1999 Chrysler 300M - Review

ROCKY FACE, Ga. — Running over a narrow strip of pavement warped by Blue Ridge ripples in Georgia, Chrysler's agile flagship sedan wiggles around a dicey downhill curve with the sure-footed manners of an internationally flavored touring car.

Its sleek body maintains a flat stance around each subsequent turn despite the lateral forces of motion at work. Its taut independent-strut suspension stifles larger bumps and dips, while its steering translates those same nuances in the road into clear signals of the road ahead.

A powerful new engine provides the pulse for this expressive machine. Press the pedal, and it leaps to action through the next straightaway down the valley with a velvety purr that most recent Chryslers haven't approached.

Clearly, a drive in Chrysler's 300M reveals the car has an attitude to match its aggressive streamlined silhouette. Remember the name — it's destined to become an icon of the former Chrysler, an embodiment of advanced automotive design and powerful mechanical aptitude. And it's absolutely beautiful, a treat to the eye.

The daring shape of the 300M begins at its abbreviated prow, capped by articulated quad headlamps and a bulging low hood. A massive canted windshield follows: The glass initiates a smooth arched roof that extends over sensuously shaped doors and blends C-pillars in graceful descents to a curt high tail.

The 300M looks clean and pure in the absence of superfluous elements. Its sophisticated design theme continues inside to a luxury suite for five with plush leather seats and elegant graphics for the analog instruments.

300M interior The 300M puts a slinky uptown spin on the Concorde/Intrepid/LHS theme.