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But the Bentley grille is standard [UPDATE – 2 p.m. Pacific, 11/19/2014: Live photos, new info now available – CA].
Electric power steering and an 8-speed automatic are the big changes for 2015. We’ll be driving the new 300 next month.
Though the SRT is dead, there are four trims from which to choose: Limited, S, C and C Platinum. The Limited and S models (starting at $32,390 and $35,890 respectively) receive power from the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, while those who opt for the 300C and 300C Platinum can tell those Dodge boys that their ride has a 5.7-liter HEMI.
Whatever power lies under the hood, the aforementioned 8-speed delivers the results to the back or, with optional AWD, all four corners.
95 Comments on “Los Angeles 2014: Chrysler 300 No Longer Has An SRT Version...”
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This is more Bentley then the Fusion is Aston
“It look like a Bentley until a real Bentley roll up”.
Though I agree, it looks a heck of a lot more like a Bentley than the Ford looks like an Aston Martin.
I see a Jaguar nose.
Sans the emblem, its that stinkin’ Tata.
I get a sick joy out of saying “That Chrysler is beautiful! THey look so much like Bentley’s these days” when I see an owner get out of a Bentley. I wish there were more Bentleys around so I could do it more.
I don’t think this car should imitate Bentley. The first-generation 300 quickly became a low-class, low-rent car because mindless people wanted to make it into something it wasn’t (I’ve also noticed that the W220 S-Class is another victim of this). The weird tires and rims, the gaudy chrome everywhere it shouldn’t be, the god-awful Bentley grille, the super-tinted windows and the blaring rap music doomed the car. I dislike the first generation largely because it’s so rare to find one in nice, stock condition without the “gangster” stigma attached to it.
Chrysler should be using that effort to make this car in a class of its own. A Bentley is a car that costs over $200k versus the $30-50k that this car costs, but that goes to show that there should be no imitation. Most of Chrysler’s history was built on innovation, not imitation.
That said, I don’t like the subtle changes that were made to the original 2011-2014 design, mainly the contour of the front clip. Overall, it’s okay, only if the idiots keep their hands off of it this time around.
In Canada, they aren’t low rent. Instead of gang bangers, 26″ rims, and plastichrome on everything, it’s usually middle-aged professionals who drive these.
In stock form, they’re very beautiful.
That’s my impression from occassional trips to Toronto. I noticed the other night that one of the Scott brothers on HDTV drove one while in Vancouver in a show taped last season, with apparently no mods.
Looks way more like the back of a RR Ghost.
No SRT version?? I get it, but there are going to be some irritated individuals…
I agree, the 300 SRT to me was for those who wanted a Charger but didn’t want to look like a cop, so whats left for them in a sedan?
Speaking of, where is BTSR these days?
I was wondering the same thing. He just straight disappeared one day. I wouldn’t be surprised if this news is enough to bring him back yelling “HELLCAT OMG YESAAAAAAAAAAA!”
He just disappeared, we’ve tried rattling his cage, but no go… I think he might have had a head-on in one of his Big Trucks with a giant Earth-Mover and just vaporized
He lost his mind and decided that he was a billionaire investor just before he vanished. I wonder if that has something to do with it.
I’d say it was alien abduction, but part of me thinks he WAS an alien.
Yep, that’s it, right there ^^
big trucks seems to have gone quiet about 4 months ago – no posts on his youtube site either. Always a lively conversation when he was on.
Bigtruckseriesreview was annoying and insulted great cars like the Acura TLX saying SRT was better. What a jerk.
And he has lots of new videos shot from his silly iPhone 6 Plus. Brags alot about how it’s better than Galaxy Note 4. He must be joking.
Chrysler has no idea what to do with SRT. It’s part of Dodge, it’s a trim line, it’s a separate brand, it’s part of Dodge…
It’s just a name. If SRT is only going to be part of Dodge now, they can come up with something new for the 300.
