Chrysler 300C SRT8, big and powerful

Zero to 60 in fiveseconds, 0-100 in under 17 seconds, 0.89 g lateral acceleration on the skidpad, and four-wheel Brembo disc brakes to match. If the performance in question did not come from a full-size, five-passenger, rear-drive American road scarfer, one would think a Corvette or Mustang GT was lurking about. But, there isn’t.

These numbers are from the elegantly rambunctious Chrysler 300C SRT8. Open the hood and examine the car’s 6.1-litre HEMI® V8, connected to a Mercedes-derived five-speed manumatic transmission. The powertrain puts out 425-horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, or about 25 percent more power than the baby 5.7-liter HEMI in the non-SRT 300C.

Inside or out, the 300C is a big car. Four passengers fit comfortably in wrap-around seats, but a fifth person can straddle the rear seat transmission tunnel in a pinch.