Review - 2013 Chrysler 300C

[OVERKILL]

Had one of these for a bit today to drive around. Didn't get a whole lot of seat time, maybe 30 minutes?

Pros:
- Dash cover was stitched and looked/felt to be of good quality
- Steering wheel had a nice feel to it
- Interior was reasonably quiet
- HEMI had plenty of get up and go
- Interior materials seemed to be of good quality. Perforated leather seats were comfortable.
- Stereo sounded decent
- LCD readout in the cluster displayed relevant information and MPG
- Gauges were large and reasonably easy to read
- Trunk offered a good amount of space
- Cabin was very spacious, car felt huge like a Town Car

Cons:
- Very unresponsive throttle off the line, pedal feels "dead", I assume this is the DBW throttle lag that many hate. Very different feel from our DBW BMW's.
- Shift from first to second is severely lagged when driving the car in a normal fashion. Feels very weird
- Seats had little bolstering/support
- There was a weird squeak/rattle in the headliner right above the drivers seat
- Had more road noise (but less powertrain noise, if that makes sense

) than my car. Tires could be a contributor here.
- "Beats" audio accents on the speakers looked gaudy and really took away from the presentation of the interior
- Gauges were a bit "F-150" for a luxury car. Stood out a bit too much for my taste.


Overall I really enjoyed driving the car. I could see it as a great replacement for somebody coming from a Lincoln. Most of the detractors aren't any better in a Town Car. Suspension felt good, though nowhere near as firm as the M5 around corners. It didn't feel "eager" like the BMW does either, but I think that's to be expected given that this was a regular 300C and not an SRT variant like our member SteveSRT8 has. I also assume the SRT8 version has better seats.

The only thing that really bothered me was the stupid "beats audio" logos, which really took away from the image the car projected. It wasn't subtle, and in a car like this, any accents like that should be. Not giant orange B's on a big black blob of plastic

 

[Spazdog]

The "B's" are actually pretty subtle for one of the members of N.W.A. (ie: Dr Dre)

Yeah, they are a bit....ummm...out there, but it could be worse.

Nice review.

 

[OVERKILL]

Thanks!

Yeah, it bugged me a bit with the interior. It was sort of a chocolate and light tan blend, which worked REALLY well except for the giant orange B's, LOL!

 

[SteveSRT8]

Glad you got to drive one. The regular C is heavily biased towards luxury, so expect mushiness!

That beats thing is ridiculous, my car has a Kicker setup from the factory with no id anywhere except in the trunk on the 10 inch sub there. Dr Dre must have gotten all the money so there was nothing left to put good speakers in the car!

The throttle gets lazy from adaptives, the reset procedure is stupid simple, and the headliner rattle would probably be sunroof bolts which need tightening, a known issue.

The difference is very much just like BMW's, as a base 5 series doesn't really compare well with an M5!

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Glad you got to drive one. The regular C is heavily biased towards luxury, so expect mushiness!

That beats thing is ridiculous, my car has a Kicker setup from the factory with no id anywhere except in the trunk on the 10 inch sub there. Dr Dre must have gotten all the money so there was nothing left to put good speakers in the car!

The throttle gets lazy from adaptives, the reset procedure is stupid simple, and the headliner rattle would probably be sunroof bolts which need tightening, a known issue.

The difference is very much just like BMW's, as a base 5 series doesn't really compare well with an M5!


Reset procedure?
Help me out. What is it.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Glad you got to drive one. The regular C is heavily biased towards luxury, so expect mushiness!

That beats thing is ridiculous, my car has a Kicker setup from the factory with no id anywhere except in the trunk on the 10 inch sub there. Dr Dre must have gotten all the money so there was nothing left to put good speakers in the car!

The throttle gets lazy from adaptives, the reset procedure is stupid simple, and the headliner rattle would probably be sunroof bolts which need tightening, a known issue.

The difference is very much just like BMW's, as a base 5 series doesn't really compare well with an M5!


