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The most visionary models, these unique specimens are set to define the highest limits of technology and design. Unveiled at the most prestigious international Motor Shows, they offer an exclusive look at the most innovative solutions that Lamborghini may adopt in its future series-production models.
Premium materials and a focus on comfort raise RAV4 Hybrid’s level of refinement. Whether appreciating the views through the available panoramic glass roof or finding inspiration from RAV4 Hybrid’s attention to detail, you’ll enjoy a ride that’s ready to go the distance.
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Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 makes this car the most powerful car ever made by the American manufacturer. This is because the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is equipped with an engine capable of 760 horsepower
Tesla claims the Roadster to be the fastest production car ever made! The second-generation Tesla Roadster can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under 1.9 seconds, and this is just for the base model.
Chrysler rebadges the Lancia Ypsilon supermini for the UK. We drove it in twin-cylinder TwinAir form. Supermini Lancia Ypsilon, a funky five-door car based on the Fiat 500. It arrived in the UK in right-hand drive as a Chrysler and was the smallest model the American company offered here. We drove it in 0.9 TwinAir form, with prices starting from £13,140.
Technical highlights
Fiat's TwinAir was the 2011 Engine of the Year, an 875cc turbocharged two-cylinder unit that produces CO2 emissions of 99g/km at Ypsilon (no road tax, no congestion charge) but still produces 84bhp and 107 lb-ft of torque. The soundtrack is also a very catchy song.
The options list contains some clever technology, including intuitive Blue&Me Bluetooth settings and 'magic parking', although with such an engaging car and tight turning circle, the final option is £575 which would certainly be better spent on ten tanks. fuel.
How does it feel to drive
Funnily enough, it's no different with the 500 TwinAir; it is great fun without being the last word in handling greatness. There's a bit of body roll when cornering and the suspension can be unstable on rough roads, especially on the optional 16-inch alloy wheels on our test car. But you'll surely have fun driving it with its spirited, precise, and well-weighted steering, quick-shifting five-speed manual, and a car that's very responsive to throttle adjustments.
The main downside, as with the equivalently powered 500, is that you have to keep the TwinAir engine running to maintain momentum. That means fast speeds and some cute noises, but the resulting MPG figures fall short of the claimed 67.3mpg.
How does it compare
The entry-level Fiat 500 TwinAir beats the Chrysler by £1245, but the Ypsilon does offer five doors, more space plus a different (and to us, slightly more masculine) look. The Mazda 2 1.5 Sport offers similar fun and performance in a similarly sized package, costing £13,295 but emitting 135g/km of CO2. That means an annual road tax bill of £115.
Is there anything else I need to know
There are two other engine options, both also crackers – Fiat's tried and tested 1.2-liter four-cylinder 'FIRE' petrol unit (68bhp, 57.6mpg, 115g/km) and the snappy 1.3-liter MultiJet diesel (94bhp, 74.3mpg, 99g/km). The base spec 1.2 kicks off the Ypsilon range at £10,640.
Chrysler's UK sales have topped a 25% increase globally this year.
Total UK sales rose 398% (254 to 1,205) while fleet sales increased 112% (405 to 859).
The car that gave Chrysler a boost in 2005 and 2006 – the 300C – has now been replaced by a second-generation model, although the company's talk of sales in the hundreds for the UK compared with its predecessor's thousands was partly due to the mistake of only offering a 3.0-litre petrol option.
Engine size and CO2 emissions may hinder Chrysler when compared with its greener rivals in the executive segment, an area of the market dominated by four-cylinder diesel engines in the UK. Undeterred, Chrysler currently has no plans to introduce further engine variants or an estate version.
The 3.0-liter V6 turbo diesel engine, which debuted last year in the Jeep Cherokee, is supplied by Italian diesel engine specialist VM Motori in which Fiat (Chrysler's parent company) now owns a 50% stake.
The V6 offers plenty of performance, but it's cruising speed that makes the car shine. The engine is quiet and the car is perfect for many miles on the highway.
At 5,066mm long, the 300C is slightly larger than its predecessor, although it doesn't feel particularly large when viewed from behind the wheel.
The interior has a luxurious feel and the quality of materials is significantly improved from the original 300C. Equipment includes leather seats, a dual panoramic sunroof, and wood finishing on the dashboard and doors; it even includes a heated/cooled cup holder.
Among the interior features is an entertainment system featuring the largest touchscreen in its segment.
