qs933

2016 Chrysler 300C (PXAR)

This was my first Chrysler 300 since the mid-cycle refresh in 2015. This also was my first rental of the "300C" trim. Aside from the badge on the trunk, the 300C can be distinguished from the lower Limited trim also in the fleet by the 18" polished aluminum wheels, LED fog lights, and a panoramic sunroof.


The 300C has an MSRP of $38,555 and is classified by National as a PXAR (Premium Special).



Inside the 300C has Chrysler's 8.4" UConnect screen that no longer seems as huge as it was when they first introduced it. The mid-cycle refresh added a larger screen in the gauge cluster.

The 300C trim includes luxury touches such as heated and ventilated front seats, heated outboard positions on the rear seat, a heated steering wheel, and power rear sunshade.

Unfortunately, safety features such as blind spot monitoring are part of an optional package that National does not order. Compare that to another National PCAR staple, the Impala, which includes forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and blind spot warning as standard equipment on the top trim LTZ that can be found in the fleet.



At some point, Chrysler decoupled the HEMI V8 from the 300C trim, so the standard engine is the ubiquitous 3.6L Pentastar V6 coupled to an 8-speed auto. Interestingly, National is ordering the R/T trim of the Charger, which includes the HEMI. I look forward to trying it some day so I have a point of comparison to the V6.

Having recently driven the three typical PCARs at National -- the 300C, Impala LTZ, and Taurus Limited -- I'd place the Taurus at the bottom. Nothing inherently bad about it, but it's ready for a redesign.

It's a toss-up between the 300C and Impala, and probably has more to do with the trim level available. I like the safety tech on the Impala LTZ, but it lacks the luxury features of the 300C.

zerolife

I agree Taurus goes to the bottom of the PCAR list now that the new Maxima is out. I do prefer the 300C over Impala LTZ because 300C drives a lot smoother than the Impala. The panoramic sunroof is also a big plus. I don't think the previous 300Cs had it.

qs933

I'm hoping to try a '16 Maxima soon. Haven't seen one yet at HNL, but I believe they are around.

In terms of the full list of PCARs, the Taurus Limited remains above the Subaru Legacy and Honda Accord LX that are also in the HNL fleet, but only because the Legacy and Accord are base models.

Schweden

The V8 Chrysler 300 can't be paired with AWD which is important for those of us who get snow. Unfortunately, it also seems to be a configuration that not many people actually buy, like how the Grand Cherokee seems to be sold 90% of the time in Limited trim. I do wish that National start adding more Volvos into their PCAR fleet.

piper28

I've got mixed opinions about the Maxima (need to get my writeup of the one we had recently done). The Taurus is dated, but I'm not sure I'd actually put the Maxima above it at this point, because to me the Maxima is missing some features that I'd like to see - like seat heaters. The Taurus has seat heaters and ventilated seats, and has a trunk that will swallow a small planet. I also felt the pod style seating in the Maxima felt pretty tight.

My wife isn't really a fan of the 300's, although I really need to get her to try one again.

Closingracer

Tha Maximas are alright... Rented one a few weeks ago and it was fairly nice. Better than the 300's they have where I rent from.

Closingracer

I wish they had Honda's in the Fleet in JFK or LGA Gas milage alone is worth it for city driving or even highway.

IsleOfMan

It seemed that finding a '15 300c was pretty much a guarantee of getting Navigation as well, while all of the '16 300c rentals I've had have been WITHOUT navigation. Has anything changed in '16 on the option packages, how national is ordering them, or did I just get lucky with my 100% rate of having navigation on the '15 models?

Closingracer

I never got nav on the one 16 300c I rented out of LGA. The only cars I have seen with nav on was the 16 Kia Cadenza, 16 XTS, 16 Buick Lacrosse, and the 16 Nissan Maxima. Honestly even if the cars had nav if I really wanted Nav I would go straight to a Chevy Impala just because it has Apple Carplay and I can use my phone maps for it which work way better IMHO. I believe the impala also has Android car as well but I wouldn't know since I don't currently have an Android device.

IsleOfMan

Agreed on all points, just pointing out the possible differences in '15 an '16 model 300c options.

qs933

According to Chrysler's website, the '16 300C includes Uconnect 8.4 NAV with GPS navigation. Unfortunately, I didn't actually try it to see if the card was loaded.

IsleOfMan

The '16 300C I had last Wednesday from DFW (with 1207 miles, not likely a '15) most definitely did NOT have NAV, though it did have the 8.4" Uconnect system.

kxc262

The 2016 300C I had several months ago had Nav built in. Didn't check to see if there was a nav SD though.
To that end, Chrysler website shows that the 16 300C has nav as a standard feature.

IsleOfMan

No SD required, that's (mostly) Ford/Lincoln Sync systems.

piper28

I know some of the uconnect 8.4" systems come as nav-capable, but require dealer activation. No idea if that's true on the 300C or not, but I know it can happen on some of the models of Grand Cherokees. It's something that I think is more common than it was when the 8.4" models first came out.