2012 Chrysler 300 Limited 8-Speed Transmission Ride Report/Review
 

http://carrentingreviews.com/2012/03...mited-8-speed/

PXAR
19/31



PROS:

- Tasteful exterior update retains brawny 300 stance
- Improved interior
- 8-speed transmission improves fuel economy and acceleration
- Commodious interior space

CONS:

- Rental fleet trim neuters some otherwise standard luxury features
- Drives exactly like the Dodge Charger e.g. like a large car
- Seats need more side bolstering
- Fake wood on dashboard looks tacky

CONCLUSION: Refreshed 2nd generation 300 is well done, but rental fleet spec makes it a Chrysler Charger with new exterior.

You found one!!! I've had 2 of the cloth seats / 5 speed ones as rentals.

Did it at least have the 8.4" touchscreen?

With cloth and 5-speed it's no better than a Charger, definitely not a PXAR.

The one last week did - at least I think so - didn't measure it :)

It's actually pretty easy to tell ;)
- No Cubby Hole
- No Buttons
- Obviously a lot bigger but things like Sirius Stations will have channel logos displayed whereas no logos on the 4.3". iPod will also show album artwork.

Okay so I have to ask, how exactly did you manage to find it?

It's not like there's any additional badging a la 1980s Hyundais with the big chrome "5-speed" or "AUTOMATIC" tail decals.

I'm picturing you feverishly making your way through every 300 on the aisle and madly tapping the shift lever to count gears...

"1-2-3-4-5...dangit. 1-2-3-4-5...dangit. 1-2-3-4-5-6 YES!" :D

EDIT: Should've clicked the link first. I see now that the E-shifter gives it away. At least my method is more entertaining...

Haha, yes, your method would certainly have been most entertaining. :)

It involved checking a lot of barcodes and shifters; unfortunately many 2011 and 2012 5-speeds with only cloth seats exist. :(

The 8 speeds have the funky looking auto shifter. The other ones have the more traditional gated automatic.

We have tons of these at fll. I like the ones without the chrome. I believe they are 20 inches. The look better to me.

Sorry. THEY look better to me. Darn iPhone! Lol.

I have one of these downstairs in my garage right now. Picked it up at SJC last night for a trip to Vegas on Tuesday. Mine has the large (8.7"?) display and the 8-speed. I don't think there is anything "rental spec" about it. My observations:

* Certain things about this car just feel cheap. The turn signal stalk is one of them. It feels like it could have been lifted straight from a Dodge Caliber. Chrysler is doing a better job paying attention to "the details you touch every day", but that is one in particular that didn't agree with me. Surfaces on the door gave me the same feel.

* The lumbar support on this car sucks. It is no Volvo seat, to be sure. I can tell I will be sore at the end of my trip tomorrow. I tried every combination of distance from pedals, seat height, and back adjustment I could find. I could not find a position that was comfortable.

* It feels like driving a vault. Great for long distance cruising. Not the car I'd want to take out on windy roads.

* I am unimpressed with rear-seat legroom. This car looks like it should have Town Car massive leg room, but it looks like Sonata legroom with a big hunk taken out for the center tunnel. We'll see how my passengers feel after 18 hours in the back seat this week. It looks like the leg / knee space is worse than my old '04 Chrysler 300M.

Ever since the major redesign in '05 I find myself looking back and wondering why I don't enjoy driving the new cars as much as that 300M. The new ones can be had with more power, and should have "rear-wheel-drive" liveliness that mine lacked. I think it comes down to the fact that the 300M was the Chrysler flagship. It wasn't sold in cloth. There weren't stripped down versions. Sure, the stereo, window, lock buttons, etc were lifted straight from the Chrysler parts bin and every feature but leather is now standard on even the base 300's - but the 300M by and large (and it was large) was fun to drive. The 300 is just... big, boxy, and boring.

I managed to grab one of these from the lot at ONT two weeks ago and really enjoyed it. :) They have definitely improved things quite a bit over the last generation model. I really liked the look of the car and the driving dynamics were much improved over the last gen, which drove a bit like a truck to me. The info/nav/entertainment system takes a bit of learning but was an impressive unit overall. I would definitely choose one of these again if I have the option. At ONT it was a complete no-brainer as the ES area only had Camrys and Impalas.:td:

Finally found a 2012 Chrysler 300 Limited with the 8.4" touchscreen; much better with the infotainment system and updated audio.

http://carrentingreviews.com/2012/04...imited-update/

Car's suspension is very soft though, almost on par with the Toyota Avalon I think.

I have a 2012 300 right now. Seems National has stopped stripping them, as mine has the large screen, E-Shifter and leather. I like it do far, large and in charge, great comfy ride for the freeway!

Mine still had the window sticker in the globe box, here is a picture of it. Hopefully it is legible (taken from my iPhone)


http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/4905/imagevrf.jpg

Always nice getting a new car! Looks like yours has some optional equipment too, though I can't make it out- the letters are too small.

Does National carry the Hemi engine on any models? Rented a Magnum years ago and it had one.

Look for the "C" badge next to the 300 moniker. They have a V8.

It just says "Customer Preferred Package" and 50-state emissions.

Oh, not as exciting as I thought. :)

I was surprised to find the sticker, as the car is 2 months old, but it was folded up in a bag with all the manuals, which were still shrink wrapped together.

It said something along the lines of "this sticker is provided in accordance with federal law". I don't think it was ever on the window.

After 4 hours in the 300, I agree with the seats being less than comfortable.

just a quick question, I saw 300 with 20" rim on it at the ONT, much better than 18" chrome. is that a limited version?

At least a C-Luxury or S-Trim, unless it was a lower trim but they opted for 20" wheels (not uncommon). Any other distinguishing marks? What was the wheel design?

Between LAX and ONT they have a couple of the 300C models. I assume they get traded back and forth fairly often (i'm one that is often renting from one and returning to the other).

I'm not one to notice the bigger engine, so from a driving experience they're almost identical to me. The big differences that I've seen are that the C has navigation enabled and the shifter is the standard notched version as opposed to the weird nobby thing.

Umm, I did this twice in a 300, it was perfect for it ;)

http://www.tailofthedragonmaps.com/m...emeposter.html

The V8 trims are still stuck with the 5-speed transmission which uses the standard gated shifter, versus the V6 which uses the 8-speed ZF transmission and E-shifter. :)

Just rented a 2012 300 Limited over the weekend. It was OK. Like others stated it was like driving a vault, and the seats were not that comfortable. I was not fond of the eshifter. It is very touchy to say the least. It did have the large touchscreen, which was nice. Its best quality was I averaged 29 mpg, mostly over highway. I recently drove the Avalon, and if I had to choose, I would say the Avalon, because it felt more comfortable and did not feel as much like a yacht.

I dropped off a loaded 300 on Monday morning, flew to Cleveland, and picked up a new but essentially base model Sonata Monday afternoon. It was shocking how much better the Sonata handles, how much easier it is to control the XM radio and climate control, and how much more comfortable the seats are. Or really, I should say it is shocking how unsatisfying the 300 is as a car if I'm lusting after base model Sonatas after driving one....