I say, let’s restart the Letter Series, beginning with P for Pursuit, hoping that our Canadian bros have forgotten the last Pursuit(read Pontiac Cavalier).
And, yah, let’s do away with the ersatz peace officers and their Chargers and Crown Vic’s who love sticking in the fast lane riding our rear bumpers, so that we’ll move over, and let the little Wally Cox’s of the world pass by.
The Pontiac Cavalier was a Sunfire. The Pursuit was the Pontiac version of the Cobalt. Niggling details, I know.
Correctimondo, danio3834
Too many ‘C’cars from Chevrolet, it’s konfusing, sometimes.
The Great White North also got Pontiac a version of the Aveo called the Wave. Apparently Canada was more hot for Pontiacs of all types than the US was.
Here in Canada I believe the Pontiac version of the Cobalt was also, and maybe primarily called the G5.
I supposed that’s to be expected. Marchionne said years ago that this arrangement between Chrysler and Fiat is a work in progress, so what may seem good at first may not turn out that way.
Perhaps it’s just as well that SRT is back with Dodge. A few people I’ve interacted with on the net weren’t exactly partial to SRT being a separate brand since it resulted in the Viper being removed from the Dodge line-up.
I hope they will just quietly bring an option package with the 6.4 and a more buttoned-down suspension — the same idea behind the Dodge Scat Pack, although it would obviously be packaged and marketed differently. While we’re on the Bentley theme it could be a “300C Speed.”
No point in a Hellcat on this car, but the 6.4/8-speed would fit it well.
Agreed, the little added cost in offering it could likely be justified by a low amount of sales. The penalty in fuel economy between the 5.7L and 6.4L is basically nil, but the difference in power is dramatic. Well worth it.
Way back when, it was the Chrysler 300 for its purported 300 horses.
If we’re doing alphanumerics and can’t call it an Imperial, how does 470C sound?
“Electric power steering and an 8-speed automatic are the big changes for 2016”
This is the 2015 model.
And the chrome wheels are from the 2001 auto show.
Do they spin?
I’ll call Nelly and ask.
IIRC, spinners never gonna stop.
Maybe it needs to be clear that the 8-speed is new to the V8. It’s been available with the V6 for a few years.
That is just ghastly. Biggest beef with this: The HUGE exaggerated wheel arch at the front is much higher than the relatively flush one in the back. That makes no sense from a style standpoint. At the back, the wheel arch is below the style line. At the front, it’s intersecting and above it, and a different proportion.
This thing is a mess.
It’s the same wheel arch that was present on 2011-2014 models. Did you object to it on those models or are you just noticing it now?
I am just now noticing it because of the photo. Now I will notice it whenever I see one.
Kinda like the front and rear door handles on the Charger. It bothered me at first, but since I’m not overly obsessive compulsive, I ordered one anyway and got over it.
Actually I find it quite elegant, but not really “new”
This car is all about the wheels. So the flares covering the wheels will be big and take first priority. If you don’t like that, then you won’t like anything about the design.
The huge wheel arches are actually the same height — it’s the character line that rises from front to back.
Cough cough *FAD CAR* cough
Excuse me.
I thought the 300 was out like yesterday’s garbage…? People still actually buy these?
Factory hoodrat wheels, factory knockoff grill, factory knockoff headlights, there’s not a whole lot left here for third owners to ruin.
Even that beautiful blue paint can’t save it.
You missed the chrome mirror caps!
I wonder how many more years they can get out of this already aging platform?
Probably about 3 more. This is just a mid-cycle refresh on the platform that was redesigned for 2011, so not really out of the norm for longevity.
