THERE is nothing understated about the Chrysler 300C - it's big and brash and, because of its rarity, attracts more attention than any Mercedes.

In its last V6 diesel form, built until 2015, it's on a par with the Mercedes E-Class, the BMW 5 Series and the Audi A6 on size.

It also comes with an automatic gearbox as standard and with a fantastic array of equipment, yet it costs less than those competitors.

Earlier models were also available as cavernous estates and with V6 and V8 petrol engines but these were very thirsty, even if they did have excellent performance.

But if you're looking for a large executive car with all the bells and whistles and decent economy with good performance, the diesel is very hard to beat on price.

The smooth V6 engine produces 236bhp and will waft you from zero to 60 miles an hour in a shade over seven seconds.

In fact, performance from the refined and quiet diesel is excellent whenever you need it and yet it's also reasonably economical and should achieve 34-35 miles per gallon in varied driving, with a government best of 39mpg.

On the road it also drives in smooth fashion with very subdued road and wind noise and hardly any sound at all from the engine.

Comfort is excellent thanks to well-shaped seats with all the electric adjustment needed and a good ride only upset slightly at low speeds in town.

The handling is not up to the best like the 5 Series, but no-one is likely to try and throw around a behemoth of this size and it does have all wheel drive to give the best of traction in wet or slippery conditions.

The 300C is absolutely packed with gear as I've said and that includes one-touch starting, reading, footwell and puddle lights, sat nav, electric sunroof and a very impressive sound system.

It has about as much interior space as the average living room and the hard plastics that often come with US-built cars are soft and forgiving here.

Other standard kit in the Limited model includes load levelling suspension, stability and traction control, hill start assist, loads of airbags all round and a huge touch screen display.

The only other model is the Executive, which has adaptive cruise, heated and air conditioned electrically adjusted leather seats, blind spot monitoring, a powered rear sunshade and a forward collision warning system.

Pay about £13,000 for a '15 15-reg Executive, or £14,300 for the last of the same model on a '16 65 plate.