2016 Chrysler 300S v6 1 year review

[Skippy722]

The 300 replaced my 2011 Durango Citadel AWD with the 5.7 HEMI. The Durango was great, but I beat that thing HARD the first year I owned it because I was young and dumb. Every year something broke... water pump (turned out to be a huge issue on 2011-2017 models), the brake booster failed (recall), the fuel pump went out at about 75k, the AC compressor seized and shredded the clutch, and the oil drain bolt seized into the pan. Turns out they have plastic oil pans, and yes it was torqued to spec. Thing had a brass looking bung that the bolt screwed into it. After the oil pan fiasco, we decided it needed to go, especially since it averaged 15-16mpg.

We went to Carmax "just to look, I promise!" and my wife and I fell in love with this 2016 300S. Price was right on it so we pulled the trigger. Had ~42k miles on it. Only issue was the 5% window tint that I immediately took in to have removed and replaced with 20% on all windows except the windshield. We are at 54k miles on it and it's now my daily driver. Mine does not have the revamped Pentastar V6, so no stop/start tech on mine. In mine, the v6 is cranking out 300hp and 264ft lbs of torque.

Pros:
-It's quiet and drives nice and smooth
-Getting pretty good fuel mileage, 22-24mpg when calculated by hand, considering it only gets driven 20 miles a day.
-The Beats by Dre stereo in it actually sounds pretty good
-8.4" touch screen is awesome
-Love the LCD dash
-Sport mode, S on the shifter, transforms it into a whole different vehicle. Throttle response tightens way up, the transmission shifts faster and firmer, and doesn't try to get into 8th gear as quickly as it can
-The factory LED fog lights cast a super wide, low beam. Like almost 180º wide!

Cons:
-Has developed a dash/door rattle on the passenger side, whether its due to the repair from when my wife sideswiped a pole at the gas station or not I have no idea
-In drive (D on shifter) the throttle response is.... dull. Lazy might be a better term
-Transmission is also lazy in Drive, flooring it to pass results in a delay, then a few downshifts, THEN it goes
-245/45r20 tires are expensive
-Cartridge style oil filter housing is plastic, and are known to crack if overtightened
-Intake manifold has to come off to replace spark plugs and driver side coil packs when it's time
-Halogen headlights leave a lot to be desired, even with upgraded 9011 halogen bulbs or Diode Dynamics LED's

 

[14Accent]

Great cars. I remember having one as a rental and loved it. Very smooth ride and plenty of power! If only the had built the oil cooler better...

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by 14Accent
Great cars. I remember having one as a rental and loved it. Very smooth ride and plenty of power! If only the had built the oil cooler better...


That's why I do all my own oil changes on it. Then I have no one to blame but myself. Just gently tighten it till it stops, no need to go any further!

 

[CharBaby]

Very nice Skip!

My neighbor has one in this oh IDK, it's a Coal Metallic(not quite black). Absolutely beautiful. IIRC, his wheels are similar in style to yours but, they too are Coal in color(not gunmetal). A stunning car to look at.

 

[harbor]

With regard to the lazy throttle response, try removing the ECU fuse for a few minutes to reset it. This is a common procedure on Mopars.

 

[Rolla07]

Ive also had one as a rental. Definitely alot to like, and gas mileage was much better than in a Dodge Journey..which I found odd, as the 300s seems to be a fairly heavy car as well. The only thing that was disappointing was the limited trunk space. (Not helped by the sub in the trunk).

 

[jeep58]

I hear that removing fuse #11 and install back resets the the engine to factory specs.

 

[jeep58]

Have a 2005 300 with 33k on odometer 3.5 V6, changed the rear resonator with a magnaflow muffler, left the suitcase muffler car sounds nice not loud. good luck with it!

 

[supton]

Nice review.