I feel like there are some misconceptions here. The LX platform uses some pre-existing Mercedes-Benz suspension bits, but the structure (what is typically denoted by the word “platform”) was all-new when it debuted in MY2005. Nine or ten years of age isn’t really that old for a platform. Meanwhile, the Ford DEW98 platform dates back to MY2000 and is still used by the Jaguar XF. The D3/D4 platform (Taurus, MKS, MKT, Explorer, Flex) is derived from a Volvo platform that made its original appearance in 1998. And the W-Body Impala is still in production as a fleet vehicle; its platform received upgrades in 2004, but is based on a platform that appeared circa 1997.
W-body is much older than 1997, although it went through several evolutions.
“The platform, originally code named GM10, began in 1982 under Chairman Roger B. Smith and debuted in 1988 with the Pontiac Grand Prix, the Buick Regal, and the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme coupés. Sedans followed for 1990.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_W_platform
Well yes, but I believe it had a major redesign in 1997. I’m not quite sure if it’s really got structural elements from the 80’s, so that’s why I went with 1997 (which is still pretty damned old). With GM, a lot of the platform-designations—as with the cars themselves—were more about the name and the application than about a specific structure at any point in time. Thus, new platforms could continue the names of old ones.
Correct and an even more extensive revamp in 2004 to accommodate the transverse LS4.
Platforms are usually extensively revised over their lifetime to a point where they can be considered basically all new. With the latest generation of LX cars, the “Mercedes bits” have been extensively revised or engineered out completely.
The “Mercedes bits” that occupied the original LX cars have been redesigned and largely engineered out with the 2011 redesign and are now gone with the latest iteration.
Really not a bad car at all if you live in one of the many places where most driving happens in straight lines. I love getting these as rentals when I visit family in Texas. It’s well-priced, comfortable, quiet, very well-equipped, and has a great powertrain in either V6 or V8 forms now that the 8-speed backs up both engines. It’s big, heavy, and reluctant to change directions, but again if you don’t turn much that’s OK.
But can you live with the image?
Nope, could not live with the image. Otherwise one of the more decent American rental cars.
I agree with both of these comments. Great rental cruiser.
Agreed. I rented one after the last refresh for a 3-hour interstate drive. It was a V6 with the 8-speed auto and I found it a comfortable cruiser with plenty of power. I even got something close to 30 mpg indicated over the trip.
I agree with your points and for anyone looking in this segment, I would recommend checking out the 300.
The fact that some of them are modified in questionable ways shouldn’t keep anyone from considering them.
I have a hard time seeing out of it. I don’t so much mind other vehicles with high belt-lines, but the 300 has a particularly tank-like feel that makes me second and triple-guess myself every time I have to switch lanes. I’m sure I’d get used to it if I had one for a long term, though.
The image? Is it sorta like the Corvette, where it has a low-brow working-class-that-found-some-money vibe to it? I don’t see enough of these or hear enough about them to know. If a Corvette is a “sports car for successful plumbers,” the 300 is a sedan for successful ______?
Two kinds of people drive these. Men who wear their pants around their knees and men who wear their pants around their navels.
I know a couple of ladies that drive these, how does that work?
Works pretty well for me come to think of it.
Skirts too high or down around the knees, yes I get it, you probably don’t get “it” much
What “image”, specifically, would you be referring to?
Trashy people who add stick on venti-ports and rental wheels. They get their Marlboro reds or Newports at 7-11, and also get a big Mountain Dew while there. They throw the empty cup in the back on the car seat if it’s not their weekend to have Tyrell, or out the window if the car seat is occupied. Then they head back and proudly park their pimp ride at the little parking lot of their rental at the four-family, and swag slowly inside so the people at the bus stop can see they actually HAVE a car.
Got to get up early and move it though in the morning before 11, Jesus is coming to mow the grass since it’s Tuesday and it’s getting kinda long. Don’t want that crap all over it, just spent $15 taking it through Mikes Car Wash yesterday.
I really like the overall shape of the 300, which is probably why it’s been around for 10 years with minimal changes.
What I don’t care for in the one in the pic are the trim/details.
Chrome wheels, chrome mirror caps, chrome door handles, huge and pointless grille.
