(first posted 3/11/2016) Chrysler was on the way to recovery. It really was. The Neon, for all its foibles, was very popular and doing well against its competition, they had a great halo car, and their minivans were unparalleled. The LH cars were doing very well and earning praise from the press and buyers alike. The K-era resuscitated Chrysler, but the LH cars were what brought them into desirability.
Then Daimler came along.
To repeat the business horror of the merger of equals on this article would be of little point. The story of the Germans just going ahead and placing anything that the Chrysler bit of DaimlerChrysler had to say neatly in the bin has been told far too many times already. All we need to know is that by the time it was done, Mercedes was smack-dab in the middle of a rut the likes of which it had never seen before, and Chrysler only had mediocre offerings that had been cost-cut to hell and back in their lineup. I’m pretty sure that the only good thing to ever come out of it was that Chrysler got the basic underpinnings for the LX Charger/Challenger/300. However, and despite my love for the LX cars, I think the cost outweighed the rewards.
The 300M was one of those costs. I have to admit, I’m not completely sure if I can call it a cost. Let’s not forget that its replacement is a traditional front-engine, rear-drive sedan which can be had with a big thumpin’ V8. Okay, the original LX 300 had an interior made from the same material as a Big Gulp cup and was about as elegant as a gold-lamé suit, but it has grown into something a lot better. So, to circumnavigate around this problem, I’ll be forgetting about the LX 300 for the rest of this article and focusing on the ultimate LH car.
With the second-generation of LH cars, with the Eagle brand slowly walking the green mile to that big dealership in the sky, and, of course, Daimler proposing a merger, Chrysler decided to switch the model names and lines a little bit. Eagle’s version of the LH, the Vision, was gone for 1998. No point in giving a moribund brand an entirely new design now is there? Then, over at Chryser, the LHS name would eventually be phased out and the place that was occupied by it would be occupied by the highest-trim of the Concorde, the Concorde Limited (once again limited by how many they sold). And underneath it and the rest of the Concorde there’d be a shorter, tauter, sportier LH under the Chrysler brand. The one that would’ve gone to Eagle if they had lived: The 300M.
There’s a reason why I chose the 300M over the other LH cars as the the one that embodied all the best traits of the platform with the least amount of disadvantages. The Intrepid was good, but it would soon be dammed to rental desk hell. The Concorde was betrayed by its unfortunate grille, which pre-empted Mazda’s smile by a couple of years. Both of them were betrayed by the trouble-prone 2.7-liter V6. Go on, ask your mechanic what he thinks about you buying a 2.7-liter Intrepid. The LHS was assimilated before we reached endgame. By contrast to them The 300M was only available with the less problematic 3.5-liter V6, in America at least. Europeans could get a 2.7-liter 300M if they wanted. Without much information on the sales numbers, I’m guessing that of the few that wanted 300M’s, fewer wanted the small engine.
And so it was that the orphaned LH car became the most liked of them all. I remember Popular Mechanics having a long-term 300M back in 1999 and loving every single minute of it apart from the occasional complaint about lack of oomph. It may have been badged 300M, but like many cars with alphanumeric names, the badge wasn’t in any way indicative of anything at all. That 3.5 engine was good for 253 horsepower, fed to the front wheels by a 4-speed automatic. Nevertheless, the cavernous interior space, a trunk you could get lost in, high specification, a nice design and superb handling compensated for those little niggles. So much so that Car and Driver gave it a 10Best award in 1999 (when it also won Motor Trend’s car of the year) and again in 2000.
But the 300M, and the LH platform in general, couldn’t stay with us forever. Well, at least according to new management. Personally, I reckon it could still be with us with a little investing in new materials. But I don’t run a multinational automotive firm.
