compare cars Progress is inevitable. Sometimes it happens
quickly, but often it's a slow march. Enough small steps forward,
though, can add up to a bigger total leap. Such is the story of the 2015
Chrysler 300. It's composed of myriad small improvements that when
taken together turn a good car into a genuinely better car.
The biggest of the small changes to the updated
300 rings in at 33 percent, and it's the increased size of the grille.
Chrysler admits the previous model, while a much better overall car than
its predecessor, didn't have the presence and attitude of the 2005 car
we all love. This car, the Chrysler people say, is inspired by the 2005
car, though I see more Jaguar XJ in it. Making the nose taller and
reducing the slope of the hood would help, but that would no doubt run
afoul of pedestrian impact regulations.
Elsewhere, new taillights, wheels, and exhaust
tips differentiate the new car from the old, though perhaps not to the
casual observer.
The next largest small change stares you in the
face. The new instrument cluster shows clear influence from the all-new
Chrysler 200 and adds a great deal of functionality. The dials remain
watch-like in appearance, but they're now split by a 7.0-inch
customizable display that provides the driver with far more information
that's much clearer and easier to read.
Just in front the cluster is another small but
noticeable change: the steering wheel. Lifted from the 200, it's a
stylish piece that's comfortable to hold with intuitively laid-out
controls. It's connected to a new, fully electric power steering system
that few owners will notice as being different. Steering response is
linear and appropriately quick for a large, semi-luxury sedan. The
weighting increases naturally as you turn the wheel, and if you dig deep
enough in the center touchscreen's menus, you can change the overall
weight. There's no road feel in the wheel, but the old car didn't really
have any, either, and it isn't sorely missed in a big cruiser like
this.
The steering wheel isn't the only new round
thing in the interior. There's also Chrysler's rotary shifter, plopped
unceremoniously on the center console. Functionally, it's worlds better
than the old electric rocker it replaces, but an opportunity was missed
to actually integrate it into the interior design or take advantage of
its compact size to free up some needed storage space on the console.
Instead, it's been shoehorned into the hole where the old shifter sat,
and that's that.
The good news is it's still attached to
Chrysler's eight-speed automatic transmission, and it's got an improved
Sport mode. Select S, and the throttle tightens up, the downshifts get
more aggressive, gears are held longer, and the transmission will hang
out in lower gears than normal to keep the engine in the meat of the
powerband. Should you choose to use the paddle shifters while in S, the
transmission will go full manual and won't revert back to auto. Press
the separate Sport button on the dash to tighten up the steering, as
well. Press that button without selecting S on the transmission, and
it'll also sharpen up the throttle response and enable the paddle
shifters, though the transmission will revert to auto if you don't touch
them for a while.
All the above transmission talk applies to both
V-6 and V-8 models. The ancient five-speed auto that held back V-8 300s
for so long is finally gone, replaced with the quicker- and
smoother-shifting eight-speed. Better ratios and programming fully
exploit the V-8's power and willingness to rev in ways the five-speed
never could, and it buys you an extra city and combined MPG, as well.
For the 15 percent of 300 buyers who opt for the V-8, it's a godsend.
Finally, the V-8 car drives as well as the V-6 car, but with more power
and more rumble. Although we mourn the loss of the under-appreciated (to
the tune of less than 1 percent of all 300 sales) 300 SRT, the
5.7-liter Hemi is plenty quick in its own right and feels faster now
that the transmission can keep up. The unloved V-8 AWD model is likewise
departed.
The
standard 3.6-liter V-6 also is perfectly quick. With up to 300 hp in S
models, the V-6 is tuned to provide plenty of low-end torque, and for
most people, it'll feel nearly as spritely around town as the V-8. It
doesn't have the raw power to compete on the dragstrip, but it's plenty
strong enough to satisfy the average driver from light to light. It even
makes a pleasant growl in the process.
If there's one thing that hasn't changed about
the 300, it's how the car drives. It still feels like a big, imposing
car. The big, long dashboard rolling out ahead of you into the long,
wide hood gives a sense of length to the car, and the wide, short
windshield seems to stretch the car from one side of the lane to the
other. From behind the wheel, it imparts a feeling of grandeur and
privilege generally reserved for much more expensive cars. Despite some
efforts to reduce the curb weight, the 300 still feels big and heavy
when you pitch it around a corner. The seats, while quite comfortable,
aren't made for serious handling maneuvers, and though the suspension
keeps the car composed at all times, it can't mask the physics at play.
The weight transfer evident while cornering discourages hardcore
performance driving, but driven well within its limits, the 300 grips
and handles very well and is still fun on a good road. Pushed to those
limits, the car will alternatively understeer if you carry too much
speed into the corner or oversteer if you're too assertive with the
throttle on the way out, though in both cases the computer is happy to
intervene and keep the car pointed in the direction you originally
intended. Ride quality remains as good as ever, compliant and isolating
for comfortable cruising. All in all, it drives just like the last 300,
and that car drove quite nicely.
The computer's services aren't limited to
overzealous driving, either. The adaptive cruise control system will now
bring the car to a stop and resume moving in traffic, if the stop isn't
too long. The camera watching the road ahead will subtly warn you if
you drift out of your land and gently move you back in if you don't take
action. Best of all, the point at which it issues a warning and the
vigor with which it forces you back into your lane are both adjustable
via the touchscreen. That same camera will also watch for stopped cars
ahead and will now even brake for you if you're really not paying
attention. The 99.9 percent of the time you do your own braking, you
might find the initial bite of the brake pedal a bit spongy, but you'll
get used to it, and the car will have no issue slowing or stopping.
The new 300's improvements aren't all
mechanical, either. Inside, the quality of materials has risen even
further than the existing car, and the fit and finish is impeccable. The
optional contrasting color schemes add a visual pop not found in the
competition. Extra charge-only USB ports in the rear will be greatly
appreciated in device-heavy households.
The 2015 Chrysler 300 is a textbook definition
of a mid-cycle refresh properly executed. A gaggle of small but
significant updates altogether push the already good car further
forward, creating a product with fewer weak points than ever before.
Best of all, most of the little improvements are essentially gratis, as
the base price remains the same as the outgoing car. Slow progress isn't
as exciting or sexy as a big makeover, but the result can be just as
good.
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