I reserved a FCAR and hence I had access to ES. However, ES only had Chrysler 300s, a Challenger, and a Mustang. Because I was going up a highway with snow/ice, I didn't choose the Mustang
The Chrysler 300 is a LCAR. To reserve the LCAR direct, it was almost double the price of FCAR and hence I was surprised that they had so many Chrysler 300s on the lot as I thought given the price differential there would be a LCAR shortage. In addition, at the time of rental, the price premium for a SUV wasn't that much more than a FCAR so I was expecting lots of SUVs on the lot, but there were no SUVs. I booked this car a few hours before pick up so the inventory/prices should have been pretty accurate. I have a feeling the Vancouver fleet has recently taken delivery of a lot of new Chrysler 300s judging by the Enterprise branches in the city.
In the glove box, the previous renter's Alamo rental contract indicated the Chrysler 300 was a PCAR at Alamo, and then someone with a marker wrote this was a PXAR at Alamo...
I noticed on the lot, the newer Chrysler 300s (probably 2023 judging by the licence plate) are no longer in Sports Trim, but they are a mix of RWD and AWD ( there is an AWD badge on the trunk). In addition, the newer ones are no longer fitted with paranomic moonroofs. At my local Enterprise, the newer 300s are not Sports Trim either and do not have the paranomic moonroofs either. The 2022 ones are sometimes (or maybe always?) in Sports Trim and sometimes (or maybe always?) with the paranomic moonroof. I thought the 2022 ones were always RWD but the 2022 one I drove was AWD.
Overall Impression: The Chrysler 300 is actually becoming a favorite rental car of mine as I think it is a great rental car and I definitely am not going to complain if this is the car I get from ES if I paid for effectively a Toyota Corolla. But, I would not be happy if I actually paid almost double for the Chrylser 300 over a Toyota Camry (as was the price differential for this rental if I reserved a LCAR directly) as I don't think the price premium is worth it, and you are oddly missing a lot of features that come standard in a Corolla. For me, the Chrysler 300 would be a perfect car if Chrysler had tried just a bit harder with the car for the driver. For the driver, this car is a mixed bag - sometimes you feel like you are in an expensive luxury/performance car, but other times there are some things that make you think you are in an entry-level car. In addition, the fuel economy ( see below) makes choosing this car a deterrence for long road trips. However, for a passenger, this car is perfect - it truly is a comfortable car with nice plush seats. It is up there with the likes of a Mercedes, BMW etc
It is sad that this car will soon be history. I feel like this was the perfect rental car - it offered something special for renters who don't want to drive a mundane Camry/Malibu, but also do not want to fork out a huge premium for a Mercedes at the rental counter.
I am too young to have tried the other rental car fleet legends in this class like the Impala and Taurus as I would love to know those cars drove. I am not sure if the Towncar was ever a "LCAR" or if it was like a GXAR.
It's interesting that in the Upgrade Section, they had the Mercedes A Class (RXAR), which has a lower MRSP than the Chrysler 300...I guess many renters will gravitate toward the badge than the actual car itself.
Driving: This is a really comfortable car - there is something about the size, plush seats, and suspension that makes this car a really comfortable highway cruiser. When you drive it on a highway, you want to just keep driving because it is so comfortable. I think this car is more comfortable than a BMW 3 Series (GXAR) for highway cruising. However, don't let its highway cruiser mannerism fool you - this car is fun to drive and sporty. I drove this up the twisty Sea to Sky Highway, and it handles the curves confidently where you never feel like you are losing control or need to slow down. In fact, this car has the type of feel around corners that you want to just press the accelerator harder around curves. I have driven the Sea to Sky Highway many times so I am really familiar with all the curves, and the Chrysler 300 was able to navigate the curves at the same speed as a BMW 330i (GXAR). However, I have seen people drive around the curves on even a BMW X2 faster than me, so BMW may still have the handling edge if you really push a BMW to the extreme, but the Chrysler 300 is definitely still better than most cars around the corners. Unless you are driving significantly above the speed limit, you will have no issues with the Chrysler 300's handling.
This car was AWD, but most of the time it is in RWD mode. It is pretty sensitive where even a little water on the road or when you drive into a shoulder/highway pull out with some sand/rocks etc the car switches to AWD.
