2013 Chrysler 300

Although a pretty competent car in its segment, it still faces steep competition from the likes of Dodge Charger, Ford Taurus, and the Hyundai Genesis.

The 2013 Chrysler 300 is broadly available in eight trim levels to choose from, viz. base 300, 300S, 300C, 300C Luxury Series, a new 300C John Varvatos Collection, the flagship high-performance SRT8 and SRT8 Core. The base 300 comes very well equipped with most of the luxury and convenience features and creature comforts like keyless entry and ignition, dual-zone automatic climate control, power-adjustable driver seat with power-adjustable lumbar support, heated front seats, leather upholstery, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and much more. 

Both the 300S and the 300C are based on the base 300 and add features and tech to the car accordingly. The 300S is the sportier trim between the two, getting a slightly powerful engine along with performance tires, and features like Sport mode and paddle shifter for the transmission as well. The 300C & 300C Luxury Series are more of a luxury and convenience upgrade to the base trim and includes additional chrome exterior accents but the 300C Luxury Series also comes equipped with a Sport mode and paddle shifters just like the 300S trim. 

New for the 2013 model is a special 300C John Varvatos Collection which is similarly equipped as the 300C Luxury Series but has a unique interior and exterior trim. Then there is also the new SRT8 Core sub-trim which includes most of the high-performance hardware of the SRT8 trim, but excludes many of the features like the adaptive xenon headlamps, the rearview camera, leather upholstery, and much more in order to lower the price tag. It is basically a stripped-out SRT8 without all the bells and whistles.

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There is no straight answer for this, to be honest. The 300C trim might have the best value in terms of price to features ratio. But if you want something sporty among the non-SRT trims, then the 300S is definitely the one to go for. Speaking of sportiness, if you want a proper sporty 4-door executive sedan, then the top-of-the-line SRT8 trim might just be the one for you. It might be expensive, but you do get what you are paying for.

The 2013 Chrysler 300 has a choice of three different engine options depending on the trim level. All the non-SRT trims are powered by a 3.6L V6 engine producing 292 HP and 260 lb-ft of torque. The 300S, although powered by the same engine, comes with minor tweaks, including a sport-tuned exhaust, which increases the power output to 300 HP and 264 lb-ft of torque. The V6 engine is paired to a standard 8-speed automatic gearbox and standard rear-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is optional.

All the non-SRT trims except the base 300 can be upgraded to a bigger and more powerful 5.7L naturally aspirated V8 good for 363 HP and 394 lb-ft of torque. The V8 is paired with a 5-speed automatic gearbox. While rear-wheel drive is standard, all-wheel drive is also available as an option. 

The SRT8s are powered by an even bigger 6.4L naturally aspirated V8 producing 470 HP and 470 lb-ft of torque. It gets the same 5-speed automatic gearbox, and rear-wheel drive is the only option for the drivetrain.

Although the Chrysler 300 with the standard engine is quick with a 0 to 60 mph time of 6.3 seconds, it is not as quick as the Hyundai Genesis which can go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. That being said, if you want to go faster, you can opt for the SRT8 variants of the Chrysler 300 with the HEMI V8 under the hood capable of propelling the car from 0 to 60 mph in a blisteringly quick 4.4 seconds. While the standard Chrysler 300 tops out at 153 mph, the SRT8 has an increased top speed of 175 mph.

The mileage figures of the 2013 Chrysler 300’s V6 engine are much better than the V8 option and those two can’t be compared as V8 is more performance-oriented. The 3.6L V6 is rated at 19 MPG in the city, 31 MPG on the highways, and 23 MPG in the combined conditions with a rear-wheel-drive drivetrain. The stronger 6.4L V8 is a gas guzzler that delivers 14 MPG, 23 MPG, and 17 MPG respectively in the city, highway, and the combined conditions.

The Genesis has the most powerful engine but still manages to deliver better fuel economy than its rivals. The Chrysler 300 & Ford Taurus average out just about equal fuel efficiency but Charger seems to disappoint us with the worst fuel economy of 27 MPG on highways and 21 MPG in the combined conditions. All four vehicles hold a very similar amount of fuel, with the Genesis’ tank just holding a bit more than the others. 

