OVERVIEW
Die Laborious is getting old nicely. I watch it each Christmas, and it simply will get higher and higher. Nickleback music, however, perhaps not a lot. Then there’s the Chrysler 300 — launched in 2005 and extensively redesigned again in 2011, there’s little doubt the massive sedan is getting old. However is it getting old nicely?
Chrysler is an organization that basically solely makes two autos in 2020: The Pacifica minivan, and the 300. However the huge sedan makes up for that by being out there in a frankly spectacular number of trims and drivetrains. Our tester is the Restricted AWD, which is mainly second from the highest within the 300 hierarchy, beneath the V8-powered 300C. Essentially the most inexpensive 300 on the listing is the rear-wheel-drive Touring at $34,545. The Restricted AWD begins at $48,195, however our tester was additional geared up with choices just like the $1,495 Harman/Kardon sound system with 19 audio system, self-levelling HID headlights for $695, a $1,595 panoramic sunroof, $770 for the 8.4-inch touchscreen Uconnect infotainment system with GPS navigation and satellite tv for pc radio, and $1,690 price of assorted security options like blind-spot monitoring and parking sensors, bringing the as-tested whole to only over $54,000. That’s greater than $20,000 over the bottom 300! That type of worth bounce is what you’d anticipate finding on a Porsche, not a Chrysler.
A few of these gadgets are price it, just like the blind-spot monitoring system, however others — just like the premium audio system — are questionable. The Harman/Kardon system has no fewer than 19 audio system working for it, however even with all that energy, you’re nonetheless aware of the place the sound is coming from. It doesn’t fill the area like an costly stereo must. That being stated, I need to give the 300 credit score for having the very best bass of any automotive I’ve ever examined; in case you like wealthy, bassy music, then the 300’s Harman/Kardon system will help you take heed to it to the fullest.
Out on the highway, the 300 is a combined bag. The drivetrain is just about faultless. The three.6-litre Pentastar V6 easily delivers 292 horsepower, and with a pleasing sound. The transmission is equally good, making the best shifts on a regular basis. The drivetrain is just about excellent and simply the very best a part of the entire automotive; when the V6 is that this good, I don’t actually pine for the V8.
The steering is comfortably numb for a luxurious automotive and that’s wonderful, however the suspension may use some extra refinement. The 300 doesn’t have a touch of efficiency intent in it, and it weighs practically 5,000 kilos, so I anticipate magic-carpet-road-pillow trip high quality, however the 300 doesn’t ship. Positive, it rides higher than an Accord or an Altima, however I anticipate one thing this enormous and couch-like to be on one other degree. It isn’t. I don’t must nook in a 300! Give me the marshmallow suspension. One factor that does assist redeem the trip is the wonderful sound deadening; it is perhaps the quietest automotive at 100 km/h this facet of an S-Class. It’s that good. Street noise merely isn’t allowed to intrude into the 300 at velocity.
The 300 is a giant automotive on the skin, and that interprets to additional inside area as nicely. The passenger room is positively cavernous and I really feel like I may share the drivers seat with one other individual. [So much for social distancing, Clayton. — Ed.] However all that quantity doesn’t actually translate into consolation; the seat, whereas properly upholstered in Nappa leather-based, is oddly formed and never particularly gentle. Once more, we’re speaking a few huge 4,700-pound luxurious sedan that prices over $50,000 — I anticipate pure highway pillow right here. Fortunately, you will get the 300 with no fewer than 15 completely different combos of seat design, materials, and color, in order that choices listing could have one thing for you, someplace.
The inside as a complete, although, is the place the 300 is de facto exhibiting its age. Supplies that will’ve been marginal in 2013 are actually decidedly behind the instances. The 8.4-inch touchscreen is a blessing to make use of and options Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, however Uconnect is type of a combined bag — it’s visually enticing, quick to reply, and customarily simple to make use of, however some features are harder to regulate than they need to be. For instance, adjusting your heated seat requires you to faucet right into a submenu, after which additional faucet to your required degree of heat. The shortage of haptic buttons is annoying when stopped, and borderline harmful when transferring. As a complete, Uconnect is a superb system, however I’d prefer to see it augmented with extra bodily controls. To be honest, the primary features are lined — quantity and radio tuning are managed by knobs, and inside local weather management settings are dealt with by buttons.
By way of curb enchantment, the 300 has to work arduous to shed its rental automotive picture. The tester’s maroon paint and chrome wheels actually don’t assist, however surprisingly, the 300 is on the market in some jazzy colors and with 9 completely different wheel designs relying on the trim degree, together with 20-inch mesh wheels completed in bronze, which I dearly want this tester had. Does this explicit 300 look like a $55,000 automotive? I believe you’d need to squint to see that.
Total, the Chrysler 300 is refreshing in that it’s the final of the massive RWD American sedans that many people grew up with. It’s good to see a automotive with a relaxed, quiet, luxurious perspective, and never even making a whisper made from a fuss over Nurburgring instances. Nevertheless it additionally fails to hit on the details that made us love these huge Yank Tanks many years in the past — issues like a uber-soft trip and pillowy seats are lacking and integral to attaining the formulation. With out them, the 300 is neither sporty nor overly soft. It wants to choose a facet.
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