Chrysler 300C II

Twenty-five again! It is this phrase I want to exclaim, looking at the next update of the five-meter Chrysler 300C. The model was pumped with a lot of new chips and immediately presented in Los Angeles at one of the showrooms. It is he, the American sedan of premium segment Chrysler 300C (II), who will go down in world history as one of the long-livers. The whole model range is Chrysler.

It would seem that a ten-year-old model needs to retire. But no, it has been updated again, so it will be necessary to “leave” not earlier than 2018. It cannot be said that the changes are radical, but it will be much easier to justify the immodest price list. The end of 2010 became special for the automobile company Chrysler, as the second generation of the updated 300C Chrysler sedan was presented.

Before that, there were a lot of leaks of information about the new version of the car. For the whole world the car was demonstrated in the next 2011 in the United States of America, in Detroit. Chrysler 300 C – sedan, which is often used in Russia as a wedding car.

Exterior

The appearance of the big sedan Chrysler 300S 2013 is simply gifted with magnetism. Everyone who rides next to it in city traffic and everyone passing by will be fascinated, literally admiring the car. And there is really much to see. Such an extraordinary design execution of appearance is not so often seen not only in American cars, but also in cars of Korean and European manufacture.

“Brutal Body” Chrysler 300C II is equipped with a long hood, an overestimated window line of large doors, small windows, low roof with a solid rear pillar, compact and at the same time solid aft part. However, this is only a general idea, which is formed after acquaintance with the legendary sedan.

The whole body is inlaid with an abundance of chrome elements: an inverted false radiator grille with rounded corners and many longitudinal strips, horizontal strips on the front bumper, rear-view mirror bodies, door handles, window frames, an insert over the entire width of the body above the rear bumper and silencer nozzles. White, silver, dark grey, beige, mother-of-pearl, blue, blue, cherry, brown, dark violet and black can be selected as the color solution for body painting.

The nose part of the car Chrysler 300C II is crowned with tidy bi-xenon adaptive light-optics with Smart Beam option. The headlights, in turn, are complemented by elegant LED daytime running lights in a stylish design. The massive front bumper is equipped with a neat lower air intake, and on the sides – fog lights and main headlight washers. In general, the front of the car looks very confident.

Some features of the appearance

The side of the sedan looks delightfully stylish and original. Thanks to the strict edges of the hood, roof, angular doorways, sporting inflated arches of the wheels, which contain a lot of 20-inch rims made of light alloy, one can feel the seriousness of the American. All this is good, but a low roof will cause some discomfort to the driver and passengers when they get into the car. The back part of the big car is executed in quiet style without excesses.

Undoubtedly, it is given a powerful bumper with nozzles of exhaust nozzles, a large straightforward luggage compartment lid with electric drive. The symphony of style is completed by neat, stylish columns of parking lights, which shine beautifully. The company-manufacturer of this car belongs to the Italian brand Fiat, which is very striking, because you can find design solutions in Italian style.

In reality, the designer’s solution for a solid American sedan includes a number of attractive elements that simply cannot be described. To notice these “chips” it is necessary to bypass the car from all sides and carefully examine it. However, even the most fastidious motorist will like the innovations.

Interior

The interior of the 2013 Generation II Chrysler 300C is offered in the top and only Luxury Series available in three different Nappa leather perforated armchair colours – black, black with microfiber inlays or dark brown (the same upholstery is used in the Mercedes-Benz CLS and Audi SQ5 and promises to make any trip as comfortable as possible).

Leather covers are present on the front panel, centre console and tunnel, tops of the door cards, thick rim of the steering wheel, a masterpiece of automatic gearbox control. There is a feeling that it has passed from German cars.

For a decor the not varnished tree, the metallized inserts, internal door handles are applied are made of an integral piece of metal. But a spoon of tar is still present – these are some elements of the interior made of hard plastic and not very good fit.

The Chrysler 300C II steering wheel can be easily fitted behind it, thanks in part to the electric drives of the steering column, which allow for adjustment in two planes, seats with adjustable lumbar support and a pedal unit. However, the chair itself, as is customary for American cars, has no bright side support and is designed for a man of dense equipment.

But despite all this, you can sit comfortably, and the multifunctional steering wheel has the option of heating. The instrument panel has a stylish blue backlight hidden in deep wells, which provides good visibility and readability in all lighting conditions.

