Yes, we’ve been waiting for this moment for some time. Ever since Chrysler pimped cgi renderings of the new 300 in its bailout-requesting “viability plan,” promising that it would be “the most-awarded new car in automotive history,” we’ve been curious about the follow up to the car that arguably saved the Chrysler brand’s image. But now that we’re seeing the first pictures, we can’t help but feel that some of the 300’s brash swagger may have been lost in the humiliation of bankruptcy. Sure, the mirrors are completely chromed, which is a pure class move, but the whole thing (the front end in particular) has certainly lost more than a little of its “I’m not actually super-wealthy, but you’d never know it by the way I treat people” attitude. Jalopnik may be worried about the Rolls-Royce-alike bodykit business, but we’re more concerned that America’s most pimping automobile (in the value-neutral sense) has turned into the Cadillac STS.
Side mirrors are now standard equipment.
Based on what you see on the street, they shoulda made 20″ DUBs standard equipment.
I love the SRT8 20″ wheels. My car rides slightly rough on bad roads but the grip from my Hankook Ventus V12’s is pretty impressive when I take off from a light.
I personally don’t hate the new 300 design but its nowhere near as imposing as the old design. Adding curves to this car takes away from its masculinity and adds femininity.
– the grill is too small
– the front overhang is too long
– the headlamps need to be larger (what is this? a Jaguar XJ?)
The only positives are:
+ the visibility issues of the A and C pillar and the rear brake light have been fixed.
+The rear end looks ok, but the SRT8 needs better looking exhaust tips.
+ The new SRT8 engine will get the fuel economy of the old 5.7.
+the interior looks livable.
+ the new shape will give a lower drag coefficient and add to fuel efficiency on the highway.
Unfortunately, it looks like an Acura and a Cadillac DTS had a deformed baby.
I did a picture comparo of the new model and the old model. I’m not sure if I’m buying.
I actually like this one, looks like they made it sleeker in the front and back with more of a greenhouse so you can see out of it now. Still not better looking than the Charger though.
Just shows how tough it is to recreate an icon…the original 300 was a pretty awesome combination of swagger and elegance, let down only by a cheapish interior.
This is smoother, more elegant (tho the taillights are definitely like some 70’s Oldsmobile). They’ve upgraded the insides, and lost some character outside…at least it’s still RWD based, and the new V6 and upgraded Hemi should make it fully competitive against the pretty bland Hyundai Genesis.
Not a home run, not a disaster…hope it sells enough to keep ’em in business.
this is smoother, more elegant (tho the taillights are definitely like some 70′s Oldsmobile).
Ladies and gentlemen, the new Delta 88! (Cue thunderous applause.)
The old 300 was brash but rather cartoonish. That may have played well when it first hit the market but age has a way of making brashness look . . . silly.
The new design seems focused on fixing the biggest problems with the old 300’s styling. For example, the turret-topped look was reduced by visually moving the beltline lower, bulging out the wheel openings, chroming the window frames, and adding a rocker panel crease. Another weird aspect of the old 300 was the overly upright A-pillar; as with the Charger that seems to have been given a more normal (and aerodynamic) look.
The only place where they took a risk was in giving the back end a rather bulky, 70’s retro look.
Younger folks who aspired to big cars in the ’70s are fast approaching the age where they’ll buy their retirement car to putt around in for a decade or so.
I asked my daughter what first car she’d like and she said “big and comfortable”. I guess no new Fit or Mini then. A used 300 or Avalon, maybe.
I like this observation and agree with it.
The Original 300 was the most awarded new car. That’s what the plan said, not that the new one would be.
Not a design student, but what is with all of the “higher end” cars wearing all the guyliner? The current 300″C” (is the 300″C” even vaguely related to the 300″M” that came before it) has grown on me a little bit. At first it was too “Baby Bentley” for me, but it has started to look okay. I’m not sure what I think of the current iteration. I guess I’ll have to give it some time. I’m finding that new generations are making previous generations of multiple vehicle look better and also that some cars just grow on me.
Not sure it’s as striking as the last 300 was. Maybe I’m used to it now. But they do seem to be going for that luxury look what with the LED accented headlamps.
The front end reminds me of…. penguin.
I like where they are going with this as I was NOT a fan of the previous iteration, too angular, blocky and as others have put it, brashness and pimpable, which alot of people did, often ruining an OK looking car, but I’ve not been much of a fan of this particular styling cue anyway and when left stock, it almost had that gansta vibe about it. Definitely had that Daimler stamp on it that’s for sure.
