It is the type of car you wash slowly, running your hand along the creases and into the corners, cleaning the grille carefully, and polishing the sculpted metal until you see your own smile in the reflection. It is the kind of machine you don't forget. The one you'll remember 20 years from now when you try to recall the cars of your life.

Yes, the Chrysler 300 is all of that.

And maybe it's even a bit more, if you work for DaimlerChrysler or just believe in the pure romance of driving down the road. For injecting some much needed passion into the Great American Sedan, for helping to make a company cool again, and, really, for being a great car with loads of style and smart engineering, we have chosen the 2005 Chrysler 300 as the Autobytel Editors' Choice for 2005 Car of the Year.

This is a car for the future that harkens back to the past for its core appeal. Under that retro-rapper-cum-Bentley design lay one of three distinct powertrains, each adept at serving a purpose. There's also an all-wheel drive trim available, though it seems that most people want the rear-drive grunt. The capability to have it all - streams of power, four-wheel traction and decent gas mileage - drives Chrysler 300 popularity, as does the premium feel of the car and the nicely executed interior. When either looking at it, sitting inside it or driving it down the road, the Chrysler 300 exudes a luxury feel.

Even the base 2.7-liter V6 engine making 190 horsepower and 190 feet-pounds of torque provides a feeling of prosperity - especially at the pump, with a rated mpg of 21/28 miles per gallon. But that little 2.7-liter engine cannot match the popular 3.5-liter, 250-horse, 250-lb.-ft. V6 motor that's included on the Touring and Limited trim levels for getting the big 300 down the road while returning 19/27 mpg.

But you want to know about the Hemi. Yes, it's fun. Yeah, you will smile when you step hard on the slender pedal. Most people are interested in getting that "300C" badge, which denotes the 5.7-liter, 340-horsepower big boy driving those meaty rear wheels. This is the engine that comes with Chrysler's Multi-Displacement System (MDS), and does it ever need it. MDS, a decidedly "now" type of technology, limits the use of cylinders to meet the driver's need. The result is improved fuel economy, and without MDS, the 300C would not achieve its EPA rating of 17/25 mpg. The "C" trim also comes with an AutoStick manually shifted automatic transmission, dual exhaust, and larger front brakes.

If the 5.7-liter isn't enough to quell your yearning for more power, Chrysler has another 300 just for you, namely the SRT-8 - and all the speeding tickets that come with it. Make no mistake, those tickets are coming, and fast, courtesy of a 6.1-liter Hemi V8 that creates an astonishing amount of chaos. The SRT-8 makes 425 horsepower, to be exact, thanks to engineers who bored out the cylinders of the 5.7-liter Hemi, increasing total displacement to 6.1 liters and exponentially upping your chances of meeting Sgt. Stern Face on the side of the road.

Prices for the Chrysler 300 start at around $22,000 for the base and double that for a loaded 300C SRT-8.

And they said rear-wheel-drive was dead.

- Brian Chee