Chrysler 300 talked up by kingmaker NADAguides

Um, yeah, and it's a really good car, too.

Those safety features NADAguides likes resulted in the 300 being named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Clearly, the 300 offers breadth, sophistication and elegance. And the price is right. It comes with a base MSRP of $27,170. Add in all-wheel drive and the 5.7 liter HEMI V8 engine and the Chrysler 300C AWD is out the door at $40,320.

Analysts at NADAguides began watching the progress of the Chrysler 300 when it moved into the top 20 "most researched vehicles" on NADAguides.com from January to March. From December to January consumer interest in the 2011 Chrysler 300 piqued, increasing by more than 200%.

Troy Snyder, director of product development at NADAguides, sings the car's praises.

"The Chrysler 300 has made the leap from stylish to luxurious with chrome accents, LED lights, ambient lighting and much more. The 300 goes above and beyond your typical feature set, with heated and cooled cup holders, power rear sun shade, Blind-spot monitoring, Uconnect Touch system and rear heated seats as well as steering wheel, to name a few. The NADAguides analysts know that this isn’t the car for just anyone, but more specifically for those looking for a proven sedan with luxury features and sharp design elements; the 2011 Chrysler 300 is the perfect combination."

Olivier Francois, president and CEO of marketing at Chrysler Group LLC, was excited to get the news.

"It's definitely an honor to have the all-new 2011 Chrysler 300 recognized by NADAguides as Car of the Month-July," he said. "Our brand new flagship sedan delivers head-turning style combined with the Chrysler 300 teams’ pride and determination to give our customers the quality and technological excellence of the world’s best sedans at an incredible value – and this is what our Imported from Detroit spirit is all about."

The car is equipped with a new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine that delivers 292 horsepower and 260 lbs.-ft. of torque. It also can come with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine that knocks out 363 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 394 lbs.-ft. of torque at 4200 rpm. The V8, which is an option worth considering, offers Fuel Saver Technology that utilizes sensors to detect when full power is unneeded and based on this tip shuts off 4 of the 8 cylinders.

Both engine options come with 5-speed automatic transmissions with AutoStick, which allows for manual or automatic gear selection without use of a clutch for smooth shifts and excellent performance. The 300 gets 18 mpg city and 26 mpg highway.

The 300 won in part, analysts said, because the car provides a "smooth, stable and comfortable drive."

The interior of the Chrysler 300 has premium materials and state-of-the-art connectivity features. New interior ambient lighting and the wood accents add a luxurious touch and feel to the interior design, analysts said. Eight-way power driver’s seats underscore Chrysler's commitment to letting everyone ride in comfort through customization. A dual pane panoramic sunroof brings sunshine to the driver.

Chrysler offers UConnect voice command with Bluetooth, capless fuel fill, Uconnect Touch 8.4-inch touch screen radio and a ParkSense park-assist system. There also is an Alpine sound system with 6 or 9 speakers (buyer's choice) with Sirius Satellite Radio. NADAguides found the multimedia center to be one of the best on the market.

You can reach TorqueNews.com's Hawke Fracassa at [email protected].

Image source: Chrysler