300M's interior was designed to be functional, yet inviting, with the purposeful look of a performance sedan. Simple flowing shapes grace the interior. The dash is sleeker, more organic, and less cluttered than a Cadillac Catera. The 300M interior shares most elements with the LHS, but some of the details, such as the shifter surround, are more elegant in the 300M. Surfaces are soft to the touch for a luxurious feel. No seams are visible where the passenger airbag resides. Elegant white-faced analog gauges, surrounded by a thin chrome bezel, use electroluminescent lighting. Stylish typefaces give them a classic look and an attractive analog clock in the center of the dash carries the theme through. Major controls use large twist dials.
Leather seating and heated front seats with personalized memory controls on the driver's side are standard. 300M offers a bit more rear headroom than LHS, but LHS has the edge in legroom. Details, such as gas struts for the trunk hinges, make life seem just a bit more luxurious.
We really like this car. It feels very stable at high speeds. The steering is direct and precise. The ride quality is smooth, yet the car feels connected to the road-it doesn't isolate the driver from what's going on. Our 300M inspired confidence on a wet, winding road through Georgia's Chattahoochie National Forest in spite of vertical drops on the outsides of the turns. This is a full-size sports sedan.
Plenty of power is on tap for accelerating off the line, climbing mountain roads and passing other cars. The engine is smooth and quiet, but growls when provoked. A broad torque curve means it's ready to provide instant throttle response at any speed. Chrysler's AutoStick is entertaining on the daily commute and gives the driver better control on winding roads. Usually, though, we found normal automatic operation the best way to go. It's an efficient transmission that selects the appropriate gears and does not hunt excessively.
The standard suspension works extremely well and offers a bit more control than the setup on the LHS. Steering response is also slightly quicker than the LHS. 300M noise and vibration are not quite at Lexus levels; a small amount of wind noise can be heard. But, overall, the 300M feels like a refined luxury sports touring sedan. By comparison, the Cadillac Catera's suspension feels a bit firmer, but transmits more road vibration through to the occupants.
We drove 300M models with and without the optional handling package in back-to-back runs up and down a gnarly mountain road and found the performance benefit barely perceptible. It seemed to transmit slightly more vibration into the seats and steering wheel. Hard bumps felt just a bit sharper. And there was slightly more road noise, presumably generated by the performance-oriented tires. Still, that's a truckload of high-performance hardware for just $255, and the Michelins alone are worth that much. Perhaps we didn't drive our 300M hard enough or spend enough time with them-only a day--to fully appreciate the difference.