Do they still make an SRT version of this car? I'd be very curious to drive one (even an older one) now that I've driven the C, as it was a nice car overall. Ride was good and I can easily see why you like yours.

A few questions if you will:

1. Are the seats in yours different?
2. Are the gauges in yours different?
3. Does yours/did it when new have the slow shift into 2nd?
4. I know you have an aftermarket tuner/chip in yours, was this to deal with the throttle lag only or #3 above as well?

Thanks

 

[harbor]

Quote:
Reset procedure?
Help me out. What is it.


Chrysler throttle recalibration procedure is as follows:

1) Insert ignition key and turn to "ON" (not start).
2) Wait for all idiot lights to go out. Check Engine Light may remain on.
3) Slowly depress the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor.
(HOLD to the floor for about a three second count.)
(On some PCM versions, Engine Check light may start flashing here)
4) Slowly release the accelerator pedal until it's all the way back up.
5) Turn the ignition key to "OFF".
6) Start the engine.

I've also heard disconnecting the battery cable for 1/2 hour re calibrates the throttle position.

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: harbor
Quote:
Reset procedure?
Help me out. What is it.


Chrysler throttle recalibration procedure is as follows:

1) Insert ignition key and turn to "ON" (not start).
2) Wait for all idiot lights to go out. Check Engine Light may remain on.
3) Slowly depress the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor.
(HOLD to the floor for about a three second count.)
(On some PCM versions, Engine Check light may start flashing here)
4) Slowly release the accelerator pedal until it's all the way back up.
5) Turn the ignition key to "OFF".
6) Start the engine.

I've also heard disconnecting the battery cable for 1/2 hour re calibrates the throttle position.


Thank you

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Glad you got to drive one. The regular C is heavily biased towards luxury, so expect mushiness!

That beats thing is ridiculous, my car has a Kicker setup from the factory with no id anywhere except in the trunk on the 10 inch sub there. Dr Dre must have gotten all the money so there was nothing left to put good speakers in the car!

The throttle gets lazy from adaptives, the reset procedure is stupid simple, and the headliner rattle would probably be sunroof bolts which need tightening, a known issue.

The difference is very much just like BMW's, as a base 5 series doesn't really compare well with an M5!


Do they still make an SRT version of this car? I'd be very curious to drive one (even an older one) now that I've driven the C, as it was a nice car overall. Ride was good and I can easily see why you like yours.

A few questions if you will:

1. Are the seats in yours different?
2. Are the gauges in yours different?
3. Does yours/did it when new have the slow shift into 2nd?
4. I know you have an aftermarket tuner/chip in yours, was this to deal with the throttle lag only or #3 above as well?

Thanks

The new SRT8 is a monster. 6.4 liters, 470 hp, VVT, MDS, table flat torque curve just like you are used to.

Much better seats, ride for hours in comfort, pretty well bolstered too.

Different dash display, Hugely upgraded NAV etc. over mine. I have a rebadged Alpine unit driving Kicker amps and speakers with 10 inch sub in the trunk, all factory and extremely rare on SRT's. Sounds great but really clunky old NAV interface.

Trans issues are adaptives, easily reset with a fuse pull or a tuner. Mine gets a bit laggy after a long time in the Wife's hands, but quickly re-adapts with a spirited Sunday AM sprint or two!

My fav about the tuner is it pushes back the ESP system to where it never annoys but is still there to save your [censored] in a pinch. But it makes the tires bark on shifts and really transforms the "feel" of the car, also really helps with heat soak as I can reprogram the fans.

Many folks I know who have actually DRIVEN a new SRT8 have been quite impressed. They remain a singular bargain in the world of high performance sedans regardless of what the haters say.

 

[Oldmoparguy1]

Thanks overkill, very interesting. I'm going to try that throttle reset on my 2013 GC. That thing drives me crazy. Every time I touch the gas I bark the tires. My wife never has that problem.....

Wayne