The on-board computer’s colour display shows all the necessary information and, importantly, it is russified. Access to the car interior and start of the power unit is carried out with the help of Keyless Enter-N-Go system.

Dashboard

The main console is not saturated with keys and setting knobs, the clock is very neatly placed at the very top, a little lower – the screen is 8.4 inches lower, which supports touch input.

The display is responsible for setting up the music system, which includes radio, CD, MP3, DVD, USB and 9 speakers, 2-zone climate control, a large number of different auxiliary chips of the car (including heating of all the chairs, ventilation of the front seats and more. In addition, it is possible to install a navigation system and a rear view camera.

The first row of seats has a large amount of space in terms of width, and the latitude of the seats will be enough even for tall people. In addition, the driver’s seat is equipped with a memory function. The second row of seats will not allow passengers to feel discomfort. Even for a passenger sitting in the middle. The backrest of the sofa installed behind is heavily backed up, which makes it possible to sit halfway.

There is plenty of free legroom. Only those who sit in the middle will be disturbed by the protruding tunnel on the floor. Still, of course, we can say about the small side windows and high line of glazing, which will not allow you to fully enjoy the scenery. It is very easy to sit on the back row of chairs – this is facilitated by a large doorway.

The luggage compartment has a capacity of 462 litres. However, if necessary, the backrests of the rear seats are folded in a ratio of 40/60, which will greatly expand the space for luggage.

Specifications

Powertrain

A 3.6-litre engine produces 286 horses. A large sedan can reach 100 km/h in just 7 seconds, which is a very good indicator. The speed limit has been set at 240 km/h. It is clear that the Chrysler 300C II will not be the record-breaker in terms of minimum fuel consumption.

So, on 100 km of a turn it demands an order of 9,7 litres of fuel. However, in fact, the fuel consumption is about 13 liters, which is quite a lot, especially given the volume of the fuel tank. Aggressive driving promises to consume 20 liters of gasoline per hundred liters.

If the 3.6-liter engine works in combination with the rear drive, the 5.7-liter V-eight Hemi will produce 363 horsepower with all-wheel drive.

The 3.6-litre engine is a V-shaped six and has the weakest technical characteristics in the range. The most powerful engine is considered to be the SRT version with a volume of 6.1 liters, which produces 431 “horses” and is able to accelerate such a massive American sedan to the first hundred kilometers very quickly.

In addition to these two engines, the American automaker plans to have some more types of engines, which are not yet equipped with cars. The SRT8 model is equipped with a 6.4-liter engine with a capacity of 472 “horses”. Such power helps the car to accelerate up to 100 km/h in just 4.1 seconds.

Transmission

The 431-horsepower engine works together with an automatic gearbox, which can be either four- or five-speed. The 472-horsepower motor is only synchronized with the eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Suspension

The technical component of the 2nd generation of Chrysler 300C is distinguished by its good quality and the presence of innovative solutions. To date, the basic modification has a deeply improved LX: the American has a body with increased rigidity, new shock absorbers, changed suspension settings and the place of connection of the subframe and chassis with the body.

But the main achievement of the improved base is a high-quality independent suspension. The front wheels are equipped with double transverse levers from Mercedes-Benz S-Class W220, and the rear wheels are equipped with a multilever design from Mercedes-Benz E-Class W211.

Due to the past participation of the American company in the alliance with German companies, German technologies are used. Mainly, this can be attributed to the braking system and steering hydraulic amplifiers.

Brake system

There are ventilated disc drives all around the perimeter. It is clear that the American sedan Chrysler 300C 2016 weighs a lot, but the quality of braking is not affected in any way.

Steering control

The machine is easy to operate despite its massive dimensions. This is partly due to the use of hydraulic power steering.

Dimensions

It is clear that the new Chrysler 300C has a pretty large size:

• Length – 5 066 mm;
• Width – 1 902 mm;
• The car’s height varies from 1,462 to 1,560 mm (this difference is due to the fact that the car’s body height can be changed by an automatic system responsible for maintaining a constant ground clearance depending on the load).

The wheelbase is about 3,052 mm long, the front wheelbase is 1,611 mm and the rear wheelbase is 1,621 mm long. The height of the ground clearance itself is 140 mm. Weighs Chrysler 300C II 1 790 kg. Its total loading weight is 2,359 kg, where the front axle is loaded with 1,092 kg and the rear axle with 1,267 kg.

