2012 Chrysler 300 Limited Test Drive: Unapologetically American

Right off the bat with that title, I'm lying.  The Chrysler 300 is the product of a company that's more than half-owned by an Italian company.  The point of final assembly is Brampton Ontario, Canada.  The engine's from Mexico, and the transmission is from ZF in Germany.  The rear suspension is based on an old E-Class Mercedes design, and actually only 59% of the Chrysler 300 is made of "domestic" parts: and for some reason Chrysler counts Canada as being domestic.  Want an American car?  Buy a Honda Accord.

Still, this is an old and tired argument.  It's easy to poke fun at diehard domestic fans who trash talk the (built in Texas) Toyota Tundra for being Japanese (despite being designed and engineered largely in America, by Americans) in favor of the Dodge Ram (built in Mexico) or the Chevy Silverado (some built in Canada.)  It's a truly global market we live in, the world's getting smaller every day, and these days it's wise to judge a car on it's merits rather than it's origins.

So, what are the Chrysler 300's merits?  Well, I'll be honest: they used to be mostly surface-level.  That is, it's a damn good looking car.  Even the original 300, which debuted in 2004, still pulls eyes.  It's gangster with a license plate.  The aggressively blocky body, the huge doors with narrow gun-slit windows perched atop, those complex headlights and vertical tail lights, it still cuts a striking profile.  For a car they've made so blasted many of, the first 300 still stands out on the road by virtue of it's ridiculous proportions alone.  It's got "swag," as the kids say.

But it was mostly a veneer.  Although the 300 had noble roots - front suspension from the W220 S-class, rear suspension from the W201 E-class, as well as the 5-speed transmission, wiring harness, seat frames, etc - it always felt a little shallow.  Thin plastic covered with tortoise shell wood patterns is still thin, rattly plastic.  While the Hemi-powered 300C (and the rare, 6.1L Hemi-powered SRT-8) were fun steers, the more basic trims left a lot to be desired.  Chrysler's notoriously terrible 2.7L V6 did base-model duty in some markets, a 190bhp weakling trying to push a really large car.  The 3.5L SOHC 6 was a little better, not underpowered but with all the refinement of the Intrepid they took it out of.

So I was really pleased when I started seeing the new, second generation (2011+) 300's.  Here's a sign Chrysler is finally understanding the car business.  They took their old, popular model.  They kept all the things people loved about it, and they fixed all the stuff that sucked.  The proof?  Most of the changes aren't on the outside.  It's not a drastically different looking car, there's no reinvention here: it's got more modern headlights, fancy LED tails, some minor trim things, but it's still clearly a 300.

It's a great looking car, especially in the context of it's competition.  Toyota Avalon?  Jack 'o Lantern.  Hyundai Genesis?  Nice, but derivative.  Ford Taurus?  Clean, modern, but not as much character.  Buick LaCrosse?  Nice, but even more anodyne.  The 300 is eye-catching, especially in my tester's Brown Pearl Coat, with the chromed 20" wheels.  Like a shiny chocolate bar.

The big changes for the 300 are inside, and under the skin.  First and foremost, both the 2.7L and 3.5L SOHC motors have been deposited in the garbage where they belong, replaced by Chrysler's new 3.6L "Pentastar" twin-cammer.  This 24v V6 is all-aluminum and has variable valve timing, and it makes a healthy 292bhp and 260lb-ft of torque in the 300.  That's up 42bhp and 10lb-ft from the old motor.  More significantly, the old Mercedes-derived 5-speed auto is phased out in V6's for 2012, replaced by a new ZF-designed 8-speed automatic, that's shared with Audi, BMW, and Rolls Royce.  It's a lot of gears, but the result is noticeable: the 2011 300, with the 5-speed and 3.6L did 27mpg on the highway; the new 8-speed does 31mpg.  Future Pentastars will be available in different displacements, and the rumormill suggests all sorts of possibilities: direct injection, Fiat's MultiAir, and even twin turbocharging.

My concern with that many gears is the constant "shuffling" effect - switching up and down as a result of low torque, underdeveloped programming, etc.  None of that: on the road, the 8-speed auto is unobtrusive, and you only realize there's something weird going on when you settle into an 80mph cruise on the highway and the tach shuffles down to 1,700rpm.  The large spread of gears allows them to run a super-deep 2.65:1 final drive, which is the likely result of the big highway increase.  Other benefit: set the cruise, and it's whisper quiet.  If your passenger farts, you can hear what they ate.

