The Chrysler 300c (Team Review) - Fifth Gear 

Well said!

A drop test would get these clowns more views, which is all these 5G idiots want/care about

Unfortunately, you can get better experience from similarly-priced contemporary Jaguar or Audi. If Chrysler keep the previous HEMI V8 or uses a newer generation more efficient V8, then it'd be a different story.

Totally agree. their views border on hatred WHY!!

They're English, they love to have a whinge.

im driving a Dodge Charger with the 5.7 V8, same platform. this car is made for the Motorway, i will admit that when you get it off the "Big Roads" it becomes cumbersome and crossed-up... but in its natural habitat; it tracks like a locomotive, will overtake (V8) almost anything, and will cruise all day (ok, for 4 hours until you need to buy fuel) at 80+MPH with the A/C running with comfort...

A V8 Chrysler is nicer than a 2 litre 4 cylinder mercedes. There is just no way around that.

Why didn’t the UK versions of the 300C get the ZF 8 speed auto like the US versions did, and instead had to make do with the old 5 speed auto unit?

@@MarkLadeRealtor tracks like a locomotive??

@@zachaphina3140 Big, Heavy and won't alter course for any outside influences, like wind, rain, small cars hitting the sides, etc.... A great 'Interstate' cruiser... Like the W220 model Benz from which its front suspension was borrowed.

You are delusional

I feel you, these pendejos don´t know what they're talking about

You would, you haven't driven a competitor

@@zachaphina3140 I've driven just about every car on the market

clearly you cant.

The fact that she could "tell" it was American from the way it rides is absolute bullshit. There is no way, regardless of how much experience you have. It just can't be done.

5uPAn0Va sure. I can tell right away if I'm in a Buick, Toyota or BMW/Merc.

I didn't say she can't tell which brand of car she is in, which would probably be harder in most cases. But there is absolutely no way you can tell what country the car is from, from the the way it rides. Trust me, I went from a very cheap, old Nissan to a Dodge. There was absolutely no indication (putting aside other variables which we aren't considering, e.g. Seats) that one was Japanese and the other was American. They basically rode the same.

trilingualkid Yes,because Jeremy Clarkson isn't critical about American cars at all??!!!!! He generally hates them. As do May and Hammond. There's a reason why they're so negative about this car...it's not very good and far from the class best. As for the reviewers, Jason Plato is a 2 time British Touring Car champion and has had an extremely successful career in Motorsport. Tiff Needell is also a great driver, had a successful racing career, raced in F1, Le Mans, and a 30+ year career as a motoring journalist including a 15 year stint on the old Top Gear. I trust their views on cars far more than most including Clarkson, May & Hammond. Needell and Plato are simply much better drivers. Let's face it...with the exception of some cars like the Tesla Model S & the new Corvette, the American car industry generally produce mediocre cars and it's been that way for a long time now. For the first 65 years of the 20th century, the American car industry ruled the roost and largely set the standard at all levels. But those days are long gone.

And let be honest a 3 series isn’t luxurious at all, Mazda3 gt are more luxurious than a bmw 3... meanwhile the 300c got fucking heated steering, Bluetooth, ventilated seats, heated cup holders, rear seat heated.... most bmw3 under 2015 didn’t even have Bluetooth..

because this show is a joke. 300c's rock

They never say anything good about American cars for some reason.

James Wells All british reviewers ALLWAYS hate on American cars. I'm not saying it's superb or anything, but reviews from France, Poland, Italy or Germany even are MUCH more positive. Seriously, 1/10?

This car is the cheapest in luxury segment and it looks better than most lux cars

+Mateusz Wojtkiewicz While reviewers talk out of their arses some of us over here love the car, we ain't all jerks

Agreed

- Lexus ES base $39 750 - Mercedes C-class base $39 700 - BMW 3 series base $35 990 - Audi A4 base $37 800 - Acura TL $39 990 (Canadian prices) I don't think I even need to say anything.

jayfulf well, you could start by saying these cars are in a different class in terms of size. then you can look at what you get as standard equipment with these bare bones models compared to the 300c. the 300c is a full size car with comparable, and in some cases, better numbers than these smaller cars. yes, chrysler does not have the quality of interior as some of these cars have, but the 300c is not as far behind in quality as many FOREIGN, american car hating journalists say they are. do you really think you can rip the mirror off a brand new car as easily as fifth gear makes us believe? also, like i said, you get more in other areas with the chrysler.

