2016 Chrysler 300

For the 2016 Model, you get a new Anniversary edition and Alloy edition trims. The 300 is offered in two trims with a starting price for the base “Limited” model being $32,260 and the top end “S” model costing $35,600. The 2016 Chrysler 300 has an immediate design advantage over its rivals like the Acura TLX, Buick LaCrosse, and Nissan Maxima, but can it match them in the rest of the categories? Let’s see.

The 2016 Chrysler 300 comes in multiple trim levels- Limited, S, C, and C Platinum with multiple drivetrains and engine options available to choose from except for the base trim. It comes with the V-6. For this year, the Anniversary edition and Alloy edition have joined the lineup. The base trim Chrysler is very well equipped with convenience features like power-adjustable leather seats, touch screen infotainment system. The 300 C trim will be reviewed separately. 

The S trim stands for sports and comes with sporty 20-inch wheels and sticky rubber. The suspension and steering wheel are tuned for sportier handling on this one. The top trim, C Platinum is just a better-styled C trim with added features like a 19-speaker Harman Kardon system and Xenon headlights.

The 2016 Chrysler 300 comes with a lot of optional packages like SafetyTec group which adds safety features like Blind-spot monitor, cross-traffic alert, parking assist, etc. The Premium group adds a Beats sound system with a 552-watt amplifier, 5 years of SiriusXM service, and more.

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The Chrysler 300 can be customized in every way on its base trim level except for the engine option. The V-6 engine on the car provides enough power for daily drivers. If you get the Hemi V8 engine, the power bump isn’t significant. Just 63 more horses and almost the same torque but fuel economy takes a hit. So, Chrysler 300 Limited would be the choice from our side. The standard features set is very much sufficient and you may only need to add the safety package if you wish.

The 2016 Chrysler 300 comes loaded with engine options like a 3.6L NA V-6 which outputs 292 hp & 260 lb-ft of torque and comes mated to an 8-Speed automatic gearbox. You get an RWD drivetrain as standard but it can be switched to an AWD system. The V-6 mill can propel this rather heavy-looking sedan quite well. There is a better-tuned version of this same engine with colder air intakes for a little boost in horsepower. 

Still, there will be some unsatisfied souls out there wanting more. They can opt for the 5.7L Hemi V-8 engine with 363 hp & 294 lb-ft of torque. And this one is only meant for RWD purists and doesn't come in AWD. So, if you can handle those brutal tailspins, please be our guests.

All the cars have almost exactly similar engine capacity and Buick has managed to extract better power figures from their product. The Acura TLX is the fastest car to reach 60 MPH but the difference between our Chrysler and TLX is negligible. Nissan Maxima has performed best in the 60 MPH drag covering it in 5.7 secs and also in the quarter-mile covering 14.2 seconds. Maxima owes its pleasure to the CVT transmission onboard.

The 2016 Chrysler 300 is a big, heavy sedan compared to its rivals and yet manages to deliver a decent fuel economy with its V-6 engine. The 19 MPG in the city is neither bad nor the best. The fuel tank capacity too is average on this car. The Hemi V-8 engine on the other hand returns 16 MPG in the city and 25 MPG on the highways. To sum it up the Chrysler 300 is doing just fine in this department and fuel economy isn’t an issue really here; so everything’s good.

As expected from any Asian automaker the Nissan Maxima has the best in the class economy but they choose bigger interior space over the fuel tank. Buick on the other hand is the least efficient and its large fuel tank doesn't help with the driving range either. The Acura comes with the smallest tank capacity of 17.2 gallons which turns out a disappointment due to less range for a rather impressive mileage figure. The Buick and the Chrysler share the fuel capacity but the Chrysler returns better mileage.

The 2016 Chrysler 300 offers a near-luxury experience starting from the base trim itself. They could have easily opted for cloth upholstery on this entry-level trim but we get leather upholstery as standard. The dashboard gets treated in soft-touch plastic and on higher trim gets replaced with leather lining and wood inserts. The seats on the standard car are 8-way power-adjustable with power lumbar support. 

There isn’t much bolstering on the seats but those are pretty comfortable and can be had in perforated leather upholstery with ventilation as well. The second-row seating is good for average-sized people but with a sunroof equipped it reduces the overall headroom. Chrysler has an equal amount of legroom on both rows which makes it a better ride for second-row passengers.

Chrysler has better cargo holding capacity in the group today with 16.3 cubic feet of space in the trunk. The trunk opening is big and inside are cargo nets to hold whatever you put in place. Inside the cabin, there are little storage cubbies on the center console itself to store phones or stuff, but big-screen phones don’t fit in that gap. Comparing the rivals, the Nissan Maxima offers the best front row legroom but suffers in the second row and the same is the case with Acura TLX. Standout interior features:

• Dual-pane sunroof
• 8-way power front seats with four-way power lumbar adjustment
• Ambient lighting
• Heated & Ventilated seats
• Dual-sided glass

How intuitive is the 2016 Chrysler 300’s infotainment system?

The 2016 Chrysler 300 comes with an 8.4-inch touchscreen Uconnect infotainment system with a 6-speakers setup. There are options to get a 10 speaker Beats sound system which comes with a 552-watt amplifier. The system comes with Bluetooth and AUX support. The under-arm storage hosts an SD card slot to store your music. As you go up the trim ladder to 300 C, factory-installed navigation becomes standard and the sound system gets upgraded to 16-speaker Harman Kardon. Standout infotainment features:

• 8.4-inch touchscreen
• WiFi hotspot access
• SiriusXM Radio & Traffic
• Factory Navigation
• USB ports
• Beats sound system
• SD card slot

The 2016 Chrysler 300 has a design unlike any sedan; it looks like a retired gangster living the life. The overall shape is very basic yet the big square grille and LED headlights make it look cool. The front end of this car has quite a lot of chiseling done and at some point, the body lines near the headlight section look like a dent, overly done. 

The rest of the car is very pretty to look at even in the base 17-inch wheels. The 20-inch wheels make it look more aggressive. At the back, it is all kept simple with a big, red brake light setup and rectangular exhaust ports with a brushed aluminum finish. Overall this car is nothing short of a design masterpiece in the era of curves.

Chrysler is the biggest sedan in the group today in every category. It is longer, heavier, and wider than the competition and with the lowest ground clearance, the Chrysler 300 has the most sinister looks in the segment. We have not even discussed the Alloy edition yet, it’s on a different level when it comes to exterior styling. Standout exterior features:

• Authentic American style
• 20-inch wheels
• Heated mirrors
• 20-inch "hyper black" alloy wheels with performance tires
• Dual sport exhaust,
• Unique black-out styling elements
• LED fog lights

The 2016 Chrysler 300 has scored 4 stars in overall ratings of the NHTSA crash tests and the IIHS has given the car a Good rating in all but the small overlap crash. Otherwise, it would have been a Top Safety Pick. The car comes with a SafetyTec suite that includes most of the active safety features you can have today and is just $1600 extra. Standout safety features:

• Parking distance sensors
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Blindspot monitor
• Forward collision warning
• Lane departure warning
• Automatic emergency braking

The 2016 Chrysler 300 is an amazing car with very distinctive looks and a powerful motor. Chrysler has managed to stay fuel-friendly despite having such weight, most of the time American automakers don’t care much about fuel economy. The interior of the Chrysler 300 is luxurious on all the trims and its cargo carrying capacity is best in its class. The active safety features don’t come as standard but the option isn’t expensive per se. If you want to have a sedan that sends out a strong message then there isn’t anything better than the 2016 Chrysler 300.