Originally Posted by Skippy722
The 300 replaced my 2011 Durango Citadel AWD with the 5.7 HEMI. The Durango was great, but I beat that thing HARD the first year I owned it because I was young and dumb. Every year something broke... water pump (turned out to be a huge issue on 2011-2017 models), the brake booster failed (recall), the fuel pump went out at about 75k, the AC compressor seized and shredded the clutch, and the oil drain bolt seized into the pan. Turns out they have plastic oil pans, and yes it was torqued to spec. Thing had a brass looking bung that the bolt screwed into it. After the oil pan fiasco, we decided it needed to go, especially since it averaged 15-16mpg.

You sure those problems are from driving it hard? None of that sounds like user error to me. I'd want to dump a car like that too, regardless of how I drove it.

 

[OVERKILL]

Definitely check the repair for the source of your noise. The Jeep recently developed a rattle and it turned out that the body shop that did my repair left a screw in the door

The Service Manager and myself took the door panel off and found it. We also found that they didn't properly seat the indirect interior light and it was flopping around in the door.

 

[tomcat27]

thanks for the review! I've considered a 300 or another Durango. on the oil filter housing, the o-ring does the sealing so the housing does not need to be too tight.

 

[CKN]

I know people who have had great experiences with this car-and others where even motors were replaced.

Curious for a car that at best is sold in very limited numbers. Hopefully-you get great service.

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by supton

You sure those problems are from driving it hard? None of that sounds like user error to me. I'd want to dump a car like that too, regardless of how I drove it.


I'm not sure, I always just assume how I drove it had something to do with it.

Originally Posted by OVERKILL
Definitely check the repair for the source of your noise. The Jeep recently developed a rattle and it turned out that the body shop that did my repair left a screw in the door

The Service Manager and myself took the door panel off and found it. We also found that they didn't properly seat the indirect interior light and it was flopping around in the door.


I've been meaning too, but then I get sidetracked lol! Sometimes I like to drive home from work with the radio off, that's the only time I can hear it.

Originally Posted by harbor
With regard to the lazy throttle response, try removing the ECU fuse for a few minutes to reset it. This is a common procedure on Mopars.


It helps, but most of the time I drive it nicely so it goes right back. Been thinking about getting a Sprint throttle booster so it's always like that.

Thanks everyone! Here's to many more miles!

 

[kkreit01]

It looks great. I was seriously considering these last fall -- as the incentives were huge. I'm currently on my 4th 3.6 Pentastar. I've never had an issue with cracking the oil filter housing. Torque spec is 18 ft-lbs/25 Nm. I follow it.

I agree, in "eco" mode, the throttle response is quite lazy.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by supton
Nice review.

Originally Posted by Skippy722
The 300 replaced my 2011 Durango Citadel AWD with the 5.7 HEMI. The Durango was great, but I beat that thing HARD the first year I owned it because I was young and dumb. Every year something broke... water pump (turned out to be a huge issue on 2011-2017 models), the brake booster failed (recall), the fuel pump went out at about 75k, the AC compressor seized and shredded the clutch, and the oil drain bolt seized into the pan. Turns out they have plastic oil pans, and yes it was torqued to spec. Thing had a brass looking bung that the bolt screwed into it. After the oil pan fiasco, we decided it needed to go, especially since it averaged 15-16mpg.

You sure those problems are from driving it hard? None of that sounds like user error to me. I'd want to dump a car like that too, regardless of how I drove it.

Agreed. I have and only will ever have, owned 1 Chrysler product. Basically, they are an MB for poors. You get 90% of the features, and 180% of the headache, at 50% the cost, and 0% of the brand prestige. I got suckered by that formula, and no more. Terrible experiences.

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by Ws6

Agreed. I have and only will ever have, owned 1 Chrysler product. Basically, they are an MB for poors. You get 90% of the features, and 180% of the headache, at 50% the cost, and 0% of the brand prestige. I got suckered by that formula, and no more. Terrible experiences.


So far I'm 1 for 9 on Chrysler's, though 2 of those are 2018's. So 1 for 7. 86% no issues rate vs 1 that I drove into the ground, I'm liking my odds and will continue to drive and love my "MB for poors."