The red one on that other car site looks so much better – grille aside.
It gets a grudging pass since it appears the grille is actually functional and not molded in black plastic into the bumper with two small openings in it.
I really like the overall shape of the 300, which is probably why it’s been around for 10 years with minimal changes.
What I don’t care for in the one in the pic are the trim and details.
Chrome wheels, chrome mirror caps, chrome door handles, huge and pointless grille.
The red one on that other car site looks so much better – grille aside.
It gets a grudging pass since it appears the grille is actually functional and not molded in black plastic into the bumper with two small openings in it.
I really like the overall shape of the 300, which is probably why it’s been around for 10 years with minimal changes.
What I don’t care for in the one in the pic are the trim/details.
Chrome wheels, chrome mirror caps, chrome door handles, huge and pointless grille.
The red one on that other car site looks so much better – grille aside.
I really like the overall shape of the 300, which is probably why it’s been around for 10 years with minimal changes.
What I don’t care for in the one in the pic are the trim and details.
Chrome wheels, chrome mirror caps, chrome door handles, huge and pointless grille.
The red one in the press pics looks much better – grille aside.
It gets a grudging pass since it appears the grille is actually functional and not molded in black plastic into the bumper with two small openings in it.
I really like the overall shape and look of the 300, which is probably why it’s been around for 10 years with minimal changes.
What I don’t care for in the one in the pic are the trim and details.
Chrome wheels, chrome mirror caps, chrome door handles, huge and pointless grille.
The red one in the press pics looks much better – grille aside.
It gets a grudging pass since it appears the grille is actually functional and not molded in black plastic into the bumper with two small openings in it.
I really like the overall shape and look of the 300, which is probably why it’s been around for 10 years with minimal changes.
What I don’t care for in the one in the pic are the trim and details.
Chrome wheels, chrome mirror caps, chrome door handles, huge and pointless grille.
It gets a grudging pass since it appears the grille is actually functional and not molded in black plastic into the bumper with two small openings in it.
For whatever reason the spam filter won’t let me mention that I prefer the red one in the press photos.
It went on a completely new redesign in 2011. Different hard points even. Just most people didn’t notice.
I really hate chrome mirror caps. They’re tacky.
Son of a….
Between this and the 200, it’s a tough choice! I love em both. Probably would like the transmission in the 300.
This is one car that can stand the test of time.No need to tinker too much with a good design.If it were built by another manufacturer ,people would not be critical and assume this is a low quality car.
The modern 300 has always been a custom grille with a sedan attached to it. The entire car carried itself with the presence of a blank slate to feature aftermarket parts, with rare instances where it looked ‘complete’ from the factory (300S, Great American in Inferno Red). They should’ve come out with a JC Whitney Edition with no grille, no mirror caps, and no wheels – you build your own like a Fuddruckers burger or Build-A-Bear.
Existing 1st generation cars are almost a complete embarassment, IMO. Driven around by the lowest-common-denominator with wheezy 2.7l and 4-speed automatics breathlessly shuffling gears on borrowed time and a prayer. I still can’t believe there was ever so much enthusiasm over this car, especially in Gran Fury LX guise
The last iteration was the most cohesive, but still.
Looks just like a Bentley – ’till a Bentley pulls up. Actually, a great car that should keep rolling.
I’m hoping they upgrade some of the interior bits – that’s the only really subpar piece in this package. Otherwise – nasty Hemi, RWD…daddy likes.
Do the C’s still have the chrome strip running along the back; haven’t seen any good rear shots yet.
Not sure if I like the racetracked LED taillights outline. That should be Dodge territory, not Chrysler or Jeep.
I like it! However, the two parts I don’t like though are the new cheaper looking tail lights and that they didn’t incorporate the lower storage area below the knob like on the 200
Thurs a big fat 8 speed transmission occupying that space in this car.
Ahh yes, I should have known that!
“But the Bentley grille is standard.”
