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If my television is anything to go by, American vocabulary has decreased to just two overused phrases; “Ermegherd” and “ahhsum”. While the first one is slightly blasphemous, I’d be happy to use the second to describe this week’s test car: Chrysler’s new 300C.
Last week I had multiple cases of déjà-vu with a highly anticipated test car, the Jaguar XF-R. The first two flashbacks came courtesy of the 3.0 and 2.2 turbo-diesel XF’s I had the absolute pleasure of driving and the R-version of this car had a few more surprises up its sleeve.
So the year’s almost over and you’ve been playing with the idea of a new luxury German car. The C-Class, A4 and 3-Series are just too obvious and plentiful. The A8, Seven and S-Class are too big, which just leaves you with the 5-Series, E-Class or the new Audi A6.
Right in the middle of BMW’s dime-a-dozen 3-Series and stock-portfolio 7-Series you shall find the obviously named 5-Series. With many experts pinning the recession’s automotive pain threshold around N$500 000, BMW shifted the middle-child Five away from Three and in the better-heeled direction of the new Seven.
Prepare to be surprised in a pleasant way, especially if you aren’t familiar with the latest GT version of the Subaru Legacy. This mid-size sedan never really made a big impression on me right up to the minute that I set eyes on our burgundy metallic test mule with its taught body panels and where-can-I-buy-those 18-inch mag wheels.
You might agree that our changing weather isn’t the ideal time to launch a new soft-top convertible, but this only boosted the confidence of Mercedes-Benz representatives at the recent launch of the new E-Class Cabrio. Backed by a joyful marketing campaign that denotes the newcomer as one cabrio for four seasons, the topless executive German completes the E-Class line-up of sedan, estate, coupé and convertible. It’s based on the 2-door coupé version of the E and is only available with a soft top.
Confession time. I actually owe my life to a Mercedes-Benz, or rather my parents’ choice in automobiles. I was about five years old when the drunk driver of a tanker truck picked a fight with our stationary lime-green 280S late on a Tuesday night.