On Wed, 22 Jun 2005 10:30:04 -0500, Steve wrote:

> Dual spark plugs and a LOT of computer simulation into combustion
> chamber and induction/exhaust design- a very cool thing indeed! One of
> the big issues with bringing back the Hemi head was keeping emissions
> under control. The original Hemi had a lot of trouble both with NOx
> (from high compression) and HC (from the fact that parts of the chamber
> tended to be shrouded until the piston had moved down a significant
> distance). The new Hemi head addressed both of those issues very well.
>
>
>
>>
>>>I was looking at EPA figures for mileage for the 300C (trying to convince my
>>>spouse to consider the Dodge Charger despite rising oil prices) and noticed
>>>that the hemi is a much cleaner engine than the engine in the Avalon and
>>>Ford 500.
>>
>>

However be prepared for really terrible fuel economy. The 300C combines
the performance of a rocket with the fuel economy of a rocket. I bought a
300C AWD a few weeks ago, I'm getting 15MPG. I agonized over the lousy gas
mileage before I bought it but decided that with the number of miles that
I drive, I've consistently averaged 12,000/year for the last 30 years,
that I could afford to feed it. The fuel cost difference between a 300C
and an Acura TL (which is the other car that I was considering) is only
$600/year at todays prices. Even if gas goes to $5 a gallon it's still
only $1250 a year more. If you can afford the extra $1000/year (and anyone
who can afford $40K for a car, which is what a 300C AWD goes for, can
afford the extra $10,000 in gas that the car will burn over it's life)
then go for it. You would have to spend $75K for a big Mercedes before you
found a comparable driving experience. I tested most everything below
$50K, Acura TL and RL, Infinity M35, Cadillac CRX, Lexus ES330, Lincoln
LS, Toyota Avalon and the Hybrid Honda Accord (a truely awful car). All of
the others were boring, most were competent especially the Acura TL, but
none stood out. The 300C feels like an incredibly powerful extension of
your body. It has incredible handling and of course it accelerates like it
has afterburners. One other thing that I noticed after I got it, it has a
very small turning radius for a car it's size, you point it somewhere and
it's there immediately.