The Art of Driving Tour

[VIR]

Though I live in Arizona, I was lucky enough to be in L.A. yesterday, which allowed me to visit the first day of Chrysler's Art of Driving Tour. It was a fairly gray and wet day, but that didn't seem to dampen people's spirits. After a 20 minute wait to check-in, I was allowed INTO the parking lot at the Rose Bowl that was converted INTO a 300c and Crossfire playground for the weekend. I went there for the 300, but for those of you who are interested, there will be the chance to drive several Crossfire ragtops, though no SRT-6!

The first tent I visited was the "300 Club" in which sat a Satin Jade 300c which had every single option that is available (except the UConnect). I dismissed this color choice right away when I first saw it in the pseudo-brochure, but I must say that in person, it is beautiful. The overall fit and finish was very good, and much better than a preproduction car that I sat in at the Barrett-Jackson auction. Like that car, though, I'm still disappointed by the cheap feel of the plastics between the ashtray and the center console, especially the cover for the cupholders, but it is forgivable given the rest of the car. Outside the tent, there was a dark blue and magnesium pearl that I was able to take pictures of in natural sunlight. I was bummed that there was no example of the mysterious Deep Lava Red, which seems like one of the more intriguing choices.

From there, it was off to wait in line for the drive. Chrysler promises that you'll be able to drive the 300C twice within your allotted hour. Don't count on it. It took nearly 45 minutes to get to the front of the line, and it's over before you know it. It was hard to overcome the temptation to blast out of that parking lot! You will ride with a Chrysler rep as shotgun, but they are mostly college kids whose fund of product knowledge was far less than that of anybody on this board. The course begins and ends with a straightaway, with cones marking off various curves and a turning circle. I slammed the accelerator FROM the get-go and off we went, and I'm thinking, not bad, and then we downshifted, and the damn thing started going even faster! Choose your favorite overused analogy . . . runaway locomotive . . . rocketship . . . either way, you'll have trouble wiping off that stupid grin FROM your face. I then slammed on the brakes, which are excellent, with absolutely none of the mushiness I've felt in some Japanese cars.

In the end, you'll get a great feel for the acceleration of the car, but not much else, as a coned-off parking lot has obvious limitations, and I look forward to a real world test-drive. If you can make it, go for it! It's a fun afternoon, to say the least. I'm sorry for the long post, and CHECK out my pics!

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4287256061

[mikemullin6]

I tried the link several times and keep getting 'Server error'. Is there an error in the link or a problem with the server? Love to see the pix

[VIR]

It's my screw-up. The address works without that last forward slash.

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4287256061

[DMAG]

Awesome! (the pics didn't come up for me either, but I'll try again in a bit)

I can't wait until the Art of Driving Tour comes my way. Too bad its not until July! :(