22nd May 2006, 12:04
Uhh! for your info mercedes bought chrysler years ago and the 300 is a mercedes E-class with a different body thrown on!
16th Jun 2006, 11:34
Are you kidding-- you're one lucky kid... I didn't get anything for graduating high school, let alone a 300C! Good review, though.
21st Jun 2006, 20:38
I have a 2005 300 c Hemi. I like the body and interior, but it had the transmission rebuilt at 28,000 Km, and now the car likes to drift to the right. It only has 33,000 kms.
I have got an 88 Caprice that has 312,000 kms with the same engine and trans. I think Dodge has built another Intrepid that looks ground breaking when it first comes out, but does not hold up for the long haul.
8th Sep 2006, 21:22
The 300C is not "an E-class with a different body".
It borrows from the E's suspension more than anything else.
The build quality of the Chrysler is far from the Mercedes as well.
For a domestic vehicle the Chrysler 300 is a fairly nice vehicle, but it doesn't compare with many of the high-line imports as far as refinement & build quality. If you look close enough you'll find plenty of cost-cutting materials on the 300. (The rain gutters on the roof, the cheesy bumper material behind the grille, the flimsy plastic wrap arounds on the rear lower panels) There's a reason it's a $30-35,000. vehicle, and not a $70,000 vehicle. But the Hemi does make power and the ride & handling is pretty good for a large car.
So go ahead and think it's a Mercedes if that makes you happy
(it also makes you gullible)!!!
As for a kid getting a 300C for a High School graduation present, who then brags of a 170mph top speed - I would ask the parents why they just didn't give their kid a loaded gun?
I drove an Opel when I graduated High School, that I paid for myself- gee, what a concept!!!
10th Feb 2007, 21:12
Actually, I think it can go that fast. With the governor I believe it's limited to 155, but without a governor I wouldn't be surprised if it could make 170. And I agree with the original reviewer about how the 300 is much better then those unreliable status-symbols from Europe or the boring econo boxes from Japan. And with the 6.1 HEMI, it has some major power!
16th Mar 2007, 19:50
Actually they are rated at 5.6 to 60 just like the Hemi Charger, but I think the drag would keep you from a 170 mph top speed. And a previous reviewer was right... What are parents thinking giving a kid a car with a Hemi in it? One more possible tragic headline in the making!!
14th May 2007, 01:06
The 300 C IS basically an E - class. It shares most suspension Components, electronics and materials, however not the 6 cylinder engines. But a lot of components of the 8 cylinder engines.
C. Gordon
Airdrie, Chrysler Jeep.
24th Mar 2008, 21:52
I love my 05 300c.
Yeah, they could have done better with the interior quality, but it is a company who is trying to recover.
Great power and great fuel economy for a V8. So far, at 48k miles, I'm impressed.
29th Jun 2009, 18:28
I am interested in trading in My Audi TT Quattro and upgrading to a 2005 300c. I love my TT but it's just too small. I want a car that I can cruise along in with more than just one passenger. I don't want to give up any power and want to increase the comfort. 300 seems like the way to go. My Audi was a High School Graduation present. I don't know why people are hating on this kid.
Enjoy it, I caution with the fast driving. I got three speeding tickets within my first 6th months of driving my car. That makes driving not so much fun.
31st Aug 2009, 08:10
The 300C is a great reliable car... My 2007 never had an issue 63,000 kms Hemi, we also have a 3.5L Charger 80,000 k with no issues ever.
Uses some rear suspension, power window switches from troublesome Mercedes. The 2005-2007 used Mercedes transmissions, now back to Chrysler transmissions.
The 5.7 Hemi is all Chrysler no Mercedes junk on it.. even dealers are clueless on these things.. I bought a 2001 Ram new and the dealer was telling me the 5.9L V-8 was a Mercedes.. LOL Chrysler had that engine since 1970 or 1971!!!
0-60 mph (96km/h) 5.5 seconds,5.6 seconds on 2005-2008 Hemi
5.1 seconds on 2009 Hemi
4.6 seconds with the 300 srt-8 6.1 L.
As for gas mileage a 4 cyl Toyota Camry and 4 cyl Honda Accord and the 8 cyl Hemi 300 average the same mpg!!! Family/friends own them all the same years and drive the same roads/driving style... So it is not going to deplete the worlds oil supply, plus Canada and the USA are full of oil, you just have to drill, baby..drill!!!
23rd Jul 2010, 21:00
I have never been a fan of domestic (North American brand) vehicles, and more or less I still am not. But my mother likes the "look" of the 300 model, and I have to admit so do I. So we went to have a look at them, and here I am doing research before she buys.
I thought the interior was kind of cheap looking (nothing new from N/A brands) for the money they are asking for the 300C ($43,000US MSRP) and the show room car already has quite a bit of rust on the front suspension parts (in Houston, pretty bad if you ask me).
It did ride nice though on the test drive (360HP was very much not really there if you ask me, perhaps the car was too heavy but I don't know how much it weighs). I was also impressed by the turning radius (a usually very bad point for Dodge products).
The front map lights would not turn off no matter what we or the salesperson tried; again, typical Dodge electrical gremlins.
And as one poster commented, the front end is too low, causing it to rub on the parking block and often hit the front end when pulling into parking lots (and we were not driving fast).
We planned to have a look at Lexus and Acura, but as of late it seems as though the Japanese makers are also having trouble too. I drive a 97 CRV with 407,000km's and not even a leak in the engine (I am from Canada, but my mother is in Houston); I guess no one, no matter where they are, make them like they used to.
We will be going to check the others just for reference tomorrow, but I think she likes the 300 and will likely buy one with the 5.7L. It seems that most people are happy with them, and there does not seem to be major hang ups with them, so I hope it all works out in the end.
I have always known Dodge for good power and torque, but at the cost of electrical issues, poor suspension design and typically bland styling (although the European styling of the 300 is nice, and I am happy to see more boxy designs coming back). The Japanese say that Nissan is the same (the Japanese Dodge).
I have owned over 80 vehicles in my day, so I think I have a decent amount of experience (having owned pretty much every brand available in North America). I have also been importing a driving vehicles from Japan for almost 8 years now as well, so I see what trash we are left for picking from when compared to the rest of the world. Still, I think she might be happy with the 300C, and I just might be happy for her...
17th May 2006, 08:43
Obviously the previous commenter is an "import man" and just can't appreciate the concept of the powerful, 2-door, mid-size sedan. To each his own, but why go out of your way to knock a great car like the 300C? By the way, the 17-25 mpg for these variable cylinder hemis is hardly the reason why gas prices are so high.