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The Chrysler 300 was the first Detroit sedan in a long while to really set the country on fire. At the same time, it also introduced a new concept: Chryslers, apparently, don't have to be mediocre. Predictably, when they're not mediocre, they sell. The 300 looks cool, is fun to drive, and in 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 form, is seriously fast. As a result, more than 300,000 have left dealer lots since 2004. And as for the new Sebring sedan? Its styling is divisive at best, it lacks the driver involvement of even a Honda Accord, and its most notable element is its radio (see sidebar). Not exactly a recipe for success. As a package, the Sebring doesn't have anything inherently wrong with it. Performance and quality levels are finally in line with those of the average Japanese mid-size four-door--albeit one from seven or eight years ago. Value is arguably excellent; the base Sebring offers front, side, and side curtain air bags as standard, for example, but costs $1735 less than last year's car. Cornering stability, maneuverability, and ride comfort are all improved. And while the steering still lacks feedback, it's at least linear in feel and nicely weighted--something the 2001-05 Sebring sedan never could lay claim to. The key ingredient of the 300's goodness is that Hemi. Unfortunately, the Sebring's top-spec engine, a relatively torquey 235-hp, 3.5-liter V-6, is no Hemi. It has neither the refinement of a Toyota V-6 nor the character of Honda's six. And while the 3.5-liter's standard six-speed manu-matic shifts smoothly and intuitively, the four-speed automatics mated to the 2.4-liter four and the 2.7-liter V-6 are somewhat clunky and rough. Unfortunately, "better than last year" isn't the kind of ammunition that makes for great cars (let alone good ones). And ultimately, it makes us wonder: Why shouldn't the Sebring be something more? Why can't it blow the Accord and the Camry out of the water? If the 300 has taught us anything, it's that Chrysler can rally the troops and build something truly special. This isn't.

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Saint-Genis, France - It's always nice to get a gift from your rich German uncle.

Mercedes-Benz has handed off a 215-hp, turbocharged and intercooled, 3.0-liter diesel V-6 to the Chrysler Group, which has stuffed it under the hood of the 300 sedan. With 376 lb-ft of torque, just 11 lb-ft less than the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, this engine propels the 300 to62 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. Unfortunately, the 300C CRD (common-rail diesel) isn't offered in America.Since few drivers employ maximum-acceleration takeoffs in daily driving, you really don't notice the difference between the 3.0-liter turbo-diesel and the 5.7-liter Hemi most of the time. The diesel's abundant torque, available from idle, means that the car always feels lively. The 300C CRD's top speed is 141 mph, but we stayed at legal speeds except for a few uphill autoroute stretches, where the big sedan easily rocketed to 120 mph before we backed off. Fuel consumption was 27 mpg--city, highway, and uphill sprints combined--whereas we averaged only 19 mpg during our year with a Four Seasons Hemi-powered 300C. Not surprisingly, European-market sales of the 300 have risen sharply since the diesel became available. The CRD is markedly faster and more agreeable to drive than 300s with the anemic, unrefined 2.7- and 3.5-liter gasoline V-6s (the thirsty Hemi simply is not a reasonable choice for Europeans), and it is by far the cheapest to run in the range. It is also truly satisfying to drive. Chrysler now offers the Mercedes diesel in the U.S.-market Jeep Grand Cherokee, but Americans should also be offered the 300C CRD. When low-sulphur diesel fuel and the latest wave of emissions controls arrive in the States, people will be seriously surprised by just how good diesels have become while they weren't looking.

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It's hard to know whether Chrysler's gamble of building an unashamedly old-fashioned, American-style sedan-big inside and out, rear-wheel drive, with the option of a honking V-8-will get buyers flocking into its showrooms, but the 300 is pretty sweet. Driving around Palm Springs in a 300C equipped with the bodacious 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 seemed appropriate, because this artificial oasis a couple of hours east of Los Angeles, with its endless golf courses and stylish mid-century architecture, reflects more of the optimism of the immediate postwar era than almost any other place in the United States. From the high-set driving position to the rumble of the V-8, the 300C is a throwback to the time when big was better, bigger was best, and no one had heard of Toyota.

American cars used to look distinctive, drive distinctively, and offer more for less. Sometime between the late 1960s and now, the ineptness (and arrogance) of the domestic auto industry, an oil crisis that was manna to import automakers, and changing consumer tastes led the major domestic automakers to build ersatz import cars rather than American ones.

The 300, though, actually looks like an American car. At 196.8 inches long and 74.1 inches wide, it's large enough to make the Mercedes-Benz E500 we brought along for comparative purposes seem like a waif. The 300 looks very distinctive on the road, glamorous even, with its baby Bentley proportions, lead-sled chop top, and showy details. If there's any American car that's going to appeal to the rap pack, this is it. In fact, 50 Cent already has shot a video with a 300C, tricked out with the 22-inch wheels that seem to be a prerequisite for hip-hop acceptability.

