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.