2011 Chrysler 300C Review

Chrysler rolled out an all-new Chrysler 300 sedan for 2011 to replace the aging original that debuted for 2005. We likened it to a stripped E-class or an older S-Class. Our test car featured real wood inlays, satin chrome trim that looked like aluminum, and an abundance of soft-touch materials. Fit and finish is top notch. The instrument cluster features an attractive ice-blue illumination, which even stood out in the bright Florida sun. The lighting continues into the center console with a chintzy analog watch featuring the ice-blue background sitting front and center. The motor muscle comes with an inspiring old-muscle-car sound.

The 2011 Chrysler 300C sports the same 16 mpg city and 25 mpg highway as the outgoing model. For 2011, Chrysler offers the Chrysler 300, 300 Limited, 300C, and 300C AWD.

Although the big Chrysler offers way more grunt, this Detroit-Korea-Sweden trio counters with more luxe, similar dimensions and appealing road manners at comparable prices of entry.
Inside, the look is positively new Chrysler as it sheds the bargain-basement rock-hard plastic for luxurious styles made from intriguing new materials.

Our tester came optioned up with Chrysler’s new SafetyTec package. An eight-cog unit is on the way, Chrysler promises. --The low-roof look, boxy lines and big wheel arches are back, but they’re more expressive than before.

Up front, the 300 features Chrysler’s new wave-style grille, an inoffensive look that borders on bland anonycar compared to the old model’s Bentley style. The 300′s tall clear-finish tail lamps and integrated fin-style trunklid flaring are miles ahead of the bland red blobs seen on the outgoing model.

No longer. A big central touch-screen display takes center stage in the 300′s symmetrical dashboard, flanked by attractive low-sheen metallics, dark-stained woods and premium rubbers and vinyls. A thick-rimmed steering wheel with a ’90s-style gargantuan horn pad affronts the driver, occasionally blocking view of the light blue-lit gauges and trip computer. Although the 300 shares its powertrain and platform with the Dodge Charger, the Chrysler job gets its own suspension and exhaust tunings to emphasize its luxury-level positioning. Credit goes in part to Mercedes-Benz, which certainly knows how to engineer a luxury-level platform. The C designation brings with it a 363-horsepower version of Chrysler’s 5.7-liter HEMI V8. Fuel economy? If you’re in the playful mood, Chrysler’s weird side-to-side Autostick lever lets you row the gears on your own.

Offering rear- or all-wheel drive, the Chrysler 300C comes with a standard 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. The 300C comes in two trim levels: the rear-drive 'Chrysler 300C' and all-wheel-drive 300C AWD. The car's V-6 trims — dubbed the 300 and 300 Limited, both rear-wheel drive only — are covered separately in the Cars.com Research section.

Gone is the old 300C's iconic wire-mesh insert, replaced by a seven-blade design that looks to be Chrysler's new corporate grille. Chrome trim adorns the car's lower bumpers, tailpipes, grille and side mirrors.

Light blue gauges sit behind a broader steering wheel, and a standard 8.4-inch center display houses various touch-screen controls as well as the standard navigation system. Trunk volume measures 16.3 cubic feet, up from last year's 15.6 cubic feet. Chrysler's 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 is standard. A five-speed automatic transmission is standard. Chrysler says the 300C's suspension is tuned for comfort, while the Chrysler 300C AWD gets unique, sportier tuning. It's covered separately on Cars.com.

Front, side-impact, two-row side curtain airbags and a driver's knee airbag are standard. Antilock brakes, traction control and an electronic stability system are also standard.