This ensures that the reverse camera view and satellite navigation maps are displayed very clearly.
There's also a range of safety features we've now come to expect in cars in this sector, such as adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and tire pressure monitoring.
Chrysler claims the price of the P11D is up to 10% cheaper than other E-segment cars when adjusted for specifications. However, Land has set a realistic sales target for the latest model which goes on sale in the UK on June 14.
We want to sell 450 units by the end of the year and 750 units a full year," he said.
Our long-term 300C Touring spec sheet reads like a wish list – and with Chrysler, you get what you want. Inside, there are eight-way electrically adjustable leather seats with heating. Although the center console has a simple appearance and uses cheap plastic, it has dual-zone climate control and a premium sound system with integrated satellite navigation. There's even a 30GB internal hard drive for storing music files – all equipped as standard.
The driver also benefits from stability control and xenon headlights, while the 218bhp 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine is bigger and more powerful than the unit you'll find in similarly priced premium rivals. But what you don't get is ample cabin space. Although the 300C measures over five meters long, the rear legroom is adequate, rather than expansive. But the 630-litre boot is big, especially if you remove the standard boot organizer.
The Touring's extended roofline has another advantage, as it gives the 300C a unique profile that features a high waistline and narrow windows. With its large grille and intricate 20-inch alloy wheels, the big Chrysler is an impressive sight from any angle.
Those giant rims and giant proportions do come at a price. This alloy provides a relaxed driving feel by highlighting small surface imperfections – especially at low speeds. Its large dimensions made crossing busy roads also an awkward experience.
From behind the wheel, visibility is also limited. Ross greatly enjoyed the comfort of the interior, but other drivers complained about it being cramped and compared the view out to peering through a letter box. The 300C's large proportions and 1,945kg curb weight also have a noticeable effect on the car's dynamics – all of the Chrysler's controls require hefty inputs. The heavy steering feels slow and unresponsive, and although the brakes are strong, the effort required to stop the Tourer always catches up to novice drivers.
Quick direction changes highlight its bouncy suspension, which takes time to adjust as you turn into a corner. The load-lugger is much better if its front wheels stay pointed straight ahead, and with 510Nm of torque, it's up to speed. The sluggish automatic transmission provides sluggish responses, but once on the throttle, the brutish V6 diesel engine delivers impressive performance.
Against the clock, it left the Audi behind, completing 0-60mph in 7.7 seconds – 4.1 seconds quicker than the A6. It's equally devastating from the start: the Chrysler covers 50-70mph in 4.7 seconds. The Audi felt underpowered in comparison, as it took a full eight seconds to perform the same test.
The sacrifice comes at the pump because despite having a diesel engine, the 300C only manages 28mpg. Official CO2 emissions of 215g/km are also bad. So, is this enough to take away from his strong performance and dramatic style?
Details
Price: £33,255 Model tested: Chrysler 300C SRT-Design Chart position: 2 WHY: We love the looks, but can our 300C long-term beat this revised premium rival?
Economy
Value-for-money models typically experience heavier depreciation than prestige models. But according to our figures, the rare 300C Touring manages to retain its value. The car will retain 44.1 percent of its list price after three years and 30,000 miles, which is slightly more expensive than the Audi. Once that problem was resolved, another problem Chrysler faced was its fuel economy. The 28mpg return is poor and gets worse in the city. CO2 emissions of 215g/km also put the big company in road tax band F, so the annual rate is £210. Company drivers will also be penalized with a car rating of 34 percent.
Environment
Weak fuel economy comes with high CO2 emissions, and temperatures of 300C are no exception. An output of 215g/km puts it two notches above the Audi in terms of road tax.
Like any vehicle, looks are definitely subjective, and the Nassau has gotten mixed reviews from both our readers and the Autoblog crew. The concept has a very strong stance, aided by huge rims and rubber, and the same wide, RWD architecture as the 300C. The front grille is much less in-your-face than that of the 300, giving the Nassau a more refined look. The headlights and taillamps look fancy and expensive, with brightwork and LCDs galore. The hatch, on the other hand, will take some getting used to, and there's no saying whether it will ever be acceptable. Perhaps if the Nassau were more the Chrysler version of the Magnum we'd like the hatch more, and for all we know it just may be.
Perhaps the most appealing view of the Nassau is from the inside, as richly textured blue and white materials dominate the cabin. The center stack creates an almost Lexus-like V-shape that channels all the way to the back seat. Of course, there are several non-working components inside, like the frozen-solid paddle shifters and, well, everything else that isn't a steering wheel, pedals, or the Star Trek-like push-button gear selector.