Crash test

The new 300C Chrysler was introduced in 2005 and the Dodge Charger in 2006. Any such displacement tests can be applied to both the Chrysler 300 and the Charger, because such versions were produced in 2005, as well as, a little later, the model Dodge Magnum.

Based on the kinematics of the dummy and the functioning of the safety systems, it can be argued that the mobility of the dummy was under control. Following the dummy’s encounter with the airbag, it was thrown back into the seat.

During this moment, the head was not even close to hard structural elements that could have caused damage. The damage assessment was the next one – as a result, it became clear from the dummy survey that the likelihood of serious injuries in similar situations was minimized.

Collision with the back of the car

For any front seat restraint service, the IIHS crash test measures spinal cord protection when hitting the rear of a car at low to medium speed. These damages are often not as severe, but they happen quite often.

A generalized assessment was based on the results of a couple of tests. The initial test checked the geometry of the seat – the space between the headrest and the occipital part of the medium-functioning passenger. In addition, the free space above the head is taken into account. Based on the results, an assessment of 4 levels is made.

Following this, headrest seats with good or acceptable ratings are then subjected to the next step, the dynamic test, which is to emulate the impact at the rear of a stationary vehicle with a similar weight at a speed of 20 mph (32 kilometres per hour). Seats with a low geometry score will not participate in the dynamic crash test because they are unable to provide protection for taller people in similar situations. The result is a “Bad” overall score for a couple of tests.

When it comes to dynamic crash testing of the car’s rear end, all information is recorded using the BioRID dummy, which simulates the body of an average person, and is designed specifically for these rear-end impact tests at slow to medium speeds.

Complete sets and prices

As far as the Russian market is concerned, everything here is not so clear. At the time of writing the article the price was $30372 for the basic equipment. If desired, you can equip the “American” with a panoramic roof (additional 834 $), Safetytec system and a package that visually improves the view of “dead” zones (1455 $).

Recall that in the autumn of 2013, the Chrysler 300S 2014 version appeared on sale, which differs from its predecessors by its new wheel rims, black radiator grille edging, window moldings, improved optics and tinted lanterns.

The pros and cons

Reviews from the owners

Everyone who has owned or owned this vehicle falls in love with it almost immediately. Many people, even after selling it, regret it because it is hard to find an equivalent replacement. The only thing that can make drivers think about changing a car is serious fuel consumption (about 15 liters in urban mode).

Many drivers speak well of the performance of the sedan, which, if not started and carried out routine scheduled maintenance, will serve the right way, and not to let its owner down. The average overall score of the American is 8.8 out of 10, which indicates that he is well adapted to Russia’s harsh climate.

Summing up

Completing the review of the famous American sedan Chrysler 300C II generation, there are positive emotions. It is unlikely that there will be someone who will say that the new family is not successful, rather the opposite. The car has got more pleasant and quiet appearance. Meanwhile, it is still recognizable and different in all traffic.

The front part of the car has been especially pleasantly transformed, where a different grille, stylish LED lamps with bi-xenon appeared. The design of the car is modern and even youthful. The rear part has a pair of exhaust pipes, a stylish spoiler and a little rough stern.

The salon was improved despite the fact that it was already good and of high quality. The presence of leather and pleasant illumination of the dashboard is a pleasure. The fact that the Chrysler 300C II generation used a large color screen, which supports touch input, indicates that the company aims to constantly improve its cars.

The front seats look a little strange, as they lack bright side support. Passengers who sit in the back row feel comfortable enough, the only thing tall people feel uncomfortable about is sitting on the low roof. And a passenger sitting in the middle will feel all the drawbacks of a transmission tunnel.

Although the luggage compartment does not have a record volume, it can be enlarged by folding the backrests of the rear seats. The only power unit supplied to the Russian market has sufficient capacity and copes well with its tasks.

The company has also not forgotten about ensuring a sufficient level of safety not only for the driver, but also for the passengers sitting next to him. Poor basic equipment makes the company sad. The 2nd generation says that the company aims to keep the car market in its hands and be competitive.

We advise you to read the article: History of Chrysler Corporation

Chrysler 300C II photo

Test drive

Video overview