COSTA MESA, Calif. -

Touting the model has an “elegant design and overall appearance, combined with ample space, smooth driving performance, a plethora of intuitive technology features and an extensive list of safety features,” NADAguides.com went with a domestic offering as its Car of the Month for July, picking the 2011 Chrysler 300.

Analysts at NADAguides.com indicated they first took notice of the Chrysler 300 when it moved into the top 20 most researched vehicles on their site during the first quarter of the year.

The site pointed out that from December 2010 to January of this year, consumer interest in the model increased by more than 200 percent.

“The Chrysler 300 has made the leap from stylish to luxurious with chrome accents, LED lights, ambient lighting and much more,” highlighted Troy Snyder, director of product development at NADAguides.com.

“The 300 goes above and beyond your typical feature set, with heated and cooled cup holders, power rear sun shade, blind-spot monitoring, Uconnect Touch system and rear heated seats as well as heated steering wheel, to name a few,” Snyder continued.

“The NADAguides analysts know that this isn’t the car for just anyone, but more specifically, for those looking for a proven sedan with luxury features and sharp design elements; the 2011 Chrysler 300 is the perfect combination,” he continued.

Reacting to the selection, Olivier Francois, president and chief executive officer of marketing at Chrysler, began by stating “It’s definitely an honor to have the all-new 2011 Chrysler 300 recognized by NADAguides as Car of the Month in July.

“Our brand new flagship sedan delivers head-turning style combined with the Chrysler 300 teams’ pride and determination to give our customers the quality and technological excellence of the world’s best sedans at an incredible value – and this is what our Imported from Detroit spirit is all about,” Francois went on to say.

NADAguides.com analysts offered more commentary about the 300, highlighting the model’s various attributes.

—Engine: The 2011 Chrysler 300 comes with the new 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine that offers 292 horsepower and 260 pounds-feet of torque or Chrysler’s legendary 5.7L HEMI V8 engine that offers 363 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 394 pounds-feet of torque at 4200 rpm.

The V8 option also comes standard with Fuel Saver Technology that utilizes sensors to detect when full power is not necessary and actually shuts off four of the eight cylinders.

Both engine options come with a five-speed automatic transmission with AutoStick which allows for manual or automatic gear selection without use of a clutch for smooth shifts and excellent performance.

The 2011 Chrysler 300 achieves up to an estimated 18 MPG city and 26 MPG highway. With speed control, an available all-wheel drive option and newly tuned suspension the analysts at NADAguides found the 2011 Chrysler 300 to offer a smooth, stable and comfortable drive.  

—Interior: The entire interior of the Chrysler 300 has been overhauled now offering premium materials and state-of-the-art connectivity features.

New interior ambient lighting and the wood accents add a luxurious touch and feel to the interior design. Eight-way power driver’s seats help the driver customize the ride for added comfort, while heated/vented front seats and back heated seats allow for even more customization for every passenger.

An available dual pane panoramic sunroof allows for plenty of sunlight for all passengers, and the Chrysler 300 also offers plenty of space to comfortably seat five adults.  

—Technology: Available UConnect voice command with Bluetooth,  capless fuel fill, Uconnect Touch 8.4-inch touch screen radio, available ParkSense front and rear park assist system and ParkView rear back up camera and an Alpine six-speaker or nine-speaker sound system with Sirius Satellite Radio combine to make the Chrysler 300 a state-of-the-art, feature-packed vehicle.

The analysts at NADAguides.com found the multimedia center to be intuitive and one of the best on the market, providing the driver with useful information such as miles until empty and average MPGs the driver is achieving.  

—Safety: The Chrysler 300 offers extremely impressive safety features such as standard advanced front multistate airbags, supplemental side curtain and front seat-mounted side bags, driver’s side knee airbag, reactive front head restraints and a strong steel structure.

Chrysler’s SafetyTec safety and security package includes adaptive speed cruise control, forward collision warning system, blind spot monitoring — a system NADAguides.com analysts felt  surpassed some of the systems offered by the competition — and rear cross path detection.

The package also includes ParkSense front and rear park assist system, adaptive Bi-Xenon High-Intensity Discharge headlamps and automatic headlamp leveling system, SmartBeam Intelligent headlamps, rain-sensitive wipers, rear LED fog lamps, a universal garage door opener, multi-functional power exterior mirrors with supplemental signals and courtesy lamps.

The 2011 Chrysler 300 earned a Top Safety Pick from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety earning a "good" rating in frontal offset, side impact and roof strength.  

—Price/Warranty: MSRP for the 2011 Chrysler starts at $27,170 for the four-door sedan rear-wheel drive and goes up to a starting price of $40,320 for the four-door sedan 300C with all-wheel drive. Chrysler offers a five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain limited warranty, and three-year, 36,000-mile basic limited warranty.

Chrysler coverage also includes free towing to the nearest dealership.