In fact, driving the 300 is surprising in a lot of ways.  It's a big car, and doesn't try to disguise it's mass at all.  But at the same time, it's nothing of the fat wallowing mess that many people unfairly characterize American full sized sedans as.  The hood seems to stretch out forever, so the steering is a shock: it's geared really quite short, giving much more dramatic reactions to small inputs than you'd expect. It's one-finger light and not a single iota of steering feel is present - but it doesn't rock back and forth a half-inch in dead center before the wheels move.  Light, numb, and accurate: perfect for highway cruising.

The brakes made me feel at home: that is, they reminded me of my Accord.  The first ¼" of travel feels like it produces about 50% of the braking force, which leads to a few akward head-jerking moments during the test drive.  After you acclimate, it's no sweat - they're more than up to the task of hauling down this big sedan.  Taking one look at the wheels (shod with 245/45/20 tires) would have you assuming back pain was in your near future, but again no: while the big rubbers do slap a bit on expansion joints, the ride is very well composed and harshness is absorbed well before it reaches your backside or hands.

Still, even with the 20" performance all seasons and the "Touring" suspension, the 300 Limited is not a car you are going to want to hustle down a back road.  I won't lie, I didn't even try.  Horses for courses: we don't complain about the lack of luggage space in a Gallardo, and we don't complain about turn-in response or brake feel on a big luxury sedan.  Who cares?

What the 300 is really good at: road trips.  This would be an awesome road trip car.  The V6 runs happily on 87 octane, 31mpg is reasonable enough, and there's room for four people quite comfortably (the middle seat in the rear is a big hump; these are the sacrifices RWD cars must make) inside, and room for four more in the trunk.  The 19-gallon tank gives a theoretical range of around 600 miles, so it's a bladder-buster for sure.  There's room everywhere: elbows, knees, feet, everything except your head.  The 300's low roofline makes stop lights a squat-and-peek deal, although I managed to avoid head-on-roof contact with the seat all the way down.

Which brings us to the interior: perhaps the most improved thing about the 300.  It's a total redesign, and it's a mixture of nice materials and some brand-new technology.  The shifter is one oddity: while it has a "PRNDL" marked on it, it only moves backwards and forwards, like the shifter in newer BMW's.  So to go from Park to Drive, you hold the shift button down, and bump the lever backwards three times.  It's unintuitive; what's wrong with actual slots so you can just pull it down into park in one motion?  Much better is the Chrysler U-Connect system, controlled through an 8.4" high-res touch screen in the center of the dash.

This touchscreen interface is one of the 300's killer apps.  You control all sorts of things from the screen - the stereo, HVAC, heated seats, BlueTooth phone pairing, Satellite Navigation, etc.  Got a bluetooth phone?  Bring it, pair it, and you'll never have to touch it in the car.  Want to play music?  You're spoiled for choice - it can do iPod, USB, SD card, Bluetooth, traditional radio, CD's, and Sirius Satellite.  The 300 with UConnect can also act as a mobile hot spot for up to four devices on a built-in 3G network, too.  UConnect uses Garmin navigation - a great move, considering (in my humble opinion) Garmin does it best - and it's paired up with Sirius Traffic Data so it'll automatically adjust to avoid crowded roads.  UConnect hits all the point for in car electronics - it's easy to use, it's pretty, it's highly compatible, and it's useful.  Ford's MyFordTouch can learn some lessons here.

The backlit blue gauges are a big step up from the old 300's generic green ones, both in legibility and overall attractiveness.  There's a small TFT display between the speedometer and tach, giving you space-age looking instructions on how to operate the transmission, as well as other information which you can switch through.  It's a nice touch.

