Three Days in a 2015 Chrysler 300S

By Derek Shiekhi - May 1, 2015

You ever heard someone say, “It’s been a long week”? Well, my time with a Jazz Blue Pearl 2015 Chrysler 300S ($39,885 as tested) was the exact opposite of that. I normally get seven days to test a media vehicle, but I had to cram all of my learning about the full-sizer into three. Here are a few of the things I discovered about the full-size sedan after driving it up and down the city of Austin, Texas and out to the town of Driftwood for The Salt Lick’s legendary barbecue:

-Its infotainment system worked like a dream. An automotive convenience feature is not all that convenient if you have to take out the owner’s manual, thumb through to the right page, and read about how to use it. It should be intuitive. The feature’s most convenient when I can use it without even thinking. All I had to do to enjoy the 300S’s $995 optional Uconnect system was move a finger.

Entering addresses in the navigation system was easy, as was accessing the onboard WiFi hotspot. I effortlessly paired my phone with Uconnect using a Bluetooth connection. That allowed me to make hands-free calls while on the road and stream music through the 300S’s 10 Beats speakers. Thanks to the mobile internet connection, I was able to play audio from Youtube, although the WiFi hookup seemed to lag a little. On other websites that didn’t feature video, the connection was plenty quick.

-The “S” stands for “soft.” Given that my tester had the 363-horsepower/394-lb.-ft. 5.7-liter HEMI V8 and “a new sport-tuned suspension with increased damping compared to the previous year,” you’d think the “S” is short for “sport.” If you did, I’d have to disagree with you. From its quiet interior to its dashboard surface to its ride quality, the 300S was soft – sometimes a little too much so. The suspension wobbled in its efforts to soak up road imperfections. I would’ve preferred a tauter setup, especially in turns.

I couldn’t complain about the 21.5 combined mpg I got after numerous liberal applications of my right foot to the go pedal, though. My review vehicle was EPA-rated for 19 combined mpg (and 16 in the city and 25 on the highway).

The Sport mode sharpened things up a little by making the HEMI and throttle more responsive and lively. It also reduced the shift times of the TorqueFlite eight-speed automatic from roughly 400 milliseconds to 250 milliseconds. Occasionally, when the gearbox was in its most athletic setting, its low-speed shifts were a little too firm. That kind of authority is great when you have your right foot down, but it’s a little much when you’re driving through your neighborhood.

-I felt more American for driving it. When I think of old-school American cars, I picture large, rear-wheel-drive sedans with lots of brightwork, flashy wheels, and enormous engines under their hoods. The 300S was the modern version of that mental image for me, although, according to Chrysler, it “trades chrome exterior accents for unique blacked-out and body-color design details, and all-new Hyper Black finished 20-inch aluminum wheels.”

I only had the 2015 Chrysler 300S for three days, but some of you own one. If you’re one of those people, what have you learned about it? How does it make you feel?