Redefining the American sedan: large sedans: the new Chrysler 300 and Ford Five Hundred combine American Nostalgia and European Pedigree.

The new Chrysler 300 and Ford Five Hundred are good examples of two seemingly contradictory trends in American cars: a nostalgic reach back to America's automotive past and a growing international influence.

With its lengthy hood, big grill, and lots of chrome trim, the Chrysler 300 is reminiscent of the powerful highway cruisers that were long the American stereotype. Even its name is borrowed from Chrysler's 1950s sedans.

Likewise, the Ford Five Hundred's name echoes that of the Ford Galaxy 500 models from the '50s and '60s. The Chevrolet SSR, Chrysler PT Cruiser, Dodge Magnum, Ford Mustang, and Ford Thunderbird are other examples of America's love affair with its past.

At the same time, as auto manufacturers become more global, the 300, Five Hundred, and other newer American cars are exhibiting European influences in their design and driving character.

The Chrysler 300, built by DaimlerChrysler, uses many Mercedes-Benz suspension and interior parts. The Ford Five Hundred is loosely based on Volvo's S80 platform, as Ford owns Volvo. Similarly, cars such as the Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Cobalt, Ford Focus, Lincoln LS, Pontiac GTO, and Saturn Ion are either based on platforms codeveloped overseas or are tuned to provide the ride and handling typically associated with European cars. For this month's test, we bought two versions of the

Ford Five Hundred SEL and the Chrysler 300. For the Five Hundred, we chose front- and all-wheel-drive versions. For the 300, we opted for the top-of-the-line 300C and a lower-priced 300 Touring model. We also bought a Kia Amanti, a direct competitor of the others. The as-tested prices of our vehicles ranged from $24,795 for the front-wheel-drive Ford Five Hundred to $37,480 for the Chrysler 300C. None of the cars in this group can be recommended because of insufficient reliability information.

Along with the new mid-sized Ford Fusion, which is based on the Mazda6, the Five Hundred and its Mercury Montego twin are expected to supplant the aging Taurus and Mercury Sable in Ford's lineup. The Five Hundred is a bit longer than the Taurus, and despite being narrower and shorter than Ford's larger Crown Victoria, it has much more useable space.