The 2012 300 SRT8 is a show of force and finesse with its 470-hp, 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 and 5-speed Auto Stick transmission.

New car test: Chrysler 300 SRT8 with the big, tire-smoking Hemi gives a big-guns salute that will make American sedan drivers sit a little taller in the seat.

This 470-horsepower, “big” Hemi, 6.4 liter V-8 is a likeable, over-the-top show of force – with luxury finesse. It will smoke the rear tires like a drag car, launch to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds and get 23 mpg on the highway on the daily commute.

Redesigned last year, the 300 sedan is an example of company survival. Engineers, designers and CEO agreed on a goal and went to work. The new styling is a revolution when it could so easily have defaulted to evolutionary change.

 For a closer look: http://veh.cl/31c

Nitpicky issues

The previous sedan, which went on sale in 2005, was a good car with nitpicky issues – weak interior quality and cheap-looking plastics not worthy of a flagship sedan. All that has been resolved and the 2012 model rolls as quietly as the best luxury European sedans.

There are 10 models of 300 with choices of rear- and all-wheel drive, the new Pentastar V-6 and two Hemi V-8s. Big news for the V-6 models is the addition of an eight-speed automatic. The extra gearing pushes V-6 highway fuel economy to 31 mpg for rear-drive cars and 23 mpg combined city and highway. AWD sedans will get a combined 21 mpg city/highway.

Pricing ranges from about $28,000 to $50,000-plus for the top-line SRT8, today’s test car.

Serious displacement

The 300 SRT8 has a big, booming drive quality. For a sedan that weighs 4,365 pounds, the beefed up hydraulic steering has a direct feel and crisp response. There is no grab from the mighty Brembo disc brakes. And power roll on is smooth and linear – but when those big guns go off, you know you’ve been hit with some serious displacement.

A new “active” exhaust system also allows straight-through  passage to mid and rear mufflers for that heavy sound ’o power.

The five-speed Auto Stick is the last of the old that needs updating, but Chrysler isn’t saying when that will be for the V-8s. Automatic shifting is aimed for fuel consumption, with the engine switching to four cylinders when possible.

Sport mode – selected on the billboard size digital screen on the center stack – amps up the excitement, but manual shifts are inelegantly performed and with no engine-rev-matching downshifts. Sport mode also stiffens the suspension nicely for enhanced grip but it, elegantly, does not hammer the occupants.

The 8.4-inch color touchscreen has a performance page that includes timers for 0-60 mph, eighth and quarter mile. There also is 60-0 mph braking distance and lateral and longitudinal g-forces. But it’s still awkward that Sport mode can only be selected on-screen and not by a handy-to-reach button.

Performance numbers

Chrysler says the 300 SRT8 will do 0-60 mph in the high 4-second range; the quarter mile in the high 12-second range; and 0-100-0 mph in less than 16 seconds. It has a top speed of 175 mph and takes 120 feet to stop from 60 mph. Also standard with any SRT8 model is a performance-driving course (www.DriveSRT.com)

And the driving is an enjoyable hands-on experience. There’s room at the steering wheel for a robust, 6-foot-4 male and even good back seat legroom for those behind. The panorama moonroof, $1,295, opens the cabin experience and can be enjoyed open at highway speeds, while most of these whip up painful buffeting.

The interior has snap and sparkle, especially with the no-cost option of red leather. Two large gauges are bright with Sapphire Blue lighting and chrome in an appealing Rolex-like treatment. The leather-wrapped and heated SRT steering wheel has a flat bottom to help thigh room.

Heated and ventilated front seats are standard (back seats are heated) and also standard are heated and cooled front cup holders. The generous 16.3 cubic-foot trunk is expandable by a 60/40 folding seatback.

The soft-touch “cast-skin” plastic used on the dash top and door panels is almost too skin-like with a rubbery-rich feel. Some of the old plastic is still visible down low in the car where it really doesn’t matter.

The 300 SRT8 sticks its big and bold Audi-like nose in the center of credible competitors from the East and West, but when the tire smoke clears, this is American performance at its best.

The Camaro has straight-line speed and cornering finesse with some technologies borrowed from the Corvette ZR1 and the third generation of Magnetic Ride Control.

The 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be the most-powerful production Camaro ever, when it goes on sale in early 2012.

Promoted as a “track-ready” car, the ZL1 is rated for 580 horsepower and 556 foot-pounds of torque from its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8. And unlike some of the pony-car competition, this super Camaro will be available with an optional six-speed automatic transmission or standard six-speed manual.

And, yes, this repeat of the ZL1 nameplate beats the special-order, 1969 Camaro ZL1 427 cubic-inch big block by more than 150 horsepower. And, fortunately, the modern Camaro has a five-year / 100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Pricing has not been released, but if some versions of the Camaro SS can run to $45,000, expect the ZL1 to start at or above $50,000.

Among the standard equipment are a five-mode Performance Traction Management system, a high-performance fuel system and fortified clutches and transmissions. The Super Camaro also borrows some technologies from the Corvette ZR1 and debuts the third generation of Magnetic Ride Control.

“The Camaro ZL1 delivers supercar performance and technology in the sports-car segment,” said Al Oppenheiser, Camaro chief engineer, said in a release. “For sheer power, the ZL1 delivers more horsepower than a Ferrari 458, more torque than an Aston Martin DB9 V12, and a better power-to-weight ratio than a Porsche 911 Carrera GTS.”

In comparison, the Ford Mustang Shelby GTR500 has power ratings of 550-hp and 510 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,250 rpm from its supercharged 5.4-liter V-8, which requires premium fuel. Its only transmission is a six-speed manual. The Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 has 470-hp and 470 lb.-ft. torque at 4,200 rpm from its naturally aspirated (non-“charged”) 6.4-liter pushrod V-8. Premium fuel is recommended, not required. Challenger has six-speed manual or automatic transmissions.

Reinforcements were applied to the ZL1 in key areas. Its aluminum LSA V-8 uses six-bolt main bearing caps that clamp and lock in the forged steel crankshaft. The 1.9-liter Roots-style blower has a four-lobe rotor set and intercooler to funnel boosted air into high-flow cylinder heads.

More air into the engine means more power out and the LSA engine has a lower-restriction air filter, dual inlet paths and improved airflow through the supercharger housing. Other changes include a higher-efficiency supercharger intercooler and electric power steering system, which takes away less engine power than hydraulic-steering systems.

The Tremec TR-6060 “MG9” manual transmission has been fortified by 30 percent to handle the torque, which is 136  lb.-ft. to 146 lb.-ft. more than the Camaro SS. The uprated transmission has a strengthened output shaft, high-strength rear housing, and additional roller bearing. There also are a dual-mass flywheel, twin-disc clutch and triple synchros for smooth engagement and precise shifts.

The Hydra-Matic 6L90 automatic also has been beefed up and has performance modes of Drive (with second-gear starts), Sport and Manual.