The B-52 bomber has been around a long time. Most of them are older than the pilots who fly them. This tells you something about the soundness of their design. Same goes for the Chrysler 300. In car terms, it's ancient.

The current 300 hasn't been significantly updated since 2011, and its underthings — the basic chassis — date all the way back to the turn of the century. That's old enough to vote. And yet, it survives — and thrives. So, what's the Magic Recipe?

What It Is

The 300 is Chrysler's only remaining car and one of only two full-size rear-wheel-drive sedans you can still buy for less than $30,000, the other one being the 300's Dodge-suited cousin, the Charger.

It's also one of the few remaining sedans in this class and price range that comes standard with a V-6; most of them don't even offer one anymore. And it's the only one in this class — and the next class up — that still offers a V-8.

You can also get all-wheel drive, which is hard to find in this class.

That's the Magic Recipe.

Base price is $28,995 for the Touring trim with 3.6-liter V-6 and rear-wheel drive; you can upgrade to all-wheel drive for a total of $31,495.

The S trim, which starts at $35,795, is available with the Chrysler 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 (a $3,000 stand-alone option).

A top-of-the-line 300C, which comes standard with the V-8, has a sticker of $40,995.

What's New

The 2018 sees few changes other than the V-8 now being restricted to the S and C trims; the Touring and Limited trims now come only with the V-6.

What's Good

It has a huge back seat (40.1 inches of legroom).

It has a huge trunk (16.3 cubic feet).

All-wheel drive is available.

It has a standard V-6 and an optional V-8.

What's Not So Good

The V-8 is limited to the more expensive trims.

All-wheel drive is only available with the V-6.

Chrysler's future is hazy; Fiat (which owns Chrysler) may abandon the brand.

Under the Hood

The broad-shouldered Chrysler comes standard with a 3.6-liter V-6 with 292 horsepower (300 in the S trim, which gets a free-flowing exhaust) paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and your choice of rear- or all-wheel drive.

Mileage with rear- and all-wheel drive is 19 mpg city and 30 mpg highway.

This version of the 300 gets from zero to 60 mph in just over six seconds. V-6-powered rivals like the Toyota Avalon and Chevy Impala can match that, but they don't offer an upgrade.

The optional 5.7-liter Hemi has 363 horsepower and 394 foot-pounds of torque. It gets to 60 mph in five seconds and delivers the reassuring V-8 rumble of America's great days. The V-8 isn't even particularly thirsty: Gas mileage is 16 mpg city and 25 highway. That's only 5 mpg less in the city (and on the highway) than the Avalon V-6, which doesn't have 363 horsepower or get to 60 in five flat.

On the Road

It's not just the big V-6 and the bigger V-8. It's the big wheelbase — 120.2 inches — which gives the 300 an unmatched big-car ride, at least unless you're willing (and able) to spend $60,000-plus to get into something from Mercedes Benz, BMW, Lexus, etc., with a similarly long wheelbase and rear-wheel drive. And that isn't just coincidental.

For those who do not know the history, the 300 lineage traces back to the Mercedes E-Class and S-Class, from which it borrowed design and mechanicals including chassis and suspension pieces (this was back when it was DaimlerChrysler). And that's why it is uniquely a big luxury car in a way that only much more expensive luxury-brand sedans are.

The Avalon, for example, rides on a much shorter wheelbase (111 inches) despite being about the same overall length. That's because it descends from the Camry. Not that there is anything wrong with the Camry. But it's not the same thing as descending from a Benz.

Startlingly — appealingly — the Chrysler 300 has a longer wheelbase than the current Mercedes E-Class sedan (115.7 inches) and, not far behind, the Mercedes S-Class sedan (124.6 inches). And the latter is a six-figure luxury car.

Why harp on wheelbase? Because, like a big engine, there is no substitute if you want to experience that large-living boulevard ride, which was once the birthright of average Americans but has become mostly for the rich — except here.

At the Curb

The bigness continues in the back and in the trunk. The 300 has 40.1 inches of second-row legroom and a 16.3-cubic-foot trunk.

But once again, it's not just the big engines or the big room. It's the big personality . There is no mistaking the 300's confident letterman swagger for anything else with four doors — except its brother from the same mother, the Dodge Charger.

It's as impressive-looking a car today as it was eight years ago, or 18 years ago, which accounts for its ongoing appeal.

Good things never get old.

The Rest

Chrysler is at a crossroads. Parent company Fiat may invest in the brand's future — and an updated 300. But it may not, in which case the 300 and its Dodge-branded cousin may be the last hurrah of the traditional American lead sled.

The Bottom Line

Act while you still have time.

View the Chrysler 300 this week.

Eric's new book, "Don't Get Taken for a Ride!" is available now. To find out more about Eric and read his past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.