2023 Chrysler 300C Final Drive: Saying goodbye to an American great

DETROIT — It’s easy to dismiss the Chrysler 300 as an automotive has-been. A relic of another time. A once-powerful, now-dusty piece of history relegated to another era — and the taxi fleet. A weathered 300 is ubiquitous in this area, and the car has disappeared from non-domestic-leaning parts of the country, long overshadowed by the brasher, more powerful Dodge Charger and Challenger.

That’s also a short-sighted view. When a car is on its way out, its long-standing supporters cling to sepia-toned memories while everyone else has already moved on. In this case, the 300 is going out right. In style. At full power. After a few years of slow sales and solid yet unspectacular power, Chrysler restored the 300C to the lineup, complete with the 6.4-liter V8 and its 485 horses. 

I’m testing one of just 2,000 300C models that will be produced for the 2023 model year. After that, the 300 as we know it is done. The entire run (plus 200 for Canada) solid out in 12 hours, so I’m cognizant I’m driving something significant this week.

As a refresher, this isn’t the 5.7-liter V8 with a respectable 363 ponies available on the 300S Touring. This is the 392-cubic-inch hooligan offered in the Dodge Scat Packs. It’s worthy of the “C” — signifying performance — that 300 models have worn since 1955. 

The 6.4-liter rumbles and has a deep echo. There’s bass to it and a sense of menace. It’s not that common to drive naturally aspirated V8s these days, even in large sedans, and it makes a difference. Sixty miles per hour comes on in 4.3 seconds. The 300C still has its fastball. The 6.2-liter supercharged V8 in the Hellcat Dodges is loud and then howls. The 6.4-liter simmers angrily and then barks. Reports say Stellantis simply didn’t have enough Hellcat engines to go around to further boost the 300, but I’ve long felt the NA 392 is a more visceral experience. It certainly feels right in the 300C. It also hews closer to history: The original 300C SRT-8 ran a naturally aspirated 6.1-liter. “The performance factor of the car was always there,” Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles said.

It reminds me of the scene in “Gladiator” when Maximus (Russell Crowe) emerges from a fight at the Colosseum. Bloodied and dirty, the crowd and the Centurians guarding him realize this isn’t a random fighter thrust out for the entertainment of the crowd. Unmasked, he’s revealed to be one of Rome’s great generals. With this engine, the 300C no longer feels dusty. It feels unmasked, and like Maximus, worthy of a salute

It’s a car that wants to be driven. It's a 300 Scat Pack, in simple terms. The big engine brings a sense of occasion. It’s all very old school. I spin the rear tires repeatedly at stoplights. The V8 produces a sonorous rumble through the active exhaust. It sounds good even at idle. Sometimes I goose the throttle to burn gas and listen to the note. 

Still, there’s a balance. Rev the engine and onlookers smile. But if you're stuck in traffic, at least you’re still in a large, cushy Chrysler. On a sunny afternoon I blasted onto Interstate 75, let the revs soar and then glided into the early rush hour carousel. I made my way through Detroit’s northern suburbs, crossed Eight Mile and found myself cruising the city’s tony Palmer Woods neighborhood. The V8 resonated off the century-old brick Tudor revivals as I rolled through the stately boulevards. I stopped at a house formerly used as the residence for the Detroit archbishop just because it looked cool. I snapped a few photos and moved on, crossing Seven Mile to swing by the Detroit Golf Club. Later on I realized "Bishop House" is listed for $9 million.

The 300C is a great cruiser. A dude in a yellow Viper with what appeared to be an ACR wing cast a flicker of recognition as we passed. I give him a mini salute (way to bring your Viper to Kroger on a Tuesday night) and move on.

It would have been easy to let the 300 go quietly into the night. Just 14,087 were sold last year. By comparison, Dodge sold 80,074 Chargers and Honda sold 154,612 Accords. Instead, Chrysler gave the 300C legitimate upgrades beyond the V8 to round out the experience. There’s red four-piston Brembo brakes, a limited-slip differential and black exhaust tips. There’s a huge tri-color 300C badge on the grille, and more badging on the seats and trunk. The interior gets carbon-fiber accents, huge Laguna leather front seats — which are comfortable and supportive — and a 19-speaker Harman-Kardon sound system. 

Still, as I look around the dash with the dated infotainment and lesser-quality plastics, I’m reminded of why the 300 is on its way out. Chrysler hasn’t invested in or even updated its nominal flagship in years. The door panel materials are middling and the analog speedometer and tachometer gauges are not contemporary yet not quite retro. It’s the same vibe as driving a last-generation Toyota Land Cruiser. You still like it for the big-picture, but you have to overlook some of the details.

Meanwhile, the 300’s exterior design has hardly changed over the years. It will go down as one of the great stylings of this century, I’d argue, with slab sides, pronounced wheel arches and a big grille. It’s exactly how you would sketch a sporty sedan in profile. Still, it’s old. One of my neighbors asked me if I was testing a used car this week.

Yes, the 300 has languished in recent years, but it's hard to understate just how much the the sedan meant to DaimlerChrysler and the Chrysler brand two decades ago. It gave the company an edge with enthusiasts and luxury car buyers and a swagger that General Motors and Ford didn't have at the time. The combination of design and performance were unmatched in its day.  It’s not overstating things to say the car’s revival in 2004 helped change the course of the then-DaimlerChrysler.

Remember, one of the first times Chrysler and Mercedes engineers worked together, they came up with the Crossfire. That didn’t go great. And more than a few industry experts wondered how the heavy-handed Germans were going to ever work with their American colleagues. Enter the LX platform, a previous-generation Mercedes E-Class repurposed by the Americans.

Nineteen years ago Chrysler, caught lightning when buyers surprisingly decided they wanted a powerful, rear-wheel-drive American sedan. There’s no such illusions that’s what people want today. I’d argue there’s still a sedan market where a future 300 could reside, but it’s going to be electric.

* * *

Chrysler turned back the clock one more time for this generation. The 300C debuted last fall on a breezy night on the eve of the Detroit Auto Show, with the Spirit of Detroit statue in the background and the Detroit River steps away. Across the water and up Highway 401, the 300 has been assembled in Brampton, Ontario, since 2004. In a poignant press conference, Gilles, whose work on the original 300 concept made him a breakout star 20 years ago, articulated the car's successes. In the early days it filled trophy cases and garnered sterling reviews from all corners. Then the cover came off, revealing a veritable 300C hot rod. One more time, Chrysler’s flagship stood tall. 

Nine months later, I find myself behind the wheel of the 2023 300C. The flaws of a dated product are obvious, but the 300 is still a solid sedan with good bones. Frankly it’s a decent used car, if you want to enjoy a premium domestic muscle car for a few years and add some aftermarket upgrades. But that’s not what this 300C signifies. Rather, this car, with this engine, is a flicker of the original 300’s greatness. It’s a reminder Chrysler can make a home run product and turn the industry on its ear. Perhaps it will again. While the 300C is "rolling history," perhaps the better description is living legacy. History looks backwards. Driving this car is a reminder that the 300 should have a future.

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