The 3.6L V6 provides decent power where you never feel like the car is struggling. However, the acceleration from a standstill is sluggish initially, but once you are at highway speed and you need to pass, there is a lot of power to make passing a breeze. The engine sound is excellent when you accelerate from a highway speed as you get the feeling there is plenty of unused horsepower in the car.
If you get the "S" trim, you have paddle shifters.
Exterior Style:
This car is distinctive. When I was a kid, I thought this was one of the coolest-looking cars around when it was first released, and I always wanted to go on one. In 2023, this car does not look out of style, but it also does not look that special/unique anymore. I had a S trim and I don't think it really looks aggressive and from some angles, it looks a bit "cute"/"happy" (see my first photo - the headlights make the car less aggressive looking). That being said, this car has road presence anywhere it goes. I parked this car next to a Range Rover Evoque and I want to say the hood was almost the same height as the Range Rover, and it looked bigger than the Range Rover (granted the Evoque is a small Range Rover).
The unique headlight design detracts from lighting performance at night. I drove this car in pitch-black darkness on a highway, and the headlights are definitely not as powerful as other cars on the exact same stretch of the road, especially the low beams.
Interior :
I will let the pictures do the talking. The exterior may not be showing its age, but the interior is ...There are parts of the interior that looks/feels "cheap", and other parts that feels "expensive". The dash is a weird soft touch plastic material that from one angle looks cheap and from another feels upscale. This car also had a large moonroof; however, it only opens half way through.
These seats are really comfortable and plush. Headroom in the middle seat is limited as you are seated higher than the side seats. In addition, legroom is limited in the middle seat as there is also a central hump (see pictures).
The Alpine Sound System is excellent. I am not sure if it standard//optional but I have always had Alpine on the Chargers/300s at National/Enterprise and I cant really imagine a rental company would always be paying extra for a sound system as I doubt most renters would notice/care.
Tech:
Wired Apple Carplay exists. There was also a factory GPS. However, voice command did not seem to work on this car (or maybe it does not exist)
However, beyond that, for a car that costs the same as a BMW 3 Series, this car is lacking in tech. This car didn't even have the usual safety tech that comes standard even on a Toyota Corolla, such as autonomous braking, frontal collision warnings, and lane keep assist etc features. This car had blind spot monitoring, but it is not standard equipment.
This car was equipped with parking sensors (front and rear). The backup camera was nothing special. I feel like the backup camera is a bit off-centered.
Fuel Economy: I got around 12-13L/100KM (18-20MPG). On a BMW 330i (GXAR), on the exact same route I can easily get 8-9L/100KM (26-28 MPG). If anything, I am more conservative with the Chrysler 300 in driving because of its fuel economy.
Front View - I dont think it looks aggressive even in the "S" trim. If anything, it looks a bit "cute"/"happy" with theway the headlights look.
Side Profile
Rear Profile
Front Profile
Interior
Front Cabin View
Rear Seats
Cabin view - love the moon roof on sunny days
Interior View at night.
Transmission - if you are used to like iDrive, it can be a bit confusing to drive and instinctively think a knob is used to control the screen.
Instrument Cluster
Good graphics on Apple CarPlay - this was Google Maps in satellite image view
Back door panel - soft touch materials for the most part
Front Door panel
Undercarriage
Cabin View
Central Console
Rear leg room. On the Malibu and Passat, my legs fit behind the central console. On the Chrysler 300 not only is there a large hump but my legs do not fit either.
Rear seat legroom with the driver seat at my driving position. I was expecting more leg room for a car of this size
Interior panel gap alignment gaps... it is smaller details like these that "cheapens" a car that has a lot of potential to be something upscale. I don't think it is wear and tear that the height between the door and the body panel is not lined up...
Spare tire - an increasing rarity these days...
Trunk size
Trunk size with an Alpine Subwoofer
Standard FCA keyfob. I was missing a key.
3.6L Engine - same as the Charger.
Night time view
Instrument cluster at night - the blue glow can be too much and it "cheapens" the overall look of the cabin
Sad to see this car will no longer be produced next year.