Auto Extreme

Mercedes-Benz has hand over a 215-hp, turbocharged and intercooled, 3.0-liter diesel
V-6 to the Chrysler Group, which has stuffed it beneath the hood of the 300 sedan. With 376 lb-ft of torque, just 11 lb-ft below the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, this engine drives the 300 to 62 mph in 7.6 seconds, only 1.2 seconds slower than the Hemi. And it returns an average of 29 mpg when cruising at 80 mph. Regrettably, the 300C CRD (common-rail diesel) is not available in America.

The European-market sales of the 300 have dramatically increased since the diesel became obtainable. The CRD is markedly quicker and more satisfying to drive than 300s with the anemic, unrefined 3.5 and 2.7-liter gasoline V-6s. CRD is by far the cheapest to run in the range. It is also truly fulfilling to ride with.

Only few car drivers have the guts to put the pedal on the floor in daily driving. So, you will not really detect the difference between the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel and the 5.7-liter Hemi most of the time. The diesel’s abundant torque, obtainable from idle, means that the car always feels active. 2007 300C CRD’s top speed is 141 mph, but we maintain at legal speeds except for a few uphill autoroute stretches, where the big sedan easily rocketed to 120 mph before we backed off. Fuel economy consumption was 27 mpg–city, highway, and uphill sprints.

The Chrysler Corp. is now offering the Mercedes diesel in the U.S.-market Jeep Grand Cherokee, but why is it that they won’t offer the 300C CRD in the U.S.?

When low-sulphur diesel fuel and the latest wave of emissions controls arrive in the States, people will be seriously shocked by just how good diesels have become while they weren’t paying attention.

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