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2017 Chrysler 300S

FCA US LLC

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2017 Chrysler 300S

FCA US LLC

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2017 Chrysler 300C Platinum

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2017 Chrysler 300C Platinum

FCA US LLC

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2017 Chrysler 300C Platinum

FCA US LLC

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2017 Chrysler 300C Platinum

FCA US LLC

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The Chrysler 300 is admittedly one of the most ‘American’ looking vehicles left in the market today! By that we mean that it is big, bold and still holds to its roots and the tradition of being large and in charge, in an all American sedan.

Having received few modifications since being introduced to the market originally in the 2005 market year, it has always been a full sized sedan with absolutely no question of what was being purchased and driven with the 300. In 2011 the 300 got a major overhaul and the 2nd generation was born, then in 2015 a cosmetic facelift took place producing pretty much what Chrysler is offering today.

They have flirted a couple of times over the years with different iterations of the 300, a station wagon version, and one time even the boys over in the SRT division got involved and came up with and SRT8 equipped 300 that took the horsepower to 425 for the ultimate large sedan. Chrysler does have a tendency to do the extraordinary, just look at the Challenger SRT Demon that boasts 840 hp and sub 10 second quarter mile runs.

Unfortunately the heads at Chrysler choose to discontinue this fast production version of the 300 but there is still and option to get a 5.7 liter Hemi V8 engine with 363 hp and get to 60 in just 5.8 seconds, not bad for the large and in charge sedan.

Our test ride came with the smaller 3.6 liter V6 engine an since we had the S, or sport edition the horsepower went from 292 to 300 with the addition of some cold air intakes. This engine proved over the week to be a very strong motor for the 300 and when coupled with the 8 speed transmission we never felt it to be underpowered.

In fact it was just the opposite the 300 had plenty of go with the smaller engine and then returned an awesome 26.2 mpg for the week that was mostly around town driving, with us taking only one long ride to Salt Lake City on Sunday for a reunion.

Our trip included picking up our son Landon, his wife Michelle and grandson Jensen to see just how well 5 would fit us all inside. After installing the car seat for Jensen which was easily accomplished according to Landon, the jury is still out on how the ride was with what we would consider 3 adults in the rear. On the way back Deanne changed places with Landon and things seemed to go smother with her smaller stature in the back seat.

Traveling for a longer distance like this would most likely have caused more grumpiness to come from the adults in the rear as they were crowded with the car seat installed. Jensen however was completely happy for the entire ride.

We have always been impressed with the larger look of the Chrylser full sized sedans and that was no exception in the 300, the body is full of sleek lines that define it as a vehicle not to be trifled with. The wheels and tires are large and really add to the overall appearance of the 300.

The base price of the 300S includes some great additions that we would not have expected to see, heated and cooled leather trimmed front seats, performance disk brakes all around, and the Beats audio system that is usually and upgrade in a Chrysler model.

New additions this year to the 300 line are in the tech arena with a much faster UConnect system that has a much higher definition screen with sharper graphics and now comes with pinch, swipe and tap abilities. The new screen is noticeably different with this upgrade and in our opinion the high definition makes a huge difference, it is now easier to use and most of all better to look at, Craig is already wanting to know how to replace the screen in his 2016 Ram pickup he liked it so much.

There is also the addition of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility to the system which is an area Chrysler has been lacking is over the past couple of years and should be adding to most vehicles shortly. It makes using phones much easier and will give the user navigation of not already included in the vehicle along with other options from the phone, these types of apps use data on the phone so user beware if too much data use is a problem.

Inside the 300S was loaded with all kinds of goodies that came standard with the package. A rear back up camera, dual zone climate control, acoustic windshield that kept noise from the outside to a minimum and a Beats Audio system that made the ride even better when we were playing music through our phones. SiriusXM radio was also included with Chrysler adding a full year of subscription with every vehicle purchased; usually this is only 3 months.

The addition of the 300S Premium Group 2 package really got our attention as it came with many of our favorite extras on a vehicle and some that we would not have expected for the $1,895 price tag. The adaptive Bi-Xenon HID headlights that would self-level at night were not only cool but gave a 300S a great nighttime appearance.

This package also added a power tilt and telescope steering wheel, something that we like but would not have expected at the price point. There was also a memory feature that would remember where the driver’s seat was how the mirrors were adjusted and even which radio station the driver liked, that was new for us including the radio station.

This package didn’t stop there either, still to come were heated steering wheel and rear seats, blind spot monitoring, parksense front and rear, a power rear sunshade, LED lamps in the map pockets, turn signals in the rearview mirrors, along with puddle lamps to illuminate the ground at night and door sill scuff plates, not a bad deal for the money to get all these additions.

The addition of the Safety Tec Plus Group gave the 300 even more safety features with forward collision warning, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, rain sensing wipers and automatic high beam headlights that know when to dim with oncoming traffic.

This package also came with adaptive cruise control that we always love to have on any vehicle we drive and made sure that Deanne got it on here last purchase, however for whatever reason with this upgrade the vehicle now has two options for cruise, adaptive or radar cruise that senses the vehicle in front of you to maintain an even distance from them, and regular cruise that keeps the 300 at the speed the driver set it at.

We are not quite sure why the designers have included both as we would assume once the adaptive cruise is added that is what the consumer would get and use, as in other vehicles that we have test driven. Craig inadvertently engaged the regular cruise control and was expecting the 300 to slow down when coming onto slower traffic, it did not, he was able to get to the brake in time however, but it got us to wondering why the two different way to engage the cruise control? Something we will have to explore further with some questions to Chrysler.

The Chrysler 300S is a great choice in the full sized sedan segment and will the addition of just a couple of extra packages it had us feeling as if we were driving a very high end luxury sedan that should have come in at a much higher price.

See this years version of the 300 at today at Doug Smith Dodge 523 West Main Street in American Fork, 801-492-1110, Doug Smith Dodge at 1339 North Main in Spanish Fork, 877-629-6450 or Larry H. Miller Dodge 1825 N University Pkwy, Provo, (888) 245-3833.

Base Price: $38,175

Price as Driven: $48,145