM.

Really strong, I guess like 425hp should feel.

The one I saw stickered at just over $47,000. My (Ford-driving) buddy pointed out that for that kind of jing I could have bought my blue Marauder, another just like it, and still had enough $$ left over to put whatever hooper-charger I wanted on one of them.

Still... nice enough car, and fast enough to more than make up for a weak interior.

Oh, once agian... I post this for those interested & curious. I don't believe any of us care how ugly you think three-hunerts are, or just how much chryslers suck....

Cheers,
Greg


I would definitely disagree with you on the interior. The interior, just like the rest of this car has what our MM's should have had stock. The interior is very modern and luxurious whereas our interior is rather basic with ALOT of plastic. The exterior you either love or hate, but this car comes stock with the power, brakes, exhaust, and suspension ours should have had. Optional roof, GPS and satellite radio bring the price up to about $10,000 more than the MM, but you get alot more car than what we have, no mods needed.

Wow, now that I've talked myself into it, anybody want to buy a nice MM? :D

[gpfarrell]

Mikesmerc... I agree with everything you're saying about inflation-adjusted prices... the media really scams us with "gas hit an all time high" when they don't adjust the dollars. I disagree on the AMC remark though... they always specialized in small cars; they were on the brink of bankruptcy from their birth in 1955 until Renault bought them out... they never built the cash reserves necessary to develop new products during weak economies... you can only put so many badges on a Hornet (Gremlin/Spirit/Concord/Eagle)!

Bugsy... to each his own I guess. Maybe I phrased it wrong... I didn't mind most of the interior, but found the door panels... which is the first thing I saw opening the door... to be low rent. The rest of the dash mediocre... but the dvd and other goodies you mentioned are way cool. I don't think we owned our Marauder 60 days before I had a moonroof installed. Too bad Mercury never offered something like the SRT8 package on the Marauder... $10,000 would do the 4.11s & a nice Eaton supercharger.

With 425 horsepower, I could live without door panels!

[texascorvette]

Good Luck! I was told they are getting $7-8,000 over sticker for the SRT's.




I would definitely disagree with you on the interior. The interior, just like the rest of this car has what our MM's should have had stock. The interior is very modern and luxurious whereas our interior is rather basic with ALOT of plastic. The exterior you either love or hate, but this car comes stock with the power, brakes, exhaust, and suspension ours should have had. Optional roof, GPS and satellite radio bring the price up to about $10,000 more than the MM, but you get alot more car than what we have, no mods needed.

Wow, now that I've talked myself into it, anybody want to buy a nice MM? :D

[bugsys03]

Good Luck! I was told they are getting $7-8,000 over sticker for the SRT's.


I have a deposit on 1 and a signed deal for MSRP :)

[gpfarrell]

I have a deposit on 1 and a signed deal for MSRP :)

Congrats... great choice... I would have loved to have had more room to get acquainted with all 425 horses... best of luck with it!