Long-Term Road Test Update
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Our big, beloved 300C hits the 20,000-mile mark.
Date: April 2012
Months in Fleet: 7 months
Current Mileage: 20,111 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 20 mpg
Average Range: 385 miles
Service: $84
Normal Wear: $0
Repair: $0
Damage and Destruction: $0
As we spent January and February preparing for a winter that never quite did arrive, our 300C continued to consume miles at a steady pace. In the seven months since the sparkly gray Chrysler arrived on our doorstep, we’ve managed to push the odometer a few ticks beyond the 20,000-mile mark, largely via trips close to home. One staffer did test the 300C’s reputation as a capable highway cruiser with a 2600-plus-mile trek to Florida and back, the car’s longest journey to date.
Flickering Lights and Quirky Conversations
Shortly before our 300C took its sabbatical in the Sunshine State, some electrical gremlins surfaced: At 11,000 miles, drivers started reporting intermittent and brief episodes where the traction-control, ABS, and brake warning lights would illuminate, seemingly without reason. A couple thousand miles later, the idiot lights came on and stayed on, accompanied by a flickering of the entire gauge cluster. After unsuccessfully trying to reset the system with a few restarts, one driver determined the issues weren’t limited to just the indicator lamps; the systems in question—traction control and ABS— were in fact malfunctioning. The 300C’s next stop was the dealer here in Ann Arbor, where the technician read a diagnostic code indicating a low-voltage situation. After repairing a short circuit and performing a reset of the cluster module, the problem disappeared. All work was handled under warranty.
By the time the 300C returned from its pilgrimage to the land of the retired, most of the logbook comments revolved around the navigation system’s quirky female voice and its occasional phonetic and instructional incompetence: “Whenever ‘Saint’ was abbreviated as ‘St.’ on a map, the system pronounced it as ‘street’—Street Augustine, anyone? It also referred to a ‘state road’ as ‘stage route,’ and twice forgot to issue audio prompts for turns. Maybe English is not its native tongue,” the driver commented.
Another staffer commented on the absolute necessity of the backup camera. “In the 300, I’m constantly reminded that visibility is at a premium. The camera is a must if you ever plan on parallel parking or have an interest in looking directly behind you.” The camera is standard on the 300C but optional on some lesser 300 models.
Other minor nitpicks include the lack of a traditional printed owner’s manual—it’s on a USB thumb drive and therefore not accessible when you’re in the car. On the plus side, the stereo system received a few well-deserved words of praise: “Even when cranked to 80 percent, the equalizer remains neutral, never resorting to ‘bombastic boom-tisk’ sonic trickery that can fatigue the listener.”
Compliments regarding the 300C’s excellent highway manners continued to accrue, as well. And although we’ve yet to catch anyone absolutely gushing over the 300C’s driving dynamics, neither have we read any complaints. Most remain quite impressed that a car of this size can feel this nimble. Rarely, if ever, does it spend an evening alone.
Speaking in (Diagnostic) Code
When we returned to the dealer for the scheduled 16K service (oil-and-filter change, tire rotation, and vehicle inspection for $50.84), we also ordered a cabin air filter and a small trim piece to replace a part around the shifter that had begun squeaking; both will be installed during a future visit.
Less than one hundred miles later, our friend the check-engine light returned, accompanied by a noticeably rough idle. Our dealer quickly pulled the diagnostic codes and determined the problem to be a crankshaft/camshaft misalignment. Technicians replaced the engine computer and oil-control valve (OCV) solenoid, which corrected the situation. All the work was performed under warranty, and the dealer even threw in a free car wash—a $5.95 value!
As the winter that wasn’t segued into spring, we swapped the (somewhat noisy) Blizzak snow tires for the original 245/45 all-season tires we had waiting in the wings, now mounted to gloss-black versions of the original-equipment wheels. You may remember from this car’s introduction that we had a few instances of bent 20-inch aluminum rims last fall. We’ll see if this new set stays a little more round.
Although our 300C’s five-speed automatic is equipped with a manumatic function, it doesn’t have steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters. The point was well illustrated when one driver unfamiliar with Chrysler’s wheel-mounted audio controls—which are loacted on the back of the rim—stood on the gas, tapped what they thought was an upshift button, and squeezed off one of the most deftly executed radio-station changes in motoring history; the car, meanwhile, remained in first gear. (Look for paddle shifters to be available when the eight-speed auto arrives for the V-8 on 2013 models.)
Despite the pair of unscheduled dealership visits, our 300C’s cost of ownership has been reasonable and its downtime kept to a minimum. Let’s see if it stays that way for the next 20,000.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE AS TESTED: $40,390 (base price: $39,395)
ENGINE TYPE: pushrod 16-valve V-8, iron block and aluminum heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 345 cu in, 5654 cc
Power: 363 hp @ 5200 rpm
Torque: 394 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 5-speed automatic with manual shifting mode
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 120.2 in
Length: 198.6 in
Width: 74.9 in Height: 58.7 in
Curb weight: 4340 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 5.4 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 13.2 sec
Zero to 110 mph: 15.8 sec
Street start, 560 mph: 5.7 sec
Top gear, 3050 mph: 2.6 sec
Top gear, 5070 mph: 3.4 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 13.9 sec @ 103 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 119 mph
Braking, 700 mph: 165 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.84 g
*Stability-control-inhibited
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 16/25 mpg
C/D observed: 20 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt
WARRANTY:
3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper;
5 years/100,000 miles powertrain;
3 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection;
5 years/100,000 miles outer-panel corrosion protection;
5 years/100,000 miles roadside assistance
Continued…