The current iteration here looks softer, less churlish, brash and in some ways looks more elegant than before. I think they are on the right track, just need to less the slab sided look some more and give the greenhouse a bit more prominence and have it at least appear the roof line is taller, even if it’s not in actually.
The problem with this kind of “approval” is that it’s the same kind the focus groupers gave the second generation of the Scion refrigerator. If what you like about it is that all the polarizing personality has been ground down to a homogenized blob, you end up pleasing the haters — but not enough to get their money — while losing the fans. Being all things to all people leaves you as nothing at all.
Being all things to all people leaves you as nothing at all.
Amen! BMW, Honda, are you listening?
On the side view the front wheels are accented with the big fender flare, as though it were a fwd vehicle. Why?
The grille comes from the 1959 Studebaker Lark.
Other than that, it isn’t bad.
STS? I’d say more DTS, which isn’t a bad move considering GM will kill the D off in a year or two for some V6-only overgrown midsizer.
The problem with knocking one out of the park design-wise is that any redesign ends up subtracting from instead of adding to. Lines, curves and creases that were pushed to the limit of good taste without looking stupid end up getting smoothed and blended into anonymity. The Cadillac CTS will suffer the same fate when it’s updated.
I liked the original one when it came out; a friend had one back then – it was a nice car. But since then, the whole pseudo-Bentley look with gaudy grilles and the huge wheels have come along and frankly have ruined the look for me. This looks like a pleasant update of the existing car, it looks more refined and classy. It looks really good to my eye, and makes me wonder what else Chrysler has in store for us.
As I said on autoblog:
Sebring + Audi + Cadillac STS = total train wreck.
Go figure people here agree and I got lambasted over there.
I think this is an improvement on the old 300. I really didn’t like the old one. But I don’t like that the windows are pretty much still slits, that the headlights are peanuts (they should be eyes), and I don;t like the arches over the wheels, especially the front wheels. The arches are not the least bit subtle (yeah, I realize this is not supposed to be a subtle car) and the front ones leave too little room between the top of hte arch and the hood. Definitely a design flaw.
Like some other comments here, I just like the fact that Chrysler has gone and given this version some proper windows as opposed to bunker sized vision slits.
Maybe it isn’t as ‘original’ looking as the original, but I think this one won’t age as quickly. It does look far classier.
The “bunker slits” were the best part of the old design! I don’t understand the love of oversized windows at all. They just ugly up any car, no matter how good it is to begin with.
Not sure I prefer this one over the old one… The rear end looks very untidy to me at first glance… Previous rump seemed a much nicer, cleaner design. But who knows, maybe it will grow on me.
Not for me.
I think they actually made it boring.
The grill used to be for something.
This is to Swedish for me.
In fact, this is what they did with the Saab…vanilla smooth.
Back end is nice, however.
I actually prefer this newer version, aside from the cheesey, ricer-esque tail lights. As others have noted, I think it will age better. Also, toning down the brashness is more in tune with the post-economic-bubble times.
Well, I think it’s pleasant in its own way. I, too, got tired real quick with the “pimp-mobile” look. Maybe that certain company won’t be tempted to make stick-on chrome “B” pillar covers or any of the other garbage that some 300 buyers stuck on theirs. Whatever company makes the stick-on portholes should be tarred and feathered, though, actually saw some on a Cavalier!
I liked the back end of the previous version better, but if I will be able to actually see out of this rendition, well, that’s a different story.
Maybe Chrysler will survive in some form after all, even if it becomes a Lancia.
Not as bad as I had thought tbh. I had imagined it would be a hard act to follow as i loved the last one (well, the design) And I loved (and had the pleasure to witness at the 98 New York show) the Chronos concept that the old design came out of. As a car it will never work here in Norway though because of our special tax rules that makes it virtually unsellable with a decent engine (with a V8 it’s more expensive than an M5, and that’s hardly fair competition) But in any other country I believe it will be a decent car. (if they can make it start end stay together for some time, and do a decent interior) To me (and many other europeans) this is a ‘proper’ american car. Big,heavy and cheap, and with leather and gadgets to replace luxury ;) Essentially what I think Cadillac should be to sell in Europe, albeit with some more attention to detail.
