The Chrysler 300 has more trims than the old woman in the shoe has children (7 trims, 6 kids). The 300S trim ranks second lowest price-wise, with the 300 SRT Premium being the most prestigious. However, you couldn’t tell by the quality of the ride where the 300S was in the lineage. It continually kept its enthusiastic personality and command of presence. The base price was $33,645.
But don’t let the low price fool you. Safety features like Electronic Stability Control with All-Speed Traction Control, Panic Brake Assist, and remote start system that operate from as far away as 300 feet are standard.
The 300S had plenty of muscle for the road. The 5.7 liter V8 Hemi with a MDS VVT double-quicks you onto the straightaway, with its 292 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. The 5-speed did not have a single shimmy moving among the gears. It bled smoothly into the correct gear as you picked up speed without a bit of slowness or hesitation.
The mileage rating was an average 18 mpg for city and highway combined. This needs to be improved. My average for the week was just over 19 mpg.
You can also get the 300S with a dual exhaust system accompanied by the standard 3.6 liter DOHC VVT Pentastar V6 with 8-speed transmission. It produces an astonishing 300 horsepower and 264 lb.-ft. of torque, and gets 25 mpg on average in city and highway.
I was amazed at the amount of interior space covered with leather. Sport bucket seats, steering wheel, and gear selector knob are all covered with the skin of the cow. This black leather interior (5 color patterns to choose from) went well with the Billet Metallic silver clear coat exterior.
The tilt-telescopic steering column, with audio controls and gear shift controls, nests rather nicely against the leather backdrop. Now add real wood interior accents to all this leather. Heck, even the auto, dual illuminated, heated and cooled, front cup holders made a statement.
The 300S boasts a prominent square-shoulder fascia, raked back windshield, low roofline, and angular body. Black headlamp and fog lamp bezels, black chrome grille surround with black chrome horizontal bars, and a liquid chrome Chrysler wing badge with black center that provides a perfect on-look-balance.
Inside, Chrysler 300S has 12-way heated seats with 4-way power lumbar adjust. How many times have I mentioned words like: chrome, power, wood, and leather when describing this interior?
The 300S has an array of air bags. The driver and front passenger are protected by a multistage airbag system, while side curtain air bags protect front and rear outboard occupants against side impact. Also standard on all Chrysler 300 cars are supplemental front-seat side-mounted airbags for additional head and thorax protection against side impact, plus a driver’s knee blocker air bag below the instrument panel.
Technology abounds in Chrysler 300S. Sirius XM radio, Uconnect for Bluetooth streaming audio, and the 8.4-inch touch screen for digital music information is as close as your fingertips. Navigation is available, but not standard, on the 300S.
Chrysler has several optional packages. One customer-preferred package includes adaptive speed control, exterior mirrors with turn signals, rain sensitive windshield wipers, and rear fog. Price: $1995.
The Luxury Package ($2,200) has items like Garmin Nav System, dual panel Panoramic Sunroof that covers 70 percent of the roof area, and auto slick automatic traction.
The Chrysler 300S is well-crafted, has fine power with a clear soundtrack made to move forward while providing quietness on the inside, and a quiet strength on the outside. It rides well, is priced fairly, and feels better each time you drive it.
Durhl Caussey writes an automobile column read around the world. He may be reached at this paper or [email protected].
Warranty
3-year or 36,000 mile basic limited warranty
5-year of 100,000 mile powertrain limited warranty
5-year or 100,000 mile roadside assistance, certain restrictions apply
