If You Like Your Chrysler 300, You Can Keep Your Chrysler 300

They could tweak it and make a real luxury version though, one for more astute customers who don't even know what DUB means. Some styling changes here and there, and interior, and bingo Imperial.

It's not as bad as the space-robbing console in the Ford D3/D4 vehicles.

@Kyree In the sedans it is TERRIBLE!!!

@Corey Lewis I thought the John Varvatos editions were pretty nice. It's not that that attaching a famous designer's name (which, yet, I would otherwise not have known from a hole in the wall) to the car would make me pay more for it, but the Varvatos editions were more understated than the 300c, and had more of that luxury-boutique feel that Chrysler was trying for...contrasting, stitched leather, matte wood veneers and elegant typography among them.

@bball40dtw As far as I'm concerned, there are only two of the D3/D4 vehicles that presents as much interior space as their heft would suggest, and they are the Flex, and (to a slighly-lesser extent) the MKT. The rest of them suck space-wise.

@Kyree The MKT loses a bit of space thanks to it not being a box. They both benefit from having an almost ten foot wheelbase. I find it strange that the Fusion and new Edge now have a wheelbase that is less than an inch shorter than the Taurus and Explorer. They are all basically the same sized cars between the wheels.

@Kyree Oh GOD it has Beats audio in the Varvatos Edition. http://1-photos.ebizautos.com/10320/12589152/12589152_29.jpg Honestly, that's awful. Right up there with a Bill Blass MKV and a Queens Jubilee Town Car. And a Sinatra Imperial.

@Corey Lewis "They could tweak it and make a real luxury version though, one for more astute customers who don’t even know what DUB means. Some styling changes here and there, and interior, and bingo Imperial." That seems to sum up the 300 Luxury Series Ronnie reviewed here a while back: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2012/08/review-2012-chrysler-300-luxury-series/ The high zoot versions of the 300 (and SRT8) fit in well with what the Chrysler brand was 50 or 60 years ago; unfortunately they don't fit in as well with Chrysler's current mission (and reality) as a non premium volume brand. Unfortunately I suspect this means we are unlikely to see a new Imperial, and I wonder how long the high spec versions of the 300 will continue to be optioned. With the post bailout quality improvements, a properly optioned 300 is a legitimate premium car, unfortunately Chrysler is no longer a legitimate premium brand - and hasn't been for at least 40 years.

@Corey Lewis Well, it seemed to work well. I'd be giving funny looks if it were Mercedes-Benz or Lexus or even Cadillac. But it's Chrysler. They don't really have any luxury equity to erode at with this kind of tacky partnership. They live at "that level" of marketing, having tried for more than the last ten years to convince the public that they are at least a semi-premium brand (they aren't). As someone else mentioned, the 300 Luxury Series is even nicer, but for that price, I'm looking instead at the 2015 Hyundai Genesis, which is a much better entrant in the Luxury Car By a Humble Brand category.

@Corey Lewis This is hence the need for a separate vehicle as the Imperial, or some premium brand or something. I would never consider a Chrysler for this reason. I can't take business people to dinner in a car with big orange BEATS logos on the speakers. The Varvatos is passable, ut the rest of it is just gauche and awful.

@Corey Lewis The Beats thing is stupid. Again, if it were a real luxury car, you wouldn't need to signify a premium audio system by tying it to a brand of overpriced electronics co-founded by a rap star. I guess I don't blame Chrysler. There is *definitely* a market for a car like the 300, and Chrysler have taken full advantage of that. But if they want to move toward making luxury cars that will be taken seriously, this is not the way to go.

I agree with you, but why did they rework the Charger?

@Corey Lewis It is certainly the largest stereo branding I have ever seen in a factory sound system.

@28-Cars-Later The Charger hasn't been reworked, since the 2011 model. It's been made a bit less good-looking with that new 2015 front end, but it's just a facelift.

@bball40dtw It's not so strange when you realize that the Fusion is built on a global platform. What is strange, though, is that the Taurus feels like it has essentially no more interior space than the new Fusion because of that darned console!

@Kyree My wording mistake the facelift is what I was referring to, thanks.

@Kyree That's true. The Mondeo has had the 112.2 inch wheelbase since 2007. It's still funny that the midsized and large cars have essentially the same wheelbase, but the midsized car seems like it has more room.

@PenguinBoy "a properly optioned 300 is a legitimate premium car, unfortunately Chrysler is no longer a legitimate premium brand" Yes, I see it that way too. And that really is a shame because the 300 is a really fine large sedan in the same category as the Impala and Taurus. IMO, the ride, balance and handling characteristics of the 300 are substantially and noticeably better than those of the Impala or Taurus. But that could be because of my preference for RWD and AWD.

@Kyree It's bad, it's one of the worst I've ever seen actually. In SUVs it's even worse but for a sedan that wide it is just unacceptable. That console has to be atleast 10 or 12 inches wide. It's a joke to make it that wide. I really liked the car I test drove but it basically amounted to me sitting in a corner of a room, the passenger in the other corner and the backseat being spacious but mind as well be in another zipcode.

@bball40dtw The Taurus *doesn't* have more interior space than the Fusion. Comparing Ford's measurements, the Fusion is equal to (+/-0.1") or bigger than the Taurus on every measurement except hip room. (And I don't know how they measured the hip room. My hips say the Taurus has a lot less of it.)

@Corey Lewis "The Beats thing is stupid." Amen.

@Corey Lewis Kyree and Corey: I have Beats Audio built into my phone. That was a minor reason why I got it, but it's a letdown considering all of the music video product placement and the high price tag (for headphones and speakers). Glad HTC ditched Beats and went to Harmon Kardon for the M8.

@Corey Lewis I don't really see why Beats is any more trashy that any other audio co-branding. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Bose_Car_Hifi.jpg

@PenguinBoy "I wonder how long the high spec versions of the 300 will continue to be optioned." It is easy to offer high spec options on any car. The question is how long they will offer RWD. That is the expensive feature in every trim level.

@Corey Lewis beats are bad because I listen to Shure, and there can only be one right answer.

@Xeranar The Taurus isn't for the claustrophobic with that huge console, and the Focus and Fusion aren't much better in that respect for a tall guy like me (who usually splays his legs behind the wheel). I drove an '07 Focus for seven years and was always impressed with its space efficiency, so it's disappointing to see the newer models having such confining consoles -- especially when Ford has improved other aspects of its interiors quite a bit. I've also sat in a '15 200 and a fairly recent 300. Both have sizable consoles, but from my standpoint the designs don't seem intrusive on passenger space.

@Max_Power I've heard that Ford addressed the console issue in the 2015 refresh of the Focus. I suppose it matters more in a compact being sold in umpteen different countries, vs. a "full-size" (part of a decreasing market segment) being sold in essentially the US and Canada.

What happened to him?

@racer-esq. I dunno, but I'm pretty sure he wanted a 300 hellcat to exist, maybe even to use himself. Hard to imagine this story without his reply a month ago.

@05lgt I'm starting to worry that something happened to him. This is just so out of character.

Where is he?

@Hummer Gentlemen, a moment of silence. It seems our beloved friend has become one with the Hellcat.

I'm subscribed to him on YouTube. He still makes videos, but they're mostly just annoying Apple fanboy rants (mostly about how the 6 is better than anything). I was going to ask him about where he went, but I didn't. Same with Steve Lang; he invited me to his LinkedIn contacts, but when I respond to him saying I don't have one, I'll ask about his status. Though I HATE Apple, I loved big trucks political views and how he wasn't afraid to speak his mind.

@turboprius Maybe he's just too busy to come here and argue with us for kicks.