2011 Chrysler 300C

[Lamar]

So this afternoon, after my wife's OB appointment, I decided we would take the opportunity to do something we hadn't done together in quite some time: go visit a car lot. The intended target: the 2011 Chrysler 300C.

We got to the lot and saw about 6 or 7 300s there, most of which were Cs. About five minutes into our browsing (which mainly consisted of my wife listening to me ramble on about stuff), a salesman came out and asked us what we were interested in. I told him we were looking at the 300 and the Charger (which was true, but I had seen the latter already). After explaining many of the new features to us -- mainly the adaptive cruise control, the adaptive HIDs, and the keyless everything (he used my wife as a demonstration) -- we got into one.

The car we saw was a C model, fully loaded except for sunroof, Brilliant Black with Mocachino (tan) interior.

Interior impressions

I have to say that any description of the interior of the '11 as an improvement over the previous model is a stark understatement. The new interior is light years ahead of the old one as far as design, ergonomics, and materials.

First off, the seats. This is one of the first cars I've driven in which I've had to actually move the seat up in order to reach the pedals comfortably (even at 5'10", I usually move seats all the way back because of long legs and size-13 feet). It didn't take long to find a comfortable position. The salesman said that the way that the seats are built in the 300 now allows for them to hold their shape better without allowing you to sink in and get stuck on a long car ride. The cooled seats, though I didn't test them extensively, are probably a good option to have on a 98-degree Georgia day such as today.

As far as the rear seats are concerned, ingress and egress are great due to their high position - and this impression is directly from my 37-week-pregnant wife who takes forever getting out of the front seat of either her Maxima or my Bonneville. Also, legroom is substantial, even with seats pushed back (the passenger seat, where the salesman was sitting, was all the way back, and my wife was behind him).

Second, the space. The 300C, like the Charger, feels wide open inside to me, which was unexpected given the high slab sides. Visibility out of the rear windshield is still not as great as I'm used to, but looking out the windows is rather easy. One small complaint: seeing out the windows would be easier if the front headrests didn't block the view.

Third, the IP. I am loving the large LCD. It's responsive, clear, and easy to reach. And fortunately, the controls are reduplicated elsewhere (mainly the steering wheel), so no problem there. What was interesting was that the heated/cooled front seats are controlled through the screen and not with their own buttons (unless I missed something somewhere). The gauges are easy to read, and the information center is, well, informative. With enough time to play, you find everything you need and realize what you won't use.

Now, for the most important part:

The drive

We got in and took a short drive around some of the roads in Clarke County. Even on 20" wheels, the car has a very controlled ride, and it absorbed road imperfections very well. So much so that my wife almost fell asleep in the back seat... and she almost never falls asleep in cars. We got onto Loop 10, which is the expressway loop around most of the city of Athens, and I got a chance to open it up at the behest of the salesman.

Holy crap.

There is a LOT to be said about Hemi power. I had to come off the gas as soon as I hit 80, which is sad because there was SO much more power on reserve at that point. But it's a good thing I cut back, 'cause there was a cop coming up behind me. And even still, as I was going for it, the car's character never changed. It just got faster... and faster. One of the things that my wife noted is that the acceleration was much smoother than in either of our cars, in which you feel a pause, a jolt, and then the surge. That's probably a function of the torque, the extra gear in the transmission, and 10 or 12 years' difference in engineering.

Brakes and steering are quite responsive. I didn't have a chance to carve up the country roads around here, but for a 4,200-lb sedan, the steering effort required is minimal. It was lighter than I would have expected, probably due to the electrohydraulic system as opposed to pure hydraulic, but it definitely wasn't as light as a pure electric system. And it's speed-proportional.

Sadly, all good things had to come to an end. So I backed the car into where it was parked, and the backup cam worked as advertised. Yet I'm still not used to having a backup camera, so I found myself continuing to look back out of habit.

The Verdict

Chrysler very well could go back to reestablishing itself as a top luxury brand in the US if the 300C is any indication. Aside from the techy stuff, I don't see much difference between this car and the 535i that my mother just bought. It could be that the BMW dumbed itself down... or the Chrysler took a quantum leap forward. I'm inclined to believe the latter.

This car didn't have a sticker for some reason, but I priced it out on the website, and it came to $43,435. It bases at $38K, and for that price, you get many things standard that BMW offers as for-cost options on the 5 Series (leather, navigation). To be factual, the car prices closer to a low-end 528i but is closer in size, power, and kit to a 750i.

We all know that the Charger and 300 are mostly the same underneath the sheetmetal, sharing all the mechanical bits like the engine, transmission, suspension, and all that. How do we distinguish the two? Think of the Charger as Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh on the field in uniform, where you know he's looking to hit you... hard. And think of the 300C as Suh in a tuxedo, headed out to a five-star restaurant... where you know that he's not there to hit people, but he could -- hard -- if he ever had to....

[Sixty8panther]

I seldom wear a tuxedo even though I own one, but you know what they say: "Real Gs move in silence like Lasagna"

[Lamar]

LOL. Well, that's this car. I'm guessing that the SRT8 is gonna be the one that looks to fight while wearing the tux... as it should be.

[01Malibu]

I am no Mopar fan so my opinion doesn't count. Maybe they have changed.But there are more anti-Chrysler sites on the net than anti-GM and Ford sites combined. Too me the 300 looks like a 2005 Cadillac STS. I have seen my fair share of late model Chryslers belching smoke out the rear end. Give me a 2001 Lesabre over a 2011 300. Again I am biased. Lots of YOU TUBE videos of Chryslers on fire. Did you know that the day Country singer Dottie West died, her Chrysler stalled.I would read as much as I could about the quality of this model.Interior design means less to me. You can't beat a used Buick with a 3800 engine. Yes, I wished GM would offer a cheaper full size rear wheel drive car. Just bring the Caprice with newer styling.

[Lamar]

Point-by-point response to you, 01Malibu:

• To be honest, I'm not the biggest Mopar fan either. Only the LX/LY cars have caught my attention in recent years. And the number of pro- or anti-something sites on the internet is irrelevant. Otherwise, the sheer number of sites would be proof that Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga are the best musicians out there right now, since the interwebs are SRS BSNS.
  
• The 300 looks like an '05 STS? My dad has an '06 STS, so I have no idea where you get that comparison.
  
• I've seen late model cars from EVERY brand belch smoke out.
  
• I drive a used '01 Bonneville SLE... yep, with the 3800. While I love it, I've already determined that my next car will be RWD.
  
• I searched YouTube, and you can find videos of anything on fire. Even Buicks.
  
• Dottie West died 20 years ago, so what she was driving that happened to stall is irrelevant to a review of a car today.
  
• There's no reliability info about the new 300. It's a new generation. But when the time comes and if I were to decide on this, I definitely wouldn't buy the '11 for two reasons:
  1 - I'd rather have the 8AT, and
  2 - first model year of a new generation.
  

So yeah... we'll see how it goes.

Bear in mind that this was a first-drive review, not an expression of a foregone conclusion that this is my next car.

[Maxy]

Very nice car ... This car is competitive in every sense but the warranty bumper to bumper with Hyundai Genesis, Buick Lucerne, and even the BMW 550i GT and Hyundai Equus.