Often times manufacturers of "lesser" vehicles hide that by offering bullshit standard equipment. I would guess that majority, if not everyone, would choose a car I've listed or something else over this. This car doesn't really have anything going for it. It doesn't seem to excel in any one category and it doesn't even seem to be somewhat good in most categories. I thought by listing cars in similar price ranges with similar philosophies that trump this car would be enough but you seem set on this. I would guess you're either American and blindly support any American product or you're oblivious.

jayfulf i'm only stating the facts. this review was a bit unfair, as are most reviews of american cars by british journalists. i would say people should do their own comparison of these vehicles (prices, standard equipment, similar quality video of interiors or go to dealerships, performance numbers, etc.), instead of listening to what all the reviewers say. my only problem with your comment is you listed a different class of cars. some people want full size sedans and you listed mid-size sedans. the comparable cars in this price range are the ford taurus, toyota avalon, chevy impala, kia cadenza, etc... just sayin'!

I was comparing based on similar philosophy and price as mentioned and one could argue, gave the 300C the benefit of the doubt. All those cars you listed are significantly cheaper. Comparing to something like the Toyota Avalon further illustrates what they were saying in the video, which I do not think was unfair, that the Chrysler is way overpriced.

They did drive it and they know more than most if a car is good or bad

How is it a ‘responsible’ car ? I have driven it and found it rough, lumbering, a shocking interior and my god it’s ugly. The idea it compete with BMW is laughable - it’s a different species.

If this had the Hemi it would be a cracking deal. But no the UK doesn't get that version of 300C so.....

its a piece of shit. get a lexus.

It’s the worst car I’ve driven. Luckily I didn’t have to drive it far

plus the car is way cheaper over here and has one of the best reviews for a sedan that class lol

And you trusted a salesman?

Especially a Chrysler salesman, only Hyundai dealerships have given me a worse experience. They're little better than sleazy used car salesmen who try to trick you into buying a 150k mile rusty Lumina for double bluebook, and as far as reliability and resale value goes that's basically what a Chrysler dealer is selling you anyway. Even if Chryslers weren't cheap rustbuckets held together with glue, plastic, and prayer, I would never buy a Chrysler just because I know that I could never outsmart all of the dealer's sleazy tricks to hide thousands of dollars of scamming in the price, nor could I stay awake long enough to do so. They are also unrivaled in their skill at getting your interest rate down to "1% APR" while hiding their real loan shark-like rates in service agreements and extra charges that are rarely listed in plain English on the contract. I can say anecdotally that I have never once seen a car that looked like it didn't previously belong to a subprime borrower in a Chrysler dealer's trade-in lot, because financially literate people would never consider those worthless moneypits and the organized crime syndicate they call a dealer network. They've gotten 2 bailouts and still learned nothing, they'll go bankrupt again at this rate and hopefully the government doesn't save them this time.

You believed the salesman about something like that? I hope that wasn't what sold you on it.

lol no the 392 hemi sold me. and he's right on that fact sooo no harm no foul to the salesman. he knew what he was taking about.

Yes the 300 is a very great car .

Indeed. She is very intellgent and even was in the old Top Gear with Tiff.

Are you shitting me? She couldn’t tell if the car was rwd, if it had a v8 or if the seat were leather... think it’s pretty obvious she knows nothing of cars and just was told what it was...

@@ASecureLab Vicki Butler Henderson - Google her 🤣😂

shes been in the backseat of this before.

and the handling still sucks for a modern RWD car.

@@gordonmccracken1209 Because your opinion is based on you owning one, right?

@@7s29 rented the Dodge version sold in the USA -awful during a rain storm in high wind, I have owned had RWD Volvo 7 and 9 series that were never tossed around around by high winds like the Dodge I drove during the storm. I grew up in the Gulf Coast area of the USA that frequently experience heavy torrential rain storms w/ high winds.

Man they cannot tell a rwd from a fwd or leather seats from cloth if blindfolded and you are surprise they cannot tell a chassis from another? LOL... these guys are total jokes, headressers improved to car reviewers...

@Anthony Lab Well 3 of them are racing drivers, so...

It was a good brand before fiat brought it and messed it all up with the ylipson and delta

I think it was a decent quality with the Daimler-Benz merger. They have come a long way in the last few years though with the Charger and 300....baby steps but I would consider a decently clean and maintained 2012 + Charger or 300. I like the 8 speed and have had a chance to try one out for a reasonably decent two week rental.

