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

[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.

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.

I've had 3 FCA products in the past (2014 was the last one...) and the dealer experience has proved to be dismissive over and over again. Won't go back...!
This is my first Ford product ever, I bought the Taurus because I got an amazing deal on it and I have to say, so far...Ford has really impressed me with how far they've come along the road. The dealer experience is good and I have no complaints - to the point where it makes me want to buy another Ford!!! - kinda hard to think because 3 years ago I'd have never said that LOL

[Thinking Out Loud]

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

LOL!   

When I had my 2004 Saturn Ion 3, the service and sales people were excellent....having the Service Advisor know me by first name was GREAT!  (at the expense of 18 service calls in 24 months).   


I'd MUCH rather have a boring and disinterested dealership and a reliable vehicle (so I don't have to see them) than visa-versa. 

[Jaeger]

The Taurus doesn' just LOOK gargantuan.

[Scaerio]

Agree that this is too much engine for the chassis.  I rented a 300C late August 2012 just after I got back from Serbia to go to Pride in Montreal.  The Aerio was still in storage.  For shites and giggles at 110km/h I floored it on an empty, straight stretch of the 417 and the thing fish-tailed wildly as it lunged toward its limited speed of 190...

[wing]

Whoa never too much power haha.   I'm talking about bumps mid corner

[dirtyjeffer]

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

same here.

[Mozeby]

I owned a 2012 300 S with the V6 and 8 sp combo. Handles better than the hemi because there's a lot less weight over the front axle. Plus it's still very quick and got great fuel economy. It's a much better combo in this car than the hemi.

[tooscoops]

for sure... the one i have is 20000km and for 26500, seems like a steal to me compared to the new ones... while the hemi is a big draw, it is just not needed for so many. doesn't change that we all want it of course...

comparing these is tough... if you want a rwd full sized car, yeah, the german comparables are steep in price. doesn't mean that a smaller car won't do the job, but not really a fair comparison... 

[Minou]

Did you check tire pressure on those 20''?  I bet "ordinary" 18'' would have fared better.  Or is the bad rear suspension behavior due to the weight of that Hemi on the front axle?.

[Noto]

I wonder what the proportion of folks in both Canada and the US actually care about handling in the corners.  More so, I wonder what proportion of potential buyers would care or notice the cornering instability as described? 

I would think more people are turned off by a high price tag (not relative to what you get - I think it's priced well, but $50k isn't pocket change for the majority of folks), questionable reliability, 'gangsta' styling, and the size of the beast (difficulty in manoeuvrability).

Something tells me that if you're a fan of the styling, the rest is all secondary.  The interior looks and feels excellent (if the 200 is any indication), and if the ride is smooth on most streets, then why not?

It's certainly not my cup of tea, but I do understand the car for certain locales and certain personal preferences.

[Noto]

How much is that Taurus SHO again?

[wing]

The handling isn't just in the corners though.  Up the straight on ramp and over a couple of lanes yesterday on a bumpy part of the queensway and the car hops sideways.

[Noto]

The handling isn't just in the corners though.  Up the straight on ramp and over a couple of lanes yesterday on a bumpy part of the queensway and the car hops sideways.

The 200 did that, too.  Jacob and I really, really detested it.  JY didn't seem to notice (or care, whichever).  The point I'd make is that 90% of drivers likely wouldn't notice, and of the remaining 10%, probably 5% wouldn't care.  A sad reality, since I think suspension tuning is a safety feature more than one of hooliganism.

[Gurgie]

The handling isn't just in the corners though.  Up the straight on ramp and over a couple of lanes yesterday on a bumpy part of the queensway and the car hops sideways.

Have to wonder if there was some kind of alignment issue if it's acting that way?  Maybe it's crab walking all the time and doesn't have all 4 wheels pointed in the same direction.  I've driven a Charger with the Hemi and never felt any of that.

[EV-Light]

How much is that Taurus SHO again?

brand new? $42.5k..

[Noto]

How much is that Taurus SHO again?

brand new? $42.5k..

Rhetoric - I was pointing out that this is not the only car >$50k that lacks "brand cachet".

[Fobroader]

I still think these things are so cool. Any 300 with a V8 would be slammed to the ground with some wide tires on it and the most obnoxious exhaust system I can find. Great review!!

[Vanstar]

The basic architecture of these cars is old, going back to 2005 for the 300, but the roots are MB E Class from circa 1995. Daimler didn't want Chrysler to have the newest and best stuff, and in 2005 the 300 was a great handling car.

But now it is 2016. Auto engineering has made some big leaps since 2005.