The Chrysler 300, along with its Dodge-branded platform siblings and the Sprinter van, was one of a handful of good things that resulted from the Daimler-Chrysler partnership of the 2000s. This Chrysler was a full-size American luxury car that came with rear-wheel drive and a choice of multiple V8 engines. While the engine was American, some of its underpinnings got borrowed from Chrysler’s German caretakers at the time and based on the Mercedes E-Class from the late '90s.
That doesn't matter though, as this is a proper RWD luxury sedan with V8 engine options that regular people could afford. While it was truly brilliant in theory, in practice, the 300 was lacking in certain areas compared to some of its foreign and domestic rivals. This era of Chrysler vehicles was perhaps infamous for poor interior quality. However, the price was low enough that people could justify their purchase, and the 300 sold reasonably well.
In 2005, Chrysler released the 300 SRT8, a 425-horsepower, leather-lined muscle barge aimed to also compete with Cadillac’s STS-V and CTS-V. The muscle sedan performed well against its rivals, but it soon faded into obscurity as Chrysler began the process of putting all its "performance" into Dodge.
By the time the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcats got launched in 2015, there wasn’t enough room in the FCA family for the 300. As such, the last SRT-badged 300 rolled off the assembly line in 2014, squashing any hope of a slightly tamer, more luxurious Hellcat.
Updated November 2022: Article updated with any recent information, and we take a quick look at the related Chrysler 300C which will get sold as a limited edition for 2023.
Demand Was Drying Up For The Chrysler 300 SRT8
To some people, the original 300 is like a cheap knockoff watch: it might mimic the look of something more premium, and, sure, it serves the same function, but it feels flimsy, and the materials are nowhere near what the real thing offers. It won't age gracefully, and before long, people will know you're trying to bluff about the size of your wallet.
How can any car pretend to be prestigious and high-end when so many became decrepit in a relatively short amount of time - and more importantly, does the first-gen 300 have a saving grace? The answer, if you're Chrysler, is to replace the meandering V6s and optional 5.7-liter V8 with a stonking, 'hot-cammed' 6.1-liter HEMI V8 producing 425 horsepower and capable of 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds.
Some visual tweaks gave the SRT8 version a more aggressive and purposeful stance, special wheels, exhaust, bigger brakes, and a lower and stiffer suspension to help offset the car's 4,200lb curb weight. Given a long enough stretch of road, the 300 SRT8 was good for 173 mph, which would put it ahead of its more expensive German rivals like the BMW M5 and its distant relative, the E55 AMG - both of which got limited to 155 mph.
Chrysler Not Packing The Hellcat Engine Was The Nail In The SRT8's Coffin
The Chrysler 300 Series got refreshed from its troubled first generation in 2011, adopting a much more mature and respectable design and interior quality. It still never felt truly as high-end as the established luxury players, but once again it had value on its side, with prices starting significantly lower than most of its foreign rivals.
There was still a fast version, though it dropped the "8" from the "SRT8" branding. The new 300 SRT had a bigger, more powerful V8 engine. It now measured 6.4 liters and produced 470 horsepower, and had many of the same chassis tweaks as the SRT8, including bigger Brembo brakes and stiffer suspension.
Perhaps the biggest improvement was the move away from the sluggish Mercedes-sourced 5-speed automatic to the new "Torqueflite" 8-speed based on the brilliant ZF 8HP automatic gearbox. This massively improved shift times and efficiency, and so far, it has proven itself to be a reliable unit, which should reassure anyone looking to buy one of these second-hand.
But, sadly, it wasn't enough. When newly-formed Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles launched the Hellcat engine in 2015, the Chrysler 300 didn't make the cut and missed-out on the engine. Part of this can get blamed on brand restructuring; after all, Chrysler's image is effortless luxury and style, not organ-shifting performance, so why would the 300 need a 707 hp supercharged V8?
But then again we cannot imagine a scenario where we would ever need 707 supercharged horsepower in an off-road vehicle, yet the Hellcat-powered Jeep Trackhawk exists, and now it has gotten joined by the Ford Raptor-destroying Ram TRX. So, going by that logic, there absolutely should be a Hellcat 300 (or 300HC?), but unfortunately, that didn't happen.
Getting Your Hands On The Discontinued Chrysler 300 SRT8
SRT-badged Chrysler 300s are scarce nowadays, and most of them have held on to a surprising amount of their value despite the shortcomings of the platform. Still, you can find used Chrysler 300 SRT8s on the web. A low-mileage 300 SRT8 in pristine condition will easily breach the $30,000 mark. But if you are in for a challenge, there are high-mileage options that start from as low as $15,000.
Chrysler discontinued the 300 SRT8 largely because it was becoming an unpopular redundancy in the lineup. Despite the refresh in 2011, sales for the 300 line were slowing across the board, particularly for the high-performance version. With the relatively stronger popularity of the Dodge Charger as a performance car, it made little sense to keep the 300 SRT in production.
Muscle cars often stick to the 2-door coupe format, but this 4-door sedan was a muscle car through and through.
Nowadays, the Dodge Charger SRT is the flag bearer for 4-door muscle cars, with the optional 707-hp Hellcat version ensuring that performance enthusiasts are well taken care of.
Prices for the Chrysler 300 SRT8 at the end of 2022 vary, on the Auto Trader classifieds site there are only 24 for sale as of writing, but prices are relatively-low, ranging from around $15,000 to a little more than $30,000, with reasonable mileages.
Chrysler surprised all at the 2022 North American International Auto Show and online by revealing the return of the 300C as the performance flagship, and 'last of a legend'.
It will come as a limited-edition model, with a 6.4-liter V8 HEMI engine, providing 485 hp, 475 lb-ft, and a 0-60 mph time of 4.3 seconds and 1/4-mile time of 12.4 seconds.
This car is no longer available to pre-order, but it looks like it will be the swan-sang of the Chrysler 300 SRT8.
Source: Stellantis North America