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The reborn Chrysler 300C was something of an American icon. The Ralph Gilles-penned, V8-powered bruiser took the largely front-wheel-drive full-size sedan class by storm with its tough appearance and rear-wheel-drive layout. While the saga of the 300C is coming to an end, Chrysler isn’t having its big sedan go out without a bang. How does 6.4 liters of V8 sound? Yes, the 2023 Chrysler 300C is essentially a Dodge Charger Scat Pack in luxury duds. This means 485 horsepower, 475 lb.-ft. of torque, and a quoted zero-to-60 time of 4.3 seconds. Brisk stuff. Power goes to the rear wheels through an eight-speed ZF-derived automatic gearbox and a limited-slip rear differential for proper two-tire fires. Bringing everything back down to sane speeds is a set of four-piston Brembo brakes, while adaptive dampers will try their best to make the big Chrysler a bit like a linebacker in ballet flats. While none of this is groundbreaking stuff, it’s nice to see a fast 300 again. It’s been seven long years since we last saw a fast 300 in America and while a Hellcat 300 would’ve been nice, I certainly won’t complain about the 392 V8’s broad powerband. On the outside, the 2023 Chrysler 300C gets a bespoke grille emblem, twenty-inch forged alloy wheels, and that’s about it. While one could argue that it’s a bit more of a sleeper this way, I was hoping for a bit more swagger. Maybe some Mannie Fresh-spec chrome skates and an egg-crate grille to throw things back to the 2005 300C that awed a generation. Thankfully, things seem a bit more luxurious inside the 2023 300C. Beautiful leather seats, a stitched dashboard, and cool blue gauges take things up a notch compared to the 300C’s Dodge Charger sibling. Plenty of toys are also on-tap, from a 19-speaker Harman Kardon sound system to ventilated front seats. Chrysler only plans to make 2,200 2023 300C models, 2,000 for America and an extra 200 for Canada. With a choice of Gloss Black, Velvet Red, and Bright White exterior colors, there isn’t much in the way of options for this fully-loaded 300. While Chrysler could’ve gone way harder with the 2023 300C and made every Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition dream come true, I’m at least glad that this music video icon hasn’t been forgotten. Plus, it doesn’t seem terrible value for $55,000 excluding an unspecified freight charge. Let’s hope that Chrysler threw in the heated and cooled cupholders too.
Thomas HundalThomas is a Nu Rave-blaring, heel-toe downshifting, maple syrup-swilling, chassis-geeking, junkyard parts-hauling, floppy-haired scenester who's been writing about cars since college. His current ride is a 2006 BMW 325i with the six-speed manual gearbox. Instagram: @thomas.hundal Twitter: @thomashundal Read All My Posts » 56 Responses
Leave a ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. What does Chrysler 300C stand for?The Chrysler Corporation has used the designation Chrysler 300C to refer to two separate unrelated vehicles from different eras: The 1957 Chrysler 300C is that year's version of the Chrysler 300 "letter series"; a large, high-performance luxury coupe sold in very limited numbers.
What does Hemi C stand for?Hemispherical combustion chamber - Wikipedia.
What is a 300 Hemi C?Heritage Edition 300C The Chrysler 300C Heritage Edition debuted in 2006 and was a performance oriented trim that used the 5.7 Hemi and had styling cues from the Chrysler 300 "letter series" of the 1950s and the 1960s.
Why is it called a Chrysler 300?The 'C-' designation was applied to all Chrysler models and the coupe was built on the C-68 New Yorker Series. For marketing purposes the car was called the "300" in order to further reinforce the 300 hp (220 kW) engine installed.
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