Daimler(presumably) decreed that the new platform, code named LX after what a rear-drive LH would’ve been code named, would be created using as many “superior German components” as they could. To that end they had a mashup of W211 and W220 components for suspension and the 5G-Tronic as a gearbox, thankfully not labeled as maintenance-free this time around. The LX cars have been constantly improved for the last decade and now they’re not only unique on the market, but very desirable as well. It’s just a shame that a third generation of LH cars would have to be relegated to the dreams of a select few car fans. At least they left on a very high note.
No, Eagle’s version of the LH, the Vision (ironically named given its useless headlamps) was gone for 1998.
No, the original 300—in 1955 or 1962, depending on which 300 series we’re talking about—was quite a nice and well-appointed car. The 300M of 1998 was not the original 300.
Fixed.
I think it was pretty obvious in the context of the article that he was was referring to the “original (LX) 300”
It WAS obvious by the context. While reading this post I never once confused ’90s or ’00s “300” models with the 50s-60s versions any more than I would confuse Fleetwoods of the 50s-90s with the original Fleetwood customs of the ’20s-’30s or 90s Roadmasters with Original ’36-’58 Roadmasters.That would be “nit-picky”.
Awright, so it was nitpicky. I’ll cop to that, but would it’v’e killed anyone to include the “M”?
I’m pretty sure he was not referring to the 300 “M” at that point, but the original LX 300.
The average (actually, make that 99th percentile) person on the street, when asked about the Chrysler 300 will only recall back about a decade or so and will not be thinking about the 50’s or even the 300M of this article.
Back in 2000, my boss had a brand new 300M. I got to drive it on several of our trips across southern New Mexico. It was a damn fine car, loved how it drove. It felt plenty powerful for me, at least back then. I always thought it was the best looking of the second gen LH cars.
As an owner of an LX car as well, that 300M interior was a lot nicer than my SRT8’s interior, except for maybe the shape and support of the seats.
One of my coworkers has a later 300M. I still think it looks good. My mom had two of first generation Concordes, the second one being passed down to my sister and I when she got a newer car. I always did like the 300M, and thought the interiors looked really nice, especially for a late 90s/early 2000s Detroit sedan.
Decent, well mannered, comfortable, well-sized cars.
There’s still a low-mileage ’99 300M in my family fleet, and while its styling is a bit dated now it’s still a great driver, especially on the highway. I’m not sure the end of its run should be lamented though, the car was introduced in ’99 and remained unchanged (except for minor trim bits) right to the end. After witnessing my family’s business go through 2 company car lease cycles of 300M’s, which followed 2 consecutive leased LHS’s, which followed 2 consecutive rounds of New Yorkers, I’d say the 300M was due for a serious refresh if nothing else. If my dad was still with us today I have no doubt he’d frustrated all over again, as if he were to continue the tradition of a new leased Chrysler flagship model every three years he’d have been on his 4th LX300 now.
Despite their popularity, isn’t it time for the Charger/300/Challenger to see more than surface changes by now? I must not be following FCA as carefully as maybe I should, but am I correct in my understanding that after the impending elimination of the 200 and the replacement of the T&C with the new Pacifica there will only be 2 Chrysler badged models left? I realize that the brand-faithful consumer is a thing of the past, but 2 models in a lineup doesn’t seem like it’d inspire a lot of foot traffic a Chrysler dealerships.
FCA is busy wasting money on trying to resuscitate Alfa Romeo.
I just saw a middle age/midlife crisis victim in an Alfa-Romeo the other day. Cool looking car, though my style is more old geezer rewarding himself after retirement with a vinyl topped Town Car…
As for the disaster that Daimler wrought upon Chrysler, Mr. Solis is right. For thise at Auburn Hills, it was like “Seig Heil” or be shown the door. The drain of Chrysler talent…most of the braintrust that had brought its success,,.was appalling and Daimler, for all its chutzpah, had nothing to match them.
” the less problematic 3.5-liter V6″
Actually the 3.5 is one helluva solid motor. There are examples with multiple hundreds of thousands of miles on them. I never knew just how good it was until I read up on it over at Allpar. Its the transaxles that were weak on the LH cars. But then, fwd automatics with any kind of decent power going thru them seem to be problematic across the board, so there IS that.