The rear seat's enormous as well.  I can see why Police departments like these LX cars more than the outgoing Crown Victorias - they're large, but there's actually room inside them.  Legroom in the back is fine for even giants, but headroom is still a compromise - not as much so as the Charger, though.  Interior quality in the 300 is vastly improved, but it's still not perfect.  Still, they've focused on making sure everything you touch frequently is nice - the leather wrapped wheel, the comfy leather heated seats, the shifter, most of the minor controls, they're all very nice.  Panel gaps are not as tight as in some foreign cars, but that's largely academic.  Secondary surfaces can be hard and brittle (like the dash), but overall it's a very convincing luxury atmosphere.

In fact, it's a convincing luxury car.  That's impressive, considering this isn't even the Hemi V8-powered 300C, or the riotous SRT-8.  The old base 300's used to be a pretty wrapper with some nasty chocolate inside; in Limited trim the V6 300 is a fully satisfying car with an attractive price.  How attractive?  Well, this test car stickered out at $36,680.  If you're looking at direct competitors, that's very cheap - a Ford Taurus with the same goodies rings up at $39,715.  A Hyundai Genesis sedan with the Premium Package (which has most of the Limited's features) is $39k, a Genesis with the Tech package (even more stuff) is $43k.  Want a Mercedes E-Class with the same features?  You'll have to option an E350 (gas) out to $62,545 to match the 300 Limited feature for feature.  In fact, even if you wanted to spend $62k on a 300, you couldn't - a 300C SRT-8 (all 470 horsepower of it) comes out to $58k if you carefully pick the most expensive options.

It wasn't too long ago that Chrysler's products were obvious also-rans.  They've used the budget they had wisely, and the result is a truly great large sedan, with no false pretenses about being large - it's comfortable in it's skin, like Adele.  (Sorry.)  It will never win a trophy at SCCA Autocross, or cash at drag-strip bracket racing, but it's high quality, has lots of character, and is nigh on perfect as a highway companion.  If you want a big sedan for reasonable money, the choice is pretty damn simple.

2012 Chrysler 300 Limited RWD

Base price: $32,470Price as tested: $36,680Options: Dual-pane panoramic sunroof ($1,495), UConnect Upgrade (Garmin Navigation, Sirius XM Travel Link, $795), 20" Polished Aluminum Wheels ($995), Destination Fee ($925)

Body: 4-door unit construction sedanDrivetrain: Longitudinal front-engine, rear wheel drive, 8-speed automatic transmissionAccomodations: 5 passengers

Engine: V6, Aluminum Block & Cylinder Heads Displacement: 3605cc (3.6L)Aspiration: N/AFuel delivery: Port fuel injectionValvetrain: Dual overhead chain-driven cams, dual variable cam timingCompression ratio: 10.2:1Horsepower: 292bhp@6,350rpmTorque: 260lb-ft@4,800rpmRev limit: 6,500rpm

Suspension (F): MacPherson Strut, Coil Spring, Anti Roll Bar Suspension (R): 5-link Independent, Coil Spring, Anti-Roll BarSteering: Electric-Hydraulic (electric pump, hydraulic rack) power-assisted Wheels/Tires: 20"x8" Aluminum-Alloy, 245/45/R20 HPAS tires Brakes (F/R): 12.5" Ventilated discs, single-piston sliding caliper (front and rear)

0-60mph: 6.6 seconds (via Allpar)Top speed: 114mph (governor limited)1/4 Mile@ET: 15.2s@96mph (via C&D)EPA fuel mileage estimate: 19mpg city/ 31mpg highway/ 25 combinedRecommended fuel: 87 octane or E85 EthanolFuel Tank Capacity: 19.1 gallonsTheoretical Range: 592.1 miles

Wheelbase: 120.2"Length: 198.6"Track (F/R):  63.4"/63.8"Width: 74.9"Height: 58.7"Cargo Capacity: 16ft³Curb weight: 3962lbs

Main Competitors: Ford Taurus, Hyundai Genesis Sedan, Buick LaCrosse, Chevrolet Impala, Cadillac CTS, Nissan MaximaPros: Bold looks, refined and feature-laden interior, Pentastar V6 has punch and refinement, ZF 8-speed auto gives more MPG and faster acceleration, great value for money, creepy quiet highway cruiserCons: You'll probably still want the Hemi, shifter is obnoxious, visibility and headroom a casualty of gangster stylingConclusion: The easy choice of big mainstream sedans - they've fixed the stuff that sucked, and refined the things that were already great.  You won't regret it.