Chrysler 300S arrives

Primarily an exterior and interior appearance package, the 300S combines the brawny looks of the SRT8 with the economy of the 300C and 300 Limited's 3.6-litre V6 engine.

Exterior
The 'Blackout' look, described by Fiat Chrysler Australia as a "low key street presence with plenty of attitude", is achieved primarily through the use of glass black 20-inch alloy wheels (which are wrapped in the same high-performance Goodyear rubber as the SRT models).

These are complemented by black chrome grille with platinum surround, black headlamp bezels, as well as coloured door handles and side view mirrors. A boot lip spoiler is also part of the package, while the new model is identified externally via black-accented '300S' and 'Chrysler' badging.

Interior
Inside, the brooding, muscular look is continued with the use of a Piano Black finish on the centre console, steering wheel and door panels, matte carbon hydrographic-finished accents (instead of the traditional burl wood found in the 300C), along with sports pedals and heated sports front seats. All seat trim is available, as a no cost option, in red leather with contrast white stitching and embroidered 'S' logos.

The 300S is also fitted with Chrysler's Uconnect 8.4-inch touch screen display incorporating navigation and reversing camera, bi-xenon headlamps with auto high beam control, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, heated and cooled front cupholders, a memory system for the driver's seat, exterior mirrors, steering column and radio, as well as heated rear seats.

Running Gear
Powerplant is the stock 210kW/340Nm 3.6-litre Pentastar V6, matched to the same class-leading ZF eight-speed automatic (with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters) found on the 300 Limited, 300C and 300C luxury.


"Demand for Chrysler's 300 range has never been greater, with sales of the second generation model outpacing even the original 300's first full year on the market, currently up by more than 36 per cent on the 2006 benchmark," said Veronica Johns, President & CEO of Fiat Chrysler Group in Australia.

"We expect the arrival of the new 300S to bolster that popularity with a stronger, more overt representation of the 'Imported from Detroit' style, which is exactly what customers love about the 300 sedan."

On sale nationally from this month, pricing on the 300S is $47,500 (MSRP, excluding ORCs), making the new model cheaper than the SRT8, all diesel variants and 300C Luxury models, but marginally dearer than the standard, petrol-engined 300C and 300 Limited. See your Chrysler dealer for further details.