SRT8 is a big, wild, lovable animal

Ready to eat up the road - but don't watch the fuel gauge.

It's totally out of step with modern auto world. Where most other cars glide along with downsized, quiet and frugal engines the SRT8 thunders along to the roar of a 6.4-litre engine that produces 347kW and 631Nm which is enough to propel this beast from zero to 100km/h in five seconds flat which makes it quicker out of the stalls than most Porsches.

In a world where fuel prices fluctuate mainly northwards and most manufacturers and buyers focus strongly on minimising the depletion of the world's fossil-fuel reserves, the Chrysler guzzles fuel faster than thirsty students at a beer-drinking boat race do.

Hail to the king

Where most other brands have all put their vehicles on serious weight-reducing programmes the SRT8 is still broad and heavy, but you know what? Even if it is as incongruous as a vuvuzela at a symphony concert and out of step with the rest of the non-American world, I love it - and what fuels my love for it lies under its aircraft-carrier size bonnet and the aural concert that trumpets from its bazooka-sized twin exhausts.

If you need to get rid of any bodies, the boot will take a couple with ease.

It evokes sweet memories of an era when power was king, V8's were everywhere, and we loved them with the same passion we have for the Bokke when they are on a winning streak.

I like the way the Chrysler does BIG at a time when cars (and their personalities) are getting smaller and they look more and more like perambulating washing machines and chest freezers than cars.

In a word... BIG

The Chrysler's seats are as big and as comfortable as the old leather seats you find in a snooty English gentleman's club. The boot is big enough to swallow a couple of bodies, the wild alloys are wrapped in 20-inch rubber and the dash looks like the cockpit of a Boeing. The spread of silver on black switches and dials also light up like New York at night.

The 6.4-litre engine produces 347kW and 631Nm - which should be enough for just about anyone.

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I spent a week with the huggable American animal and enjoyed it more each time I slid in behind its ox-wagon size steering wheel. It holds the road surprisingly well for such a large and heavy American sedan although the steering, suspension and grip are not nearly as sharp and as accurate as you find in the German trio.

Thirsty, but hey... look at what you're getting

Though it is quick off the mark it's not a neck-breaking exercise, rather a rapid boost of power flow not unlike that of a jet fighter at take-off. Unlike a growing trend towards turbo, the Chrysler is not force fed although it can turn down the growling thunder and run on just four cylinders if you go gently on the pleasure pedal or when you feel a twinge of guilt because of its heavy drinking habits. However, it is really only a mode to select when cruising at constant speed because as soon as you press the pedal down the other four cylinders quickly rejoin the party.

The dash looks like the cockpit of a Boeing.

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It is one of the thirstiest cars I have driven for a long time with fuel consumption running to about 15-litres and more per 100km during our week-long relationship, even though Chrysler's claims it should return about 11-litres. But then their figures are achieved in perfect test conditions with the wheels spinning through the air while mine was clocked up during spurts of lead-footed fun.... Which is probably the main reason anybody would lay down a whopping R659,990 to own one of these in the first place.

The SRT has an auto box but you can also tap-tap it in manual shifts. In manual the cog-swapping is quick and smooth but for congested city driving the standard auto mode is quite docile and more than adequate.

The Chrysler might never pose a serious threat to the German überwagens but it is a very attractive alternative for drivers who prefer to play hardball rather than table tennis. In many ways it is the wild card in the pack of large executive saloons.

Specifications

2013 Chrysler 300 SRT8 - WINDING ROAD POV Test Drive

2013 CHRYSLER 300 SRT8

013 Chrysler 300 SRT8 - Drive Time Review with Steve Hammes