“The best Chrysler sedan in decades.” That’s how we announced our recent test results of the 2011 Chrysler 300C, which received an excellent test score in our Ratings. Chrysler’s big flagship sedan has come a long way.

Indeed, we haven’t raved about a Chrysler sedan since the mid-1990s when the impressive big LH sedans and the midsized “cloud” cars (Cirrus/Stratus/Breeze) were introduced.

We weren’t too impressed with the original 300C when it came out in 2005. Most publications gushed over the in-your-face styling, Hemi power and the Mercedes-shared suspension bits of the rear-wheel-drive platform. But the car had issues: vague steering feel, a choppy ride, so-so interior finish, a thirst for fuel, and lousy driver visibility. It dwelled near the bottom of our upscale sedan Ratings.

The extensive 2011 update successfully addressed those complaints. The new car is a convincing luxury sedan, even though the car we bought has some fit and finish issues. Fuel economy is better than it was, but there is only so much you can expect from a 5.7-liter V8. Most buyers would be plenty happy with the still-strong power and better fuel economy offered by the 3.6-liter V6.

Chrysler isn’t totally done updating the 300. The big news is that the V6 version gets an eight-speed automatic for 2012; we’ll see what effect that has on fuel economy when we buy one to test. For now, watch our 300C video for more information on this enjoyable, big sedan.