Start with what the Chrysler 300 is: a 4-door notchback sedan / 5-door station wagon (not in North America) with 2.7 L EER V6, built from 2004 to 2023, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. What it meant takes a little longer. The shape is credited to Ralph Gilles (2000) / Freeman Thomas (2000) / Tom Gale (2000).
How it came about
The Chrysler 300 is a full-size car produced by Chrysler under Stellantis North America and its predecessors. The first generation (model years 2005–2010) was available as a four-door sedan and station wagon, in the second generation (model years 2011–2023) was available solely as a sedan. The second-generation 300 was marketed as the Chrysler 300C in the United Kingdom and Ireland and as the Lancia Thema in the remainder of Europe.
The hardware
The engine is 2.7 L EER V6; other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. On the scales it comes to 3,721–4,046 lb. Drive goes through a 4-speed Ultradrive 42RLE automatic / 5-speed Mercedes-Benz W5A580 automatic. The wheelbase is 120.0 in / 126.0 in (Executive Series). These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
In the Chrysler line-up the Chrysler 300 has a clear place: it replaced the For Chrysler 300: / Chrysler 300 letter series / Chrysler 300 non-letter series / Chrysler 300M / Chrysler Concorde / Chrysler Intrepid (Canada) / For Lancia Thema: / Lancia Thesis; the factory was Brampton, Ontario. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Ford Mustang, the Suzuki Swift, the Hyundai Tucson. Its Chrysler stablemates include the Chrysler Falcon and the Chrysler Chronos.
Owning one today
Buying one now means $7,900–$32,600 for a typical example, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $3,219–$7,287 a year. Insurance sits around $1,150–$2,460 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.