Join the debate on our new show 'torque cars'. If you like it the share it: DCG1: torque cars episode 1

I don't really like the cars looks it's down to opinion I guess and it is too much money if it was £30,000 it would be fine but it's too much

The high price in the UK is mainly due to VAT and other taxes that also apply to all other cars including British and other European cars, what little import duty there is is the exact same as Japanese car makers pay. It is actually the other way around, the reason European cars are (relatively) expensive in the US is costs and hindrances, mostly political like the "chicken tax" etc.

Yh and that one had also the 6 speed auto with the 3.6 v6

+marksuave25 I've had a Jag, hated the damn thing

Clivegsd lol. Sorry to hear that.

Modern Jaguars are not poorly made. I agree that Brit journos are negative about U.S. cars in general, but in this case maybe they're right. The 300 is a cheap big sedan. It was never designed to compete with 300E or 5-series, or to be priced near them either.

+John Techwriter The new 300 has a gorgeous interior which isn't cheap at all, if they could put that interior inside the previous models body then I'd be a happy bunny. I can only comment on the Jag that we owned, it was awful, got shot of it after a month

+marksuave25 dude, you are assuming there is a poorly made jag, also, shut the fuck up. american cars are trash, learn to fucking live with it

The FIAT Chrysler division sucks ass. We we're better with Mercedes even though we were always at there throats about everything.

@@anefyon agree to disagree, fca is the best thing that could happen in my opinion

I have a granite version. They hammer.

+MrTrip3ace No its slow. Really slow. As per usual, the americans cant get any decent power output out of their engines. A 3.0 BMW diesel or audi Diesel will smoke it, those engines do 0-62 in 6.1-6.3 seconds.

+Londons Finest Sorry but the 5.7 HEMI can out do that, shame some people have such anti American bias. Slow it ain't

Sometimes though, that's not a bad thing

+Tucker Higgins No, Chrysler couldn't be arsed supplying us with either of them and pulled out of the UK too.

Oh and not a Diesel! And its about 30K here and thats Dollars! Not Pounds!

Lol it wasnt the base model. It has TONS of added options. Its just a crappy car. Ive been in one. I know. You can literally press down on the dash and center consoles with your hand and it squeaks and crackles as if its about to break (which I know it will if you press a lil harder).

No

haha

If it had been and SRT-8 it would have so severely beaten the 5 series BMW they would have cried. We can't have them crying. Chrysler 300 is too expensive in UK, not sure why it is so much more money there than in US. I own a 300c with the hemi, great car, love it but if it were MORE expensive than a 5 series BMW I would not be as impressed. In Britain I believe it is more expensive than the 5 series.

Americans are certainly full of wind there is no doubt about that It has only until 2015 for the Mustang to get independent rear suspension and when the rest of the world have known that it makes cars go round corners better since the 70's and Ford are strutting round like they reinvented the wheel

+kag2306 Mustangs are garbage cars for garbage people

+SniperNator Strange then that the pre orders have gone through the roof over here in the UK

+Boris Terekidi (Xi Digital) Had the V6 and it was very good, now got the HEMI and it's even better, the suspension is from the E Class Merc and isn't soft in the slightest. Only had a Hyundai Coupe and it was a complete piece of shit as a car

the v6 isn't underpowered at all. I put 60k on my 2012 before I traded it in on an srt.

The big 300 is a fantastic car but some folk just don't get it...it looks fucking awesome these pricks that are reviewing the car know fuck all

They run as taxis over here. The only good thing I'll say it's the rear seat space. Quality is subpar for what it is priced at.

DerangedSloth555 So the only thing you can review Is the back seat.

It's a diesel.

Must be a 2011.

Then why it's slow? tourers should be powerful to overtake on highways. and what about the quality? Do you genuinely prefer this to an e class mb or 5 series bmw?

Ömür Sarıaslan well first of all, in america this thing is significantly less expensive than anything european which makes it appealing, and secondly i'd have to disagree about the lackluster ride quality and engine. this thing pulls. idk what fifth gear is on about. for the price in the uk, however, this car doesn't make a whole lot of sense. i guess you'd buy one to be distinctive.

+Samwise Drogod yeah I guess things work in different way in different places. I would ride a v8 with carburetor if I were buying fuel by gallons..