These were nice cars in their time. I drove a few new 300Ms when I sold cars and the autostick feature was pretty nice. Still, its a car Id never consider for myself. A big 4 door with a V6 powering the front wheels…no thanks. Its a shame that the original plan for these cars (fwd and rwd on the same platform) never materialized. Dodge had a concept called the Venom which resembled a 2 door 1st gen Intrepid with some Stealth-like cues too. That would have been a great answer to the 90s era Mustang/F body. The 3.5L would have been a superior base motor to those, and the 4.7 V8 would have stood its ground with the 4.6 and LS engines also.
But then, while we all know the story of the ‘merger of equals’….the LX platform seems well worth that price. Without it, Dodge/Chrysler may well have vaporized after the 2008 crash and todays automotive landscape would be MUCH poorer without it.
I don’t think the LX cars saved Chrysler in 2008. Remember even with the LX cars, Chrysler still had to be bailed out and then taken over by Fiat. It was the bailout that saved Chrysler, not the LX cars. A growing number of Chryslers are Fiat designs like the 200, Dart, Cherokee, Renegade etc.
I agree, the LX didn’t ‘save’ Chrysler…but I believe it made Chrysler WORTH saving. Those cars have sold strong since day 1 and are very profitable. More importantly, 11 years later they still have enthusiasts talking. These cars brought a level of passion for Mopars not seen since the first muscle car era. And it has trickled down onto other products.
Now if only the Black Sweater will get his mind right and reinvest the profits back to the Chrysler divisions rather than diverting them to reanimating Alfa and Lancia….
After the demise of the Crown Victoria, the LX has pretty much had the affordable rear wheel drive 4 door market to itself, and it along with the Jeep brand may have made Chrysler worth saving in the eyes of Fiat. However, I would hesitate to say that the LX was as important as the K-car.
Amen. The LX 300 is what got me interested in even considering Ma Mopar. I like the LH cars now, especially the New Yorker/LHS and Concorde/LHS but it took the LX to get me tuned to Mopar products.
As to Lancia and Alfa, meh. Just let them go or just keep Lancia a European Chrysler rebadge and keep Alfa around for some halo/niche roadsters. America is probably their biggest market, put the money into Mopar and work at getting Masserati established. It’s got recognition/schtick over here, use it to make it Fiat’s premium brand in the States.
I believe that Chrysler was the most profitable Auto co in the world on % basis when Daimler swooped in.
That may not have lasted – as w/ Chrysler’s profound 1965 renaissance – but it should not be forgotten.
I suspect it was mostly Jeep, Ram, and minivan sales that were keeping Chrysler afloat. And still are.
This generation was never my favorite. The 300M was the pinched nose and tail version to be sold in Europe. Yet to my eyes it still seems so bloated and oversized. If Mercedes had not come along, I would have hoped another generation could have returned to the more sensible dimensions and weights of the original Eagle Premier. Perhaps this time taking advantage of the longtitudinal engine to make use of the Jeep 4.0 inline six and a small turbo four for fuel sippers and honoring a little the K New Yorker.
I liked the “original” 300Ms styling and size, but just couldn’t see myself in a large 4 door sedan. Yet, every time I see one (not all that often anymore), I regret not even taking one for a test drive.
My now 85-year old dad still drives his 2003 300M. Just not very far, as it’s only cracked 35,000 miles in 12+ years. It’s not my style; I prefer smaller cars with fimer ride and crisper handling, but it filled its brief admirably. And there’s no way he’d trade it for an LX – he can’t stand the high beltline and slit windows, a sentiment I highly agree with.
I’d love to know where the designers were planning to go before the Germans took over…
My septuagenarian parents have an ’02 Town and Country with about 48k on it. They looked at the 300M when they bought it, because they figured they didn’t really need another minivan, since their youngest child (me) was a senior in college at the time. But after test driving the 300M they decided they really liked driving a minivan.