May look abit too much like a Merc with those arches though, and a hint ofg Subaru Legacy on the front.
I like the smaller grille. I was never a fan of that super, over-stated grille on the last iteration. I don’t like the LEDs in the headlights though. Who started that anyway? Was it VW on the R8? If thats a German car thing, fine. Let it remain a German car thing. I like it on German cars! I hate when fads like that take over though. Those clear tail lights that graced the rear end of the IS300 about 10 years ago for instance, once every riced-out 1994 honda/toyota product had them, they lost all appeal in my eyes. Even seeing them factory equipped they just look cheap and trashy.
Whats that small circle just inboard of the passenger side fog light? Is that for laser cruise control or something?
Small circle is a Multitronic pedestrian clearing device from the Daystrom Co.
see time 6:40 to 6:50:
Re. the grille, in the thumbnails, I thought I was looking at an Audi-face. I wasn’t a fan of the old face, so this face – despite not being original, somewhat generic, and a little squatty – looks OK (the tail-end not-so-much.)
I take it as a positive indicator of free-cash-flow, that Chrysler was able to get its 300C rearview mirrors out of hock!
They ought to call it the E300.
First thing I thought was the front end looks a lot like my Audi A3. Can’t Fiat/Chrysler some up with something new and different?
I like the latest one, less thrilled with the newest charger.
Am I the only one who thinks the Charger got played out within about 5 minutes of release? At first I liked them because they were a little different than everything else on the road, but now everybody and their mother has one so they can’t be different than everything else on the road because they are everything else on the road.
+1 Tank.
Did anyone else notice the third black foglight thing? Some sort of front view camera? pedestrian detector jobby? night vision thing-a-majig? I think some mercedes and lexii have a similar sort of thing, no? Someone who knows more about luxury cars please tell me what that is.
Also, I drove past a camo one of these the other day and noticed it had a blind spot detector light which came on in the side view mirror.
Both of these clues suggest this car may have a lot of new technical features in an attempt to bring some more luxury cred.
It’s for the adaptive cruise control.
The front isn’t too bad. It’s not great, but it’s contemporary. The sides are very nice, and a welcome change from either slab-sides or the omnipresent “character line”.
The tail looks like someone slapped a set of tacky aftermarket headlamp chrome surrounds. Awful.
The front end reminds me of a Moose
Where’s the fins?
I think it appears vastly improved.
The styling of the old one is very fussy and has some cheap nasty bits. This new one is much more refined, handsome and richer in the photos.
I think that when they are side-by-side people will notice and appreciate that much more than they do from some shots online.
+1, TriShield. I’m liking the cleaner lines–and the side profile view (seen here: http://www.allpar.com/cars/chrysler/300C.html ) appears far more handsome to me than the current model.
And +1 bumpy ii — It may play well as a DTS alternative, provided interior styling and quality are in place.
It certainly looks bland and generic like the current Caddy STS and doesn’t stand out like the former 2005-2010 version of the 300. Just too plain for a luxury type car.
The first thing I noticed was the “camera” on the passenger side fog light pod. I assume radar cruise control or night vision sensor of some kind. Overall the front looks like Audi clone, as the led eyes are a little too copy-cat in their appearance.
I don’t get the hate. Really.
This is evolved. I think it’s refined and elegant. And I like the chrome detailing. It’s about time that tasteful ornament returned to automobile design. This is a big, confident, powerful, American sedan.
I just sat in the new Jaguar XJ. Chrome accents. Very classy.
Keep it up, Chrysler.
Hear, Hear!
My sentiments exactly!
After taking a second and third look, to me, it’s a beautiful car. I hope the fuel economy is better than the previous version with the base drivetrain.
Dumbed down the front. Improved the rear which was hardly a fitting finish for a sensational front end [boring, generic and looked like an afterthought when it should have carried the same sort of distinct styling impact as the front].
And while the tail lights look like cribs from a 76 Olds Cutlass it’s still a vast improvement on what was.
Definitely a much more mature look, more Genesis sedan than Bentley-aping gangsta. I was a fan of the old 300C but like most designs it got dated, this look is certainly a better fit for the current consumer climate. The Town car is dead, long live the 300!
It looks like a cheapo Audi A8 with R8 front headlights.
I never liked the look of the previous 300, and it didn’t “grow on me” over time at all. I think this new iteration is an improvement all ’round…. which probably means it will be a flop.