I’ve talked about this with Ralph Gilles, who heads styling for Chrysler. “Bentley grille” is a term used internally at Chrysler even though Gilles and his team know well that the front end styling of the modern era 300 borrows more from Virgil Exner Sr’s 1950s concepts than from Bentleys. Gilles spends time at the Chrysler museum where one of the Chrysler Specials sits:
http://www.carsindepth.com/?p=10174
The big open grille shape was used by Exner on a number of cars. The keyhole shaped headlamps on the 300 also borrow from the ’50s Chrysler concepts.
I can understand, though, why they refer to Bentley. Today’s aspirational consumers are more likely to resonate with the name “Bentley” than with “Exner”.
Thank you!
When the 300 was shown in concept form, I instantly associated it with the `57 300C (OK minus the fins and that it’s not a 2 door).
I don’t care for the grill on this one, but the interior gets much better materials. The Platinum Model looks to be a nice place to cruise many miles in.
Interesting points Ronnie, but if one were to dig a little deeper one might question Exner’s “originality” In 1952 When Chrysler came out with the D’Elegance Concept, which I am guessing is the suggested origin for the “300” grille here..
http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Chrysler/Chrysler-DElegance-Coupe-RM_Image-01.jpg
So where did Exner get the inspiration for this beautiful car? How about this 1950 Bentley R-Type?
http://carpictures.pictures1.org//haber-resim/1950-bentley-r-type-4.jpg
Exner was a plagiarist. The “Bentley grille” and everything else on the D’Elegance came from Bentley . The Chrysler 300 and it’s so called “Bentley” handle is rightfully Bentley’s and only “borrowed” by Exner
I know that I’m getting new eyeglasses next week but unless you’re claiming that Bentley invented the swept fender look (epitomized in the Jagaur XK120, which was introduced in 1948, two years before that Bentley R Continental coupe) I can’t see what you’re talking about.
The “Bentley grille” is a reference to contemporary Bentleys, which don’t have anything like the upright grilles of the Rolls-Royce era Bentleys.
The D’Elegance wasn’t the first of the Exner-Ghia concepts with the signature grille. Ultimately it all goes back to the first of Exner’s idea cars, the K310, from 1951. Was Exner using some “continental” styling motifs in the K310? For sure, but considering what a maverick with a singular vision Exner Sr could be, to call him a plagiarist is at least an exaggeration.
To be honest, I’m not a big fan of most of Exner’s designs, though he did some show car masterpieces like the XNR, and I think the 1957 Chrysler products are very well done. However, he had a distinctive style and if he borrowed stuff, it’s more along the lines of the quote attributed to Picasso about hacks copying and artists stealing.
Thanks, good points
Chrysler knows they can sell this car for years. It’s in a space completely by itself: large, rear drive, American sedan that starts reasonably low and options up to a respectable near-luxury player.
Yes, there are competitors in the same “need state”, but this product is truly different. That’s enough. Ford or Chevy could come in with a competitor and probably eat its lunch without too much difficulty, but they aren’t doing so. Chrysler would therefore be stupid to create an all-new model until it absolutely has to. The minute it’s not differentiated, it loses its unique spot in the market.
The DIYers among us will remember that the Fein oscillating multitool underwent very few changes until the patent ran out.
In much the same way the caprice used to rule this space back in the 80s through the mid 90s. I’ve always like these types of cars, I may own one in a few years.
Not bad, but I prefer the current version.
I used to see these cars were all over the place until the refresh. I haven’t seen many 2011+ cars around. I don’t like the frog-eyed tail lights.
They should build one with the Hellcat’s engine and a full leather interior. They could charge loaded Escalade money for it, and it would be the most credible American luxury car in several decades.
Yes call the Hellcat version the Imperial with no other name attached to it, just Imperial.
That navy blue/cream interior is sharp. Budget Bentley for sure.
Love how Chrysler calls the 300/200 base/near base trim “Limited”