My dad has mentioned he’s not sure what he would buy if he had to buy another car someday – he has owned nothing but Chrysler and AMC products his whole life, but he’s not thrilled about the fact that Chrysler closed the small-town one-car-showroom dealer that was owned by the family of a guy he went to high school with during the whole Carpocolypse.
I’m surprised that only John C mentioned the the raison d’être for the 300M was that it was five meter car that could be sold in Europe and being FWD, really didn’t compete with anything Daimler offered at the time.
As for its interior, it wasn’t decontented by Daimler like the original LX cars that followed. It wasn’t until Marchionne took over, that the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger (and even later the Dodge Challenger) got upgraded interiors. The 300M had a very class-competitive interior, especially compared to its GM contemporaries.
The 2005 Grand Cherokee suffered in comparison to its predecessors. First, the 2005 Grand Cherokee looked like the box the previous version came in. And it’s interior looked like it was designed by Fisher-Price, acres of cheap, shiny plastic that was worse than a base level Kia.
I believe the 3.2 was the preferred choice of engine for the Intrepid. A ’99 we had since new was a 2.7. Daily driver. Managed to squeeze 130,000 miles out of it when I sold it still running in 2013. The sludge and timing chain/water pump issues were not yet evident among these until about 2002/03 or so when they were accumulating miles. These 2.7 Intrepids are now scrapyard fodder. 03 and 04 engines may fare a little better, however. It was a good looking, big comfortable car, I got 29 mpg on long trips.
I thought the Chrysler 300 M and M Special were worthy successors to the Eagle Vision. I drove several of them back in the day and they were everything I would have liked in a car that size. The 3.5 was plenty strong and the car handled well for such a big body, something that I feel has always been a Chrysler hallmark.
When Daimler took over and released the ‘new” 300 with the retro styling, I was whole lot less than impressed. Obviously, I was on the wrong side of that trend. OTOH, this latest refresh of the 300 is rather engaging to me.
But I was a fan of the LH cars since they were released and remain one today.
Having driven a 300M on a track at a media event back in th day myself and other journalists came away very impressed. No the car wasn’t particularly fast, but it sure handled well and was extremely comfortable and very driver oriented. Years later at another company our general manager bought a used 300M that had been well cared for by the previous owner. He still has the car to this day and I remember telling him to hold onto it as it was a noteworthy Chrysler model from that era.
I still see some well preserved examples now and then but only in the summertime.
I was looking for a used 300M back in 2004, but most I found were a bit rough around the edges. I did find a black over black leather 2002 Concorde Limited for $14K with 35K miles and after taking a test drive, I was hooked and purchased it. It has been one of the best vehicles I have ever owned, and still prefer it to many new cars that I check out each year at the auto show. I still have it and it now shows 105K and the only service issues I have ever had with it were related to poor/inept service(s) provided at two separate “5-Star” Chrysler dealerships. I think its design – both exterior and interior – are elegant and timeless. I have no plans for it leaving my fleet!
Gorgeous!
Nice-looking Concorde. The styling benefitted greatly from adopting the LHS’s grille as opposed to the “widemouth” piece on the base Concordes.
I think that the 300M’s appeal is very dependent on paint color…black or charcoal gray with the black leather still looks pretty modern, but throw gold or maroon paint on it and it’s just blaah. Chrysler put a gary metallic gray on some early LHSs with huge “bass boat” metal flake that was an amazing color on that car.
Not a fan of the LX line…the little tiny windows turn me off, and that’s a car whose appeal is driven by the wheel and tires…bigger wheels and low-pro tires help tremendously…the same way a Kia Optima looks cheap and cheesy with basic wheels but looks pretty cool with big wheels.
The only way I’m setting foot in an FCA dealer is if they build a variation on the Crew Chief 715 show truck…that may entice me to shop FCA, but that’s IT. The car line doesn’t do it for me.