+Ömür Sarıaslan In the US, this car is not powered by a V6 diesel, rather a petrol 3.6L V6 producing ~300hp in the base model, or a petrol 5.7L v8 producing ~360hp and ~380lb-ft of torque, for around $40,000 USD. A comparably equipped E-Class or 5-Series sells for 10-15k more in the States. The interior quality is about where they reviewed it- that is, dismal, with acres of hard, cheap plastic- for that matter, my 2013 Challenger is better assembled and better materials for what it is. I certainly do not prefer it to one of the Germans, including a nice Audi A6, but at it's price, one can begin to overlook some of the lower quality. Slow is not it's problem here by any stretch.

+rjs2005 Have you taken a look at the 2016 model? Compared to even the 2014, it's a huge step up in just about every way. I'd venture to call it the most luxurious out of its primary competitors, the Chevrolet Impala and Ford Taurus, by a far stretch.

^100% agree. Thank God for your existence.

I used to like the 300c, until I drove one for the first time the car was garbage, the car feels so cheap and poorly engineered

+Tim Young The new interior is really nice

+Tim Young Highly recommend that you give the brand new ones a chance. This coming from somebody who has hated Chrysler his entire life, I was legitimately and thoroughly impressed with the 2016 Chrysler 300S.

+Tim Young Highly recommend that you give the brand new ones a chance. This coming from somebody who has hated Chrysler his entire life, I was legitimately and thoroughly impressed with the 2016 Chrysler 300S.

jeremiah johnson Do they not sell good cars in America?

With the weight of that car theres no chance.

no, not quite. you forget any M series will send this POS into the ditch.

Hammond is right, crap on a stick, it is.

turn the wheel in your SRT8 and you're in a ditch. They were better when they were E class Mercedes, not great but better. Now, laughable.

not a 550i you wont

Simple, thay have no taste.

Hope you are being sarcastic 😂

pommy bastards, that's all.

Its a left over Merc engine ,

***** Nope, you can get both 5.7 and 6.1 HEMI's in the UK, I've a 5.7

***** We have the v6's but we also have the 5.7 and the 6.1 here in the UK. The government cane us over the emissions which is just a money making exercise and an attempt to force us into crappy anonymous euro-box shitty little cars.The diesels are pretty damn good but the HEMI's are beasts, it's the first car I've been excited and scared to drive at the same time. I love the brash and aggressive looks of the car and its the only car other than the Dodge Caliber we had that has people stopping to talk about it, even on one occasion a policeman.Most people in the UK take these car review programmes with a pinch of salt, they are so anti yank tank that it's laughable.

+Clivegsd What? The SRT is powered by a 6.4 HEMI.

+diego750il Here in the UK I'm fairly sure we only got the 6.1 HEMI, though if anyone wanted to give me a 6.4 HEMI for free I'd not say no ;-)

The C on the new models doesn't mean it's a v8, which I think is stupid.

Truth always hurt

They love BMW’s even though they break down all the time and are way to expensive to repair.

+malcolm wilkinson Me too, love the 300 and it's power for such a large car

malcolm wilkinson Well said I love mine so much I've just bought another ..you either get the big 300 or you don't stick to their BMW and Mercedes there's millions of them you won't get a second look

Finnaly a British that knows

I have the SRT8 in this model, had it for 7 yrs. It's a great car, and goes alright. 4.4 0 - 100 kph for a 2 tonn car isn't bad at all.

@@7s29 and 8 MPG

***** Its imported to UK because they are made in Canada. The U.S. never got the 3.0L turbo diesel.

Dont have to get all hasty now. I was just making a statement.

Jaguar.

Range Rover

Just sold ours and made a profit. Great engines aren't they? We've a 3rd gen Camaro now

Just sold ours and made a profit. Great engines aren't they? We've a 3rd gen Camaro now

