Zander Drives Cars

After 17 years, two generations, and outlasting all of Chrysler’s product line from its original era, the mighty 300 has fallen. It is no secret that sedan sales have declined rapidly in the past decade, and we’ve seen many large sedans fade from existence. But, among the sea of twisted metal, the 300 managed to stand tall and avoid everything, soldering on largely unchanged and, honestly, flawed. So, shortly after the announcement that Dodge would be discontinuing the Challenger and Charger (the 300s sister ships), it was only a matter of time before the ancient car got the axe. Knowing Chrysler, they weren’t going to let the 300 die out in a sea of deflated expectations, so, naturally, they put a 6.4 liter Hemi V8 in it, and called revived the 300C for its last hurrah. I’ll be honest, I am super fond of this car, and when its discontinuation was announced, it caused me to pull the trigger and book my flight to Detroit. I needed to see it.

Exterior-wise, the 300C looks almost identical to any other 300. The body shape has been the same since 2005, and while some minor fascia changes have occurred throughout the years, it really is the same car. It is still the large, boxy, chunky RWD sedan we know and love 50% of the time. Chrysler did do some stuff to differentiate the 300C from other models in the lineup. Two of the most immediate changes are the blood-red break calipers mated to black wheels, along with a red, white, and blue 300C badge on the grille. Aside from those two differences, it would be almost impossible to tell this bohemeth from your average rental car.

Like the exterior, very little was changed for the interior. My assumption is that Chrysler wasn’t planning on giving it a new interior when the car was only supposed to last past the mid-term elections. That being said, you do get a carbon fiber center console with a sportier steering wheel and some monagramed “300C” seats. The interior quality is very hit or miss. It is very much a car that reminds you of peak “cheap Chrysler.” Yes, the seats are extraordinarily comfortable and the leather and metal do feel solid, but god some of these plastics are horrific. For instance, the materials around the center screen and air vents are very low quality and reminiscent of the type of materials that were acceptable in the early 2000s.

As for equipment, you do get a lot. The 300 has always been a sort of “bargain bin mash-up” of different Chrysler and Dodge luxuries put into one car. You get heated front and rear seats, an 8.4-inch touchscreen with Bluetooth and Carplay integration, an analog clock above that touch screen, USB ports in the front and rear, dual-zone climate controls, lane keep assist, parking assist, and a rear camera. Most of these options are available on a majority of the mid-sized sedan market, so none of this is really something to be super worked up about, however. Keeping with the old-school routes, there is no digital driver display. Yes, there is a small screen in the middle that will tell you your speed or what is on the radio, but the speedometer and rev counter are stark reminders of this car’s era. The good news is that there is one last interior feature we haven’t touched on yet and its the little button in between “drive modes” and the lane keep assist: LAUNCH.

Must I remind you this is a 6.4 liter V8, RWD sedan? Okay, good. Now that you remember that we can look at this car truly how it is: simple in the best possible way. The 300 doesn’t need an adaptive AWD drivetrain with road sensing do-dads. It needs a big engine, low grip, and an irresponsible driver. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to drive this car through the wall and onto the mean street of Detroit, but if I could, I would. Hard. The 300C’s Hemi gets 485hp and 475lb of torque powering this car to 60 in 4.3 seconds, easily making this the most powerful 300 we have ever seen. Yes, it isn’t a hellcat, and while some were upset by this, I don’t really care. It’s still a stupid large engine in a car that desperately needed one. Why are we complaining? This thing is awesome! Fuel economy? Chrylser hasn’t told us but my educated guess would be low teens city, low twenties highway. And guess what? You get all this power for $56,000 or less dependent on how long this thing stays on dealer lots.

Here’s the deal: you don’t buy a 300 because you want a technologically advanced super-cruiser with radar sensing this, and computer driven that. You buy it because it is a mental vehicle that pleases the inner human in all of us. Here: speed, power, and nothing to hold you back. Take it before it’s gone.