After having driven a number of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Gen LX 300, I don’t see the problem with the belt line or windows. I think the visibility is good-except for the thick c pillar. Also, at least in my 300c, I can adjust the seat all over the place and even with it jacked up almost all the way I still have headroom and can comfortably rest my arm out the window-and I’m 6’4″ and about 260.
To me, the interior seems huge. Same with the LH cars.
I drove a 2001 300M (silver with black interior) from 2007-11. Loved it – comfortable, powerful, and sleek as a dang airplane. Despite high mileage (111K when I bought it) it gave me little trouble until the last year, when it started developing electrical gremlins in the automatic climate control and sound system, and eventually the transmission blew at 152K. I still miss it sometimes – overall I thought it was a very enjoyable car to drive, despite the relatively bitter end.
These were nice cars for their time, though I took some exception to their usage of the storied 300 “letter” nameplate on a V6 front-driver. That aside, they still do have appeal today, though a large number of them seem to have descended to beater status, or its cousin “big shiny wheels but faded paint and cloudy headlights”.
Proud owner of a 2003 Intrepid SXT. 182,000 miles. Original 3.5HO and tranny (knock on wood). Handing it over to my 16 year old son in about a year. Drivers side window lift needs repair, front suspension creaks when cold outside and rust behind the left rear door. Still gets a steady 22MPG. In June drove it from Whiting NJ to Houston TX and back in a week.
Nowadays, 6 years after this was written, hardly see any LH, Cloud, Neon, JS [2008-14 Sebring/Avenger] or Caliber cars around. Even FCA Darts and 200’s are fading away.
But, quite a few older LX cars are still chugging along.
Funny you should mention that, I just saw a pristine later Neon in traffic this morning and had the same thought.
This being Florida in the Winter, we see a lot of older cars in very nice shape that come out of their garages for 3-5 months out of the year while their snowbird owners are here, then get dry docked for the warmer months. Last week I saw a mid 90’s Cavalier that looked like it had just left the showroom.
I like the “mouth breather” Concorde grille.
It’s the “cell dividing” googly headlights that look odd to me.
But I can’t mentally draw anything that works better.
Maybe something like the Lexus SC300’s front light setup? Or a Celica All-Trac quad circular setup.
I’ve recently acquired a 99 Concorde with 30k miles. It was my dad’s. He received complements on the car as recently as 2015 by people who were attracted by the vaguely Maserati-like grille and overall clean lines. The admirers didn’t recognize the car and were asking what it was, thinking it was brand new.
We tend to think of European brands as having timeless style, but not Chrysler, although at the time Chrysler had some exceptional designs that look good today.
We owned a first-year 1999 300M in Deep Slate Pearl (basically black) with the Agate leather interior and the Performance Handling Package. It really did handle—somewhat astounding for a big front-wheel-drive American car.
We broke the “don’t buy a first year” rule for this car, and paid for it a few years in—the power door locks and power windows needed frequent help.
It was a comfortable car (no one ever complained about the accommodations) and a great long distance driver. The trunk had tons of useful room, and the acceleration was “fine”—not fast, but acceptable.
I miss that car.
There’s still a few of these beauties out there. Here’s a 2003 300M I bought a few months ago…owned by an elderly gentleman in Brooklyn who always garaged it and barely drove it…only 65,000 on it. Everything still works perfectly (windows, locks, stereo, sun roof). It only needed the basics…new battery, starter, belts & hoses (those were the original Chrysler factory ones from 19 years ago). No typical crack on the dash and it’s all original except for the rain guards and the chrome fender flares that the first owner added. It runs like a BEAST !! 40+ years of owning cars and this is the best one ever. I use it as my daily driver. Better than anything out there today.
I had purchased a 300m 3 years ago for 600.00 replaced everything but a short block for 4000.00 this car is awesome she has 200,000 on the original block and will still do 60 in 5 seconds