bobkilla430 I don't think anyone expected them to say it's best. The reason most felt it was biased was due to the fact that they were already trashing it before they even got closer than 10 feet from it. Had this been an American reviewing crew behaving as these guys did while reviewing a Mini or Jaguar, you might then understand. If you compare this review with other European reviews of the same car you'll find a vast difference in the results. Clearly one of the most unprofessional if not the most unprofessional and biased reviews of any car that could be found on the net. Watching one of the crew whine because he felt the back of the front seat was too hard was almost comical if it hadn't been so pathetic. Watching the driver try to prove a point by suddenly whipping the wheel violently with a blindfolded female passenger only displayed his desperate attempt to do anything to make the car look bad. The same result would have occurred had it been a Jaguar, Bentley, Rover or Rolls. It only made him look bad, not the car. Any legitimate or professional reviewers would have found faults as one would with any car, but not attempted to trash it as if it was the worst car in the world, as anyone who has had the opportunity to drive one would know it clearly is not. It was intended to be a large, comfortable highway cruiser, not a sport sedan. And it fills that void in the market extremely well. In North America it is usually equipped with a quick and spirited 3.6 v-6 or even quicker V-8. It's built on the same chassis as the Dodge Charger, which is probably the most common police vehicle in North America. It routinely engages in police pursuits that can last for hours at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour on stretches of highway and freeway that go for hundreds if not thousands of miles. Nice try, but no car is as bad as they tried to make it look. Not even those horrible Audis that were shipped to the U.S. during the mid to late 70's and early 80"s.

Joe Didit​ some good and fair points there. The way I saw the review was comparing it to the Germans that they said it was supposed to rival with. I think that's why I had it in my head the points were fairer than some had said but you lay out some good points that I didn't think about. I've read some other reviews who liked it much more but will look into seeing other European reviews. I haven't spent time in the new 300 but my past experience comes from the previous gen which I rented and also test drove, one with the v6 and the other their base v8. Besides the v8, there wasn't much of anything I really liked but again, maybe it was because I should have been comparing it to like priced sedans and not the luxury models Chryslers marketing made it out to be. To be fair I've really haven't driven many modern v6s so maybe I'm not a fan of them in general and shouldn't think of this one as "meh" like I have been. (One in the 350z being my favorite) Brakes would have been good imo if they weren't so grabby, steering probably would have been much better if not for the extremely light steering. Comparing the chassis to the old e class it was based on, it felt like driving a big old car from the 70s in many ways. I've also spent some time in the challenger and still think, at least with Chryslers /dodge interiors, it's near the bottom in quality. (What disappointed me the most) Looking nice from pics but once inside it's another story. I nit pick this car and the like I think because of how good I think they could make them. I don't think it's the worst car by far, even if it looks as if I'm only finding faults. Idk if fifth gear thought this was the worst car reviews I seem to recall them going harsh on many test drives but your points are taken with how they performed this one. However police cars as far as I know do go through extensive suspension work and other enhancements before used on the street by police. I've been in the back of the old Ford/Buick cruisers a few times and they were quite quick lol. 

bobkilla430 One of the things that people keep bringing up is how expensive the 300c is. But actually the car itself is an excellent bargain, the extra money is not in the price of the actual car but the tariff that their own country is charging them. Contrary to what many Europeans think, the tariff charged by the U.S. is paltry in comparison. The U.S. charges only 2.5 percent on imported cars. Even on a $100,000 car, it would only be $2500. That's why so many BMW's, Audi's and Mercedes are sold in he United States. The average tariff is usually less than a thousand dollars on BMW or similar. No, not a lot of Jaguars are sold here because of reliability issues rather than cost. They're beautiful cars, but just not practical as the primary vehicle. More suited to a second vehicle that doesn't need to be depended on as a day to day vehicle.

Joe Didit yes the 300 c in America is a good deal compared to the Germans but I do think fiat and crystler could make a 300 that's up to par with Germans in the luxury department, still have good engines and keep the price cheaper than the Germans. it does suck that Europeans need to pay much more for American cars (id think the same for other imports) I love the new jags, haven't looked at the reliability in a few years but at least it's as bad as the old jag because most if not all modern cars sold in America are pretty reliable.

think you might actually want to check your shit nothing you say is true just re hashing old american fairy tails from the 90s

Gavin Irvine so true! owned one myself, i hate "money" rover

@@shugthehornyhaggis i have a 2017 RR evoque, trust me it sucks

Shug yeah no, it’s the most overpriced, ugly ass ,Jeep Grand Cherokee copy ever...

I drove an Italian equivalent, the Lancia/Chrysler Thema and I hated it simply it doesn't feel like a car for European roads, or at least for Italian roads. It's got a good engine, it rides ok, but on the corners it's a disaster: the steering feels numb, it's too big and it's not agile while doing the corners. I can see it for long trips in USA or Australia, but in Italy we need better handling and less size.

+Just D8vid2 It's as American as apple strudel ;-)

Someone's butthurt

PatLadsChan99 No, just tired of the ignorance

+Jaska Börner Could you tell me where you researched for that information please

It's a Chrysler badged as a Lancia not the other way around