To start the vehicle, you merely push the start button, and you're ready to go. Since that space-age gear selector didn't light up to signify which gear was selected, I kept a foot on the brake just in case. To put it bluntly, the Nassau was a hell of a lot easier to drive than the Dodge Demon we'd driven minutes before, and with the exact engine and chassis as the production 300C, we weren't surprised.
Of all the concepts driven at the Chelsea proving grounds, the only one we had trouble keeping under the 40mph speed limit was the Nassau. It was über-smooth and it kept coaxing the devil in us to punch the accelerator. In the interest of getting invited back to future Chrysler events, we kept Lucifer at bay. We didn't have a very large area on which to test the vehicles, and turns were taken with the greatest of care, so we can't give you a very realistic description of the car's handling.
In all, we hope the Nassau concept is not the next 300C, but we think it could definitely sell as a new-age station wagon. For our money, it's probably better looking than the Imperial concept that has been rumored for production.
Interior Design
The Chrysler Nassau’s luxury interior is designed for a younger, aspiring audience. The presiding interior theme is one of flowing seamless sculpture composed of leathers and fabrics derived from futuristic architectural interiors.
“We looked carefully at space efficiency,” said Ben Chang, principal designer of the Nassau’s luxurious interior. “We pushed the interior surfaces outboard to increase the space inside while individual bucket seating provides each of the four occupants personal space.
“The look of various components inside the vehicle was inspired by the design of contemporary cell phones, computers, iPods, and MP3 players,” Chang added.
“We paid close attention to the graphics and finishes of these technologically advanced products, seeking to make controls in the Nassau’s interior that the driver interfaces with similar to what you’d find in the office or among personal electronic devices. We strived to achieve a seamless interface between your car and the rest of your electronic world.”
The instrument panel is a showcase for new technologies in data display, personal control interface, and home theater-inspired entertainment.
Gear selection is accomplished via a pod control mounted on the instrument panel while the steering wheel incorporates auxiliary paddle shifters.
“The look of the instrument cluster was based on an expensive watch, again because we sought to create a visible connection with what people have and use,” Chang said.
While the instrument cluster has its own taut brow, the shape of the forward portion of the instrument panel is sensuously sculpted. Housing the main cluster, the upper surface of the panel includes a wide asymmetrical elliptical opening.
The shape was inspired and reminiscent of Constantin Brancusi’s famous Bird in Space sculptures.
Brancusi, an artist based in Paris from the 1920s to the 1940s, was preoccupied with the physical attributes of birds in flight, or more specifically, the essence of flight. The theme fits perfectly with the vehicle’s goal of giving the constant impression of smooth, slender movement.
Within the housing of the instrument panel (I/P) is a three-layer screen, which allows the simultaneous display of the navigation, passenger entertainment, and vehicle function displays.
As they move toward the doors, the left and right side lower portions of the two-tone I/P rise upward, again subtly reprising the Chrysler wings.
Sandwiched between the upper and lower surfaces of the instrument panel are partially concealed horizontal vents that direct cool air into the cabin.
The four handsomely formed bucket seats are covered in cream-colored leather, with suede accents in a fine bamboo texture, a theme repeated on the door trim panels.
Occupants can gaze upward through twin “Picture View” skylights, and longitudinal blue-tinted glass panels that run the length of the roof panel.
Those in the rear seats can enjoy a movie displayed on the flush video screens incorporated into the rear-facing portion of each of the front seat headrests.
Running fore-aft between the seats is a center console with a satin silver trim strip that travels from the I/P center stack to the upper rear seat backs.
Set within the console are the front and rear “joy stick” controls designed to function much like the “mouse” control of a home or office computer. Power window switches and flush-mounted pop-up cup holders are also contained in the console.
Among the more interesting visual details within the Deep Mystic Blue and Cream interior are the refined yet simple chrome accents and textures used on the silver speaker grilles on the doors, seat back monitors, headliners, and foot pedals.
Behind the passenger cabin, the surface of the boat's tail-shaped cargo cover is accented with five stainless steel accent strips, while panels in the carpeted cargo area below offer additional storage.
“With its sculptural artistry and technological sophistication, the interior of the Chrysler Nassau is the perfect complement to its visually arresting exterior,” said Chang.