Chrysler has put some effort into making the interior of the 300 as luxurious as possible. Starting from the base trim you get creature comforts like leather upholstery, a dual-zone automatic climate control, and stuff. With a pretty decent build quality all around, all the materials used for the interior of the car are pretty top-notch as well. The 300C Luxury Series even employs real wood trim for the interior of the car.

But for the luxury car buyer, the base trim has pretty basic looks, and it’s also quite expensive respective to what it gets inside and outside. While Chrysler’s upper trim levels, the 300S gets better with a two-tone color scheme. Material quality and cabin’s aura increases as we climb the ladder to the 300C luxury series and John Varvatos collection as most of the interior is covered in leather and wood touches. Not to mention that the rear seat comfort of the vehicle is really impressive with multiple options of driver and occupants seat adjustments.

While the interior dimensions of the Chrysler 300 and most of its competitors are more or less in a similar ballpark, it arguably has one of the better rear-seat headroom and legroom in the competition. But at 44.3-inch, the Hyundai Genesis beats all of its competitors by a fair margin in terms of front-seat legroom. If someone is concerned about the cargo capacity then Chrysler fails to impress us with just 16.3 cu-ft of cargo space while Ford gets a decent size 20.1 cu-ft spacious boot. Major interior features of the 2013 Chrysler 300 include:

• Power adjustable front seats with power-adjustable lumbar support
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Driver seat memory functions
• Heated rear seat
• Heated steering wheel
• Leather upholstery
• Power rear sunshade

2013 Chrysler 300 Infotainment System

The 2013 Chrysler 300 comes standard with their Uconnect infotainment system with voice commands and an 8.4” touchscreen display in the center console. The base trim starts off with features like a CD player, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, satellite radio, along with a generic six-speaker sound system with AUX and USB connectivity. 

A 19-speaker Harman Kardon sound system is also available as a standalone option for all the trim levels. The UI of the infotainment system is pretty intuitive to use, thanks to its logical menu structure. On top of that, ergonomically placed large knobs and buttons make it easy to control the different functionalities of the car. All the base and the upper trim infotainment features are mentioned below:

•  6-Speaker sound system
• Compact touchscreen interface
• Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity
• CD-player 
• AUX & iPod/USB audio interface
• Satellite radio
• 10-Speaker Dr. Dre sound system 
• Alpine audio system 
• Navigation system 
• Real-time traffic 
• 19-inch Harman Kardon sound system 

The Chrysler 300 has an executive stance to it from every angle. Its boxy shape might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it does have a very strong road presence due to it. One cool thing about the Chrysler 300 is that most of the trims have their own unique touch to their exteriors. For example, the 300S has unique black-out styling elements. The 300C has additional chrome exterior accents. The 300C Luxury Series has a special “platinum chrome” exterior trim. The 300C John Varvatos Edition and the SRT8 performance trims also have their own unique styling as well.

The Chrysler and Dodge have a significantly longer wheelbase of 120 inches than most of their competitors and a longer wheelbase means that it’s hard to turn around. With a curb weight of 4029 lbs, Chrysler becomes the heaviest amongst the rivals. As all these vehicles are designed to cruise in cities and highways so there is no need to panic about the least ground clearance of 4.7 inches since the other three are not much ahead. Few major exterior features include:

• Heated mirrors
• Driver side auto-dimming mirror
• Adaptive and auto-leveling bi-xenon headlamps for the SRT8 trim
• Panoramic sunroof (optional)

The Chrysler 300 has got 5 stars in NHTSA’s crash test report, its individual test results could have been better. Along with more than a couple of four stars, it got three-star in the driver-side side-barrier test. Although this car isn’t behind when it comes to the safety features, some of the standard and upper trim level safety tech of the 2013 Chrysler 300 includes:

• Anti Lock braking system
• Traction control
• Electronic stability control
• Front airbags
• Side curtain airbags
• Driver knee airbags
• Active front head restraints
• Rearview camera

In a segment that is highly dominated by many manufacturers, the Chrysler 300 is a pretty compelling car from an American automaker. The 2013 Chrysler 300 provides the perfect blend of sportiness and executive-level luxury in a single package. With a decent build quality, luxurious interior, strong and fuel-efficient powertrains, there is nothing much to complain about the car. It might not be as safe as some of its competitors during a post-crash situation, but other than that, it is actually a pretty compelling car in its class.