Topic: Day-by-Day Review: 2015 Chrysler 300C; Day 1

[Danno001]

I am a little confused on the power ratings for the 5.7L. In Ramville, the truck verion is rated at 395 hp (+32), and 410 ft-lb (+16). The truck having more torque I get, but an extra 30 horsepower? WTF?

Possibly due to more restrictive exhaust in the 300, due to packaging constraints.
Another thought is the truck market is always into HP one-upmanship, so the Ram gets the special treatment.
There is not a lot of large sedan V8 competition.

[mmret]

I think 300s have a broader appeal than the sniping over cornering, etc, would lend one to believe.

Truth. I love this thing. I don't care how many g it can pull at 10/10ths. It big, looks awesome, and its V8 + RWD.

EDIT: the only thing that bugs me is the twisting shifter knob. A traditional shifter would have fit much better with the theme.

[Ontariodriver]

As for choosing this over an Audi or a BMW, the Chrysler is a much larger car than what you will get for $50k from the Germans. It's obviously aimed at a very different type of customer.

Yes someone who doesn't want to loose 15-20 grand in less than 2 years.  Also Chrysler simple doesn't have the prestige of a German luxury sedan.  Which German car are you referring too size wise.

[OliverD]

As for choosing this over an Audi or a BMW, the Chrysler is a much larger car than what you will get for $50k from the Germans. It's obviously aimed at a very different type of customer.

Yes someone who doesn't want to loose 15-20 grand in less than 2 years.  Also Chrysler simple doesn't have the prestige of a German luxury sedan.  Which German car are you referring too size wise.

I'm referring to the ones that are priced the same as the Chrysler: C-class, 3-series, A4. The 300 is much larger than those cars and they're not direct competitors. And not everyone cares about "prestige".

I'm not saying I'd choose a 300 over one of the German options but there is clearly a market for that kind of car.

[evil_twin]

I think the 300 is probably larger than the 5 and A6 too.   

A few posts nailed the appeal to me:  V8 + RWD.   There are SO few V8 sedan options out there short of some very pricey and high-end metal.   I think it's awesome that this car still exists.

In fact I went to chrysler.ca and built a 300S after reading the article.   That model, with the black trim and S wheels looks awesome!  (In a detroit sort of way).

True I probably wouldn't spend my $50k on it, but I can envision an awful lot of Americans (in particular) who would.

[OliverD]

I think the 300 is probably larger than the 5 and A6 too.   

A few posts nailed the appeal to me:  V8 + RWD.   There are SO few V8 sedan options out there short of some very pricey and high-end metal.   I think it's awesome that this car still exists.

In fact I went to chrysler.ca and built a 300S after reading the article.   That model, with the black trim and S wheels looks awesome!  (In a detroit sort of way).

True I probably wouldn't spend my $50k on it, but I can envision an awful lot of Americans (in particular) who would.

I also really liked the blue interior you can get on the S.

[carcrazed]

I think the 300 is probably larger than the 5 and A6 too.   

A few posts nailed the appeal to me:  V8 + RWD.   There are SO few V8 sedan options out there short of some very pricey and high-end metal.   I think it's awesome that this car still exists.

In fact I went to chrysler.ca and built a 300S after reading the article.   That model, with the black trim and S wheels looks awesome!  (In a detroit sort of way).

True I probably wouldn't spend my $50k on it, but I can envision an awful lot of Americans (in particular) who would.

+1.  300 is definitely larger than the 5 series or the E-Class.   I can also see some people being attracted to this type of car, too.

If it was for me, I'd get the Genesis.

[Jaeger]

As for choosing this over an Audi or a BMW, the Chrysler is a much larger car than what you will get for $50k from the Germans. It's obviously aimed at a very different type of customer.

Yes someone who doesn't want to loose 15-20 grand in less than 2 years.  Also Chrysler simple doesn't have the prestige of a German luxury sedan.  Which German car are you referring too size wise.

Would this not compete against something like the 5 series or Audi A6 in terms of size? Much more expensive. Listen, you guys seem to forget that there's a massive demographic for these things in America. We may have more discerning tastes but people still like hamburgers.

V-man has it nailed down here.  The 300 is not my cuppa - and I find the mafia sled design ethos has been tired for a good long while.  But at least it has its own distinctive style.  And it is clearly one that resonates with a large number of buyers.  Hate on it all you like, but it's hard to argue that the 300 has been anything less than a real success.

[Noto]

In fact I went to chrysler.ca and built a 300S after reading the article.   That model, with the black trim and S wheels looks awesome!  (In a detroit sort of way).

This is the kinda thing you daily drive when you live in Atlanta when you're rocking your 4000sqft house on 4 acres for $250,000. Hellcat or Viper in the 3rd/4th bay for weekends.

and I find the mafia sled design ethos has been tired for a good long while.  But at least it has its own distinctive style.  And it is clearly one that resonates with a large number of buyers.  Hate on it all you like, but it's hard to argue that the 300 has been anything less than a real success.

