Your Hemi Is Here

Hemi. Guys know it means power and status. That's probably why Mopar resurrected the name after 30-plus years for its newest V-8, and even if you're of the whiny, purist ilk who complains that DaimlerChrysler's 5.7L pentroof-chamber mill just ain't a real Hemi, you should still be glad that there's a 340hp pushrod V-8 powering the company's latest passenger cars.

First Impression:
DaimlerChrysler's '05 Rear-Drivers
And you should be euphoric as the corporate marketing machine attempts to undo 20 years of front-drive brainwashing, because the new Chrysler 300 sedan and Dodge Magnum wagon are both gloriously rear-wheel-driven; the tire smoke once again emits from the correct end, and "cab forward" follows "rich Corinthian leather" into the dusty warehouse of Mopar advertising catch phrases.

We like the new shtick better, mostly because it wasn't a hard sell when Chrysler Group President and CEO Dieter Zetsche announced that "rear-wheel drive is the right architecture for performance." After all, it's one of the reasons those pesky BMWs remain the benchmark performance sedan for the clean-hands car magazines, and it's the predominant drive-wheel proclivity from Ma Mercedes. The positioning statement for the Chrysler sedans is "the return of the great American automobile," and the Magnum is "the new shape of American muscle," yet from behind the wheel, one can't help but feel the German influence. And you know what? That plays out far better than anyone may have foreseen when the DaimlerChrysler merger went down in 1998.

Built entirely around the rear-drive mandate, these are all-new cars with short-and-long-arm front suspension, power rack-and-pinion steering, and a five-link independent rearend as standard equipment. The underpinnings and the 120-inch wheelbase are common to both cars, as are the powertrain combinations: Each model has three optional trim levels progressing from the 2.7L and 3.5L V-6s with four-speed automatics to the 5.7L Hemi with a Mercedes-derived, down-home-Indiana-built five-speed automatic. To assuage those potential buyers who cannot overcome their fear of rear-drive, cars with 3.5L or 5.7L engines will soon be available with all-wheel drive using a planetary-type transfer case that splits power 62/38 front-to-rear. However, even the two-wheel-drive versions of 3.5L and 5.7L cars are loaded with electronics to cushion the motorist from any inconvenience caused by their own lack of vehicle control. The electronic throttle control and antilock brakes conspire with the All-Speed Traction Control (ASTC) and Electronic Stability Program (ESP) to ensure traction if at all possible, and the five-speed's Computer Modulated Converter Clutch and Torque Management System make the transmission functions virtually imperceptible unless you activate the somewhat counter-intuitive side-to-side shifter action of the AutoStick feature. The AutoStick gives you the illusion you're actually in charge of the shift points-at least until engine rpm is such that the trans either refuses to downshift or automatically upshifts regardless of the AutoStick position. The traction control uses both brake application and computer-commanded engine power reduction to prevent wheelspin and can be blessedly switched off. The Electronic Stability Program uses differential wheel speed to calculate the vehicle's true yaw compared to steering-wheel input angle and applies or reduces throttle and brake inputs to put you back where the computer thinks you want to go. As far as we can tell, it cannot be deselected, but the press kit assured us, "The system is calibrated to offer safe control of the vehicle under a variety of conditions, and to operate in a manner that is not intrusive in normal or spirited driving." We pushed it pretty hard on mountain roads and found the system fairly seamless.