It looks unfinished. Like Katherine Ross’ doppelganger in The Stepford Wives, before she met her fate.
I like it better than the old one.
I like the new Charger better. I honestly hope they take it Down Under this time.
Swing and a miss. I actually like it, but I really doubt it will resonate with (what has become) the 300’s target demographic. Even with bling-bling mirrors.
Those shopping for smooth power and quiet luxury aren’t really looking at Chrysler yet… and I don’t see this as a compelling enough reason to sway that market.
It’s okay, but the RWD Lincoln Continental and L76 powered versions of the Cadillac CTS and Buick Park Avenue are better it isn’t like it has any competition anyway.
How do you do the strike-out thing? Every time I try to do this, using the strike-out key the line thru doesn’t “stick” after I submit the comment. What am I doing wrong (here)?
You have to use HTML, but not when you write the original comment. Write the comment, submit it, and then edit it. Enter your HTML tags in the edit box.
The strikeout formatting button doesn’t work, and TTAC’s commenting system screws up any HTML tags not entered in the “Edit comment” box.
I am positive hopeful that made sense.
It’s ok. I’m not “wowed” by it like I was (and still am) by the current car. The current one is brilliant in the way it apes a Bentley. And why not? Given the target market, I think the design is fun and purposeful. I say give them fits…make a Bentley copy, get as close as you can without a lawsuit. People will buy them two at a time (or would have, during the days of easy credit).
Hey, you got your Audi in my Chrysler!
Why did people buy the old version? Because they liked the macho, Bentley styling over the other generic and bland ones like the 500/Taurus or sort-of-sporty like Pontiac tried to be.
Now if you’re looking for a replacement in the same style, what are your alternatives? A Charger, perhaps, but that’s really a different sort of aggressive presence. There’s really nothing else that I can think of.
That leaves a nicely-styled but way more generic-looking large car which I don’t think is going to capture the imagination or sales of people who aspired to the old car’s presence. I think that larger headlights or something that emphasized a large frontal area like the older one did would have gone a long way to modernize the 300 shape.
With Chrysler’s reputation for quality, I wonder if enough mainstream buyers are going to replace the ones disillusioned with the styling. I would go for that dark gray Taurus police car look as an aftermarket add-on simply because of better reliability.
Edit: On second glance at the photos, the first one seems to portray the same sort of large nose as the previous 300, but the real-life pics make it look like another mainstream car to me. I’ll have to wait for more pics or see it in person to better judge how it looks.
I agree. The original was only really interesting (and not really that good looking IMHO) because all the competition over a wide price-range was so drab and boring. Once the competition got better the 300C started to look stale and extreme.
I will miss the old one, it was the epitome of an ‘american car’ to many people, big heavy, and cheaply built. With a few upgrades (especially in the interior) it would be exactly what Cadillac should build if they wanted to sell cars in Europe. Still, the update is not as bad as expected, and I will have to see it in real life to make up my opinion, as I think the sheer size of it will make it more imposing than the pictures make it out to be .
Other than the interior (which was a Daimler directive) there was nothing cheap about the way it was built. Unless you like overpaying for a German name.
I’m afraid most people do. i don’t, but then again I don’t buy new cars at all. But Europeans tend to think about size as a luxury in it self, and taxes in many European countries make these cars quite expensive. So they get very disappointed when they see the interior or drive a 300C. (Buying one in Norway with our insane taxes here is more or less out of the question, a used 2005 2.7 or 3.5 in good condition still costs 40-50.000$ here , and there are no v-8 300C’s over here as far as I know. And at that price the germans are in a completely different league)
Well, most people over here like to overpay for a german name, if not they just buy cheaper Japanese cars that last forever. Me on the other hand, don’t buy new cars at all. Norwegian tax rules judge cars with big engines and horsepower, so in Norway most big cars are prices quite similar, as 80% of the price is mostly tax anyway (or more if there’s a decent engine in it) That means the 300C is fighting in a much higher division that it was ever designed to be in. I don’t think they ever sold any with V-8’s here, and a nice used ’05 2.7 still costs 50.000 $ …
Current Ford head/tail lights, with the ugly front fenders from a current Mazda 6. This will not appeal to the same people as the last gen 300. We will see who, if anyone, crowds around it at the next auto show.
I like the old one much better, and it wasn’t all that great, IMO. I like the new Charger ok though.