The confident exterior is matched by a stylish interior. Chrysler has made a quantum improvement in the quality of the bits you touch, even if they aren't always up to Lexus standards. In many cases, the materials are better than those used by the Japanese competition, with soft-touch surfaces as opposed to hard plastics, for instance. The design is very attractive, with great-looking gauges and chrome accents everywhere, and the tortoiseshell finish on the C's steering wheel, shifter, and door handles is delightful. Just like the outside, the interior is massive-similar in size to the BMW 745i, believe it or not. Headroom, shoulder room, and legroom are not only superior to mid-size cars' but are comparable to those of short-wheelbase luxury cars such as the Jaguar XJ8 and the Infiniti Q45.

When it comes to trim, the base 300 ($23,595) has cloth upholstery, a power driver's seat, and a tilt/telescoping steering wheel; leather is standard on the 300 Touring ($27,395). The 300 Limited ($29,890) adds heated seats, a power passenger seat, dual-zone climate control, and one-touch front windows. The 300C ($32,995) gets a power tilt/ telescoping steering wheel, rain-sensing wipers, and a 288-watt stereo as standard. Options include a navigation system, power-adjustable pedals, xenon headlamps, a 380-watt sound system, and a power sunroof.

The big news for people who enjoy driving is that the 300 is rear- (or all-) wheel drive. Chrysler has spent years telling people about the traction advantages of its front-wheel-drive cars, but now the company has reversed course and is spinning the virtues of traction and stability control systems like crazy. (Traction control and ESP are optional on the base 300 and standard on the other models.)

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The realities of teenagers and clients are getting in the way of your mid-life crisis plans. You need something roomy and safe. But you're not dead yet, so you want a little driving excitement and flair in a car that's not going to cost you your collection of Thriller-era Michael Jackson-worn gloves.

We examined three of the newest and best full-size family cars under $30,000 through our speed-obsessed lenses. We tested well-optioned cars: the Chrysler 300 Touring, the Ford Five Hundred Limited, and the Toyota Avalon Touring. The Chrysler and the Toyota Touring packages were mid-level offerings for the models, while the Limited was the top trim option currently offered on the Five Hundred. Despite that, the Ford sported the least expensive as-tested price at $27,390 as delivered, with only front-side and side-curtain air bags chosen as options. The Chrysler came in next at $28,865, which included a power moonroof and Sirius Satellite Radio. Our Avalon wore a $30,669 sticker price and was optioned with an anti-theft system, a power moonroof, a six-disc in-dash CD changer, and carpeted floor and trunk mats. Factor in the incentives currently offered on domestic cars, though, and the transaction prices of the Chrysler and Ford models undercut the Toyota even more. Overall, we found the Chrysler and Ford entrants much improved since their most recent marque predecessors (the LHS and the Crown Victoria, respectively), but they're not yet on even ground with the Toyota from a quality standpoint.

From the OutsideThe exterior of the Chrysler is the most interesting of the bunch, and based on the sales success of the car, we're not the only ones who think it looks cool. We chose the 300's V-8-engined brother--the 300C--as our Automobile of the Year for 2005, and the extroverted looks and presence of the car influenced our choice. Styling-wise, the 300 makes the most confident and bold statement of this group, and we appreciate that.

The Five Hundred and the Avalon have inoffensive (read: boring) appearances that may make them popular with less-adventurous buyers. We find their conservative approaches largely uninspiring, however. The Avalon had a bit of coolness to its jagged rear-end lines and graphite-colored wheels, but our interest peaked there. Ford has begun offering meaner grille inserts for the Five Hundred to help add some flavor to the over-rounded shape, but it still falls short of distinction in our eyes.

Looking InAll of these cars feature ample interior and cargo space for four adults and a good chunk of their gear. Each car seats five, but quarters might be a bit too tight for three full-size folks in the back seat during longer trips. All three sedans boast similarly roomy measurements for head and leg room in the front and rear seats; the back seats in each car could qualify as approved make-out territory for high schoolers, no doubt to the chagrin of their parents.The 300's cool exterior styling unfortunately causes the inside to have some shortcomings. Even with the large sunroof and competitively sized cabin, the interior often feels dark and small as a result of its smallish windows and consequently limited visibility, especially through the short rear window. The darkness can't hide the Chrysler's poor-fitting trim pieces and mediocre materials less attractive than those in the other cars. A perfect example is the down-market center-stack trim piece, which is covered with a chintzy (compared with the Ford and the Toyota) interpretation of Cyclone fencing. The seats, however, are probably the weakest part of the Chrysler's interior, as they are covered in an unattractive and slippery vinyl-like surface and felt a bit over-firm during lengthy drives.

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