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by Ws6

Agreed. I have and only will ever have, owned 1 Chrysler product. Basically, they are an MB for poors. You get 90% of the features, and 180% of the headache, at 50% the cost, and 0% of the brand prestige. I got suckered by that formula, and no more. Terrible experiences.


So far I'm 1 for 9 on Chrysler's, though 2 of those are 2018's. So 1 for 7. 86% no issues rate vs 1 that I drove into the ground, I'm liking my odds and will continue to drive and love my "MB for poors."

How many miles do you put on them?

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by Ws6

Agreed. I have and only will ever have, owned 1 Chrysler product. Basically, they are an MB for poors. You get 90% of the features, and 180% of the headache, at 50% the cost, and 0% of the brand prestige. I got suckered by that formula, and no more. Terrible experiences.


So far I'm 1 for 9 on Chrysler's, though 2 of those are 2018's. So 1 for 7. 86% no issues rate vs 1 that I drove into the ground, I'm liking my odds and will continue to drive and love my "MB for poors."

How many miles do you put on them?


2004 Grand Caravan: 185,000
2007 Caliber: 160,000, still has FACTORY CVT fluid
2011 Durango: 105,000
2012 Caliber: 96,000
2013 200: 50,000
2015 Dart: 55,000
2016 300: 54,000
2018 Charger: 5,000
2018 Grand Caravan: 45,000

Durango and Dart are gone... Dart was traded for the Charger. Not crazy high miles, but the van alone has survived 3 teenage drivers, plus the abuse my parents put it through. Basically used as a pick up truck, original engine and trans.

I'm not going to say Chrysler's are perfect, when you get a bad one it's pretty friggin horrible. I know people who had Darts with nothing but issues, while others rack up miles with nothing but oil changes. Next car will likely be a Genesis or a Kia, if they're still RWD, to be perfectly honest, but only because the turbo v6 putting out 5.7 hemi power without the 5.7 hemi issues appeals to me. Little tune and you get a healthy boost in power.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by Ws6
Originally Posted by Skippy722
Originally Posted by Ws6

Agreed. I have and only will ever have, owned 1 Chrysler product. Basically, they are an MB for poors. You get 90% of the features, and 180% of the headache, at 50% the cost, and 0% of the brand prestige. I got suckered by that formula, and no more. Terrible experiences.


So far I'm 1 for 9 on Chrysler's, though 2 of those are 2018's. So 1 for 7. 86% no issues rate vs 1 that I drove into the ground, I'm liking my odds and will continue to drive and love my "MB for poors."

How many miles do you put on them?


2004 Grand Caravan: 185,000
2007 Caliber: 160,000, still has FACTORY CVT fluid
2011 Durango: 105,000
2012 Caliber: 96,000
2013 200: 50,000
2015 Dart: 55,000
2016 300: 54,000
2018 Charger: 5,000
2018 Grand Caravan: 45,000

Durango and Dart are gone... Dart was traded for the Charger. Not crazy high miles, but the van alone has survived 3 teenage drivers, plus the abuse my parents put it through. Basically used as a pick up truck, original engine and trans.

I'm not going to say Chrysler's are perfect, when you get a bad one it's pretty friggin horrible. I know people who had Darts with nothing but issues, while others rack up miles with nothing but oil changes. Next car will likely be a Genesis or a Kia, if they're still RWD, to be perfectly honest, but only because the turbo v6 putting out 5.7 hemi power without the 5.7 hemi issues appeals to me. Little tune and you get a healthy boost in power.


So basically, 3 vehicles that were out of warranty, and one of them was a real lemon... Your batting average is a lot lower than you initially represented, the way I see it.

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by Ws6

So basically, 3 vehicles that were out of warranty, and one of them was a real lemon... Your batting average is a lot lower than you initially represented, the way I see it.


5 out of warranty. So 80% then. Doesn't change the fact the rest have been problem free so far

But hey, if they ever do I'll be sure to post here for you to say "I told you so!" because I'm sure anytime I post something not absolutely bashing a Chrysler you'll be there.