This is not a 'bad' car, and it is definitely profitable for Chryfi.

...but it's simply not somewhere that one with good money sense would put their hard-earned $50k (depreciation, reliability concerns, etc).  Not that Chryfi should care about that - it is producing a consumer good that many consumers are asking for.  How can it be faulted for doing that?

[Kris78]

For those mentioning the lack of models on dealer lots, I've heard a couple of explanations:

1. There are so many model types/options on the 300/Charger/Challenger that it makes it impractical to stock something. The buyer always wants something special, or is otherwise looking for a deal, which brings us to...
2. Crazy deals on former rentals. How much do you really want a new 300 or Charger, when a 1 year old model with low KMs is available for less than $25k.

As for choosing this over an Audi or a BMW, the Chrysler is a much larger car than what you will get for $50k from the Germans. It's obviously aimed at a very different type of customer.

Yes someone who doesn't want to loose 15-20 grand in less than 2 years.  Also Chrysler simple doesn't have the prestige of a German luxury sedan.  Which German car are you referring too size wise.

Are you saying that a $50k German car doesn't depreciate? Using the handy-dandy depreciation calculator at Edmunds showed this:

300C Platinum V6 (the hemi wasn't listed) indicated a depreciation of $15,941 after 2 years of ownership
528i (the only BMW to come close in size/price) indicated a depreciation of $14,324 after 2 years
328i xDrive - $12,511

So while the BMWs fare better than the Chrysler, I don't think it is a big enough difference to justify a purchase of one over the other.

I suspect that you might be reacting to the fact that there are so many 1 year old former rentals for purchase, while the German cars would be vehicles off of lease.

[OliverD]

And the rentals tend to be the cheaper models anyways.

[evil_twin]

Regarding the depreciation concerns:  This car is clearly a prime target for a "lightly" used buy.   Plenty of newer Hemi models to be found on autotrader for $2X,XXX.   

There are much worse options for an appealing daily driver.   

Hell what does a 300S with a nice exhaust sound like?  Pretty awesome I'd imagine.  Haha...I'm slowly talking myself into one of these!

I also really liked the blue interior you can get on the S.

100%

[evil_twin]

What are the SRTs going for used? That's the ticket!

Someone posted a link to 2012 SRT in another thread with a $39k ask.   Mostly I was thinking I could live with "just" the 5.7L Hemi for this daily driver/cruiser, but it sounds like a 300S with Hemi is pretty scarce commodity out there.

(But let's be honest...I'm not buying a Chrysler).

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Does this car have a tow rating, and if so, what is it?

Never mind, I looked it up myself.  Tow rating is 1000lbs max, whether you have the V6 or V8.  Sigh, that's no better than my 4-cyl Altima.

[Northernridge]

The 300 has been a huge sustained home run with significant trailing sales even though it hasn't changed much since it was introduced. Most car guys I know thought it was great when introduced and one of the cars everyone wanted to rent during business trips. But it's past it's prime now and easy to criticize.

In my books it was a winner.

[OliverD]

What are the SRTs going for used? That's the ticket!

Someone posted a link to 2012 SRT in another thread with a $39k ask.   Mostly I was thinking I could live with "just" the 5.7L Hemi for this daily driver/cruiser, but it sounds like a 300S with Hemi is pretty scarce commodity out there.

(But let's be honest...I'm not buying a Chrysler).

Even scarcer now that you can't combine the Hemi with AWD.

[EV-Light]

The 300 has been a huge sustained home run with significant trailing sales even though it hasn't changed much since it was introduced. Most car guys I know thought it was great when introduced and one of the cars everyone wanted to rent during business trips. But it's past it's prime now and easy to criticize.

In my books it was a winner.

The 300 was a winner and helped bring new customers to Chrysler at the time. Unfortunately, most of those customers have clearly moved on...having said that, I still think the 300 is an awesome sedan and it looks great! But I wouldn't touch one, being made by FCA automatically deletes it from my shopping list.

[redman]

The 300 has been a huge sustained home run with significant trailing sales even though it hasn't changed much since it was introduced. Most car guys I know thought it was great when introduced and one of the cars everyone wanted to rent during business trips. But it's past it's prime now and easy to criticize.

In my books it was a winner.

The 300 was a winner and helped bring new customers to Chrysler at the time. Unfortunately, most of those customers have clearly moved on...having said that, I still think the 300 is an awesome sedan and it looks great! But I wouldn't touch one, being made by FCA automatically deletes it from my shopping list.

Interesting as I feel the same way about Ford products after having numerous negative experiences with the products and dealership, but I'm sure we can find others who would never buy a G.M. product either.

[OliverD]

But I wouldn't touch one, being made by FCA automatically deletes it from my shopping list.

A bit ironic coming from a VW owner. 

[EV-Light]

But I wouldn't touch one, being made by FCA automatically deletes it from my shopping list.

A bit ironic coming from a VW owner. 

oh VW dealers are awesome! they treat their customers really well - there's a high price to pay for that though LOL