Week long test ride

[Bill K]

Last week I was on vacation in Arizona and rented a 2015 Chrysler 300C. After a week of driving mostly highway miles, plus some city miles, I've decided that there is no way that I'd EVER want to own that car. Of all the car's features, there were only two things that improved upon the Genesis' features. The first was a feature that unlocked the doors when you just reached for the door handle. The other was highway gas mileage.
The controls for the seat heaters and coolers were hidden in the touch screen Nav system. I prefer buttons by the shifter. Speaking of the shifter, the car had an 8 speed transmission that was controlled by a dial, that looked like the DIS controller. The transmission was jerky and wanted to drop down 2-3 gears whenever you accelerated a little.
After driving that car for a week, I'd prefer a base Genesis over a fully loaded Chrysler 300C.
I'd even prefer a Sonata.

 

[Cut-Throat]

And it's Ugly too!

 

[Ray J]

what good is a HEMI if you have to rebuild that hot potato every 6 to eight years.

 

[Aquineas]

what good is a HEMI if you have to rebuild that hot potato every 6 to eight years.

Are they really that unreliable?

 

[Bill K]

I had a 3.5L V6, but I hear that the V8 is a primitive OHV pushrod engine.

 

[FastDEW1]

This thread is pretty funny. I compared the Genesis to the 300C. I really went back and forth a while and decided on another Genesis (I had a 2011 before, now the 2014). But the Chrysler is a really very good car. The HEMI hauls butt and it is a long lasting reliable engine. The transmission is a fine 8 speed ZF unit. The navigation is way better than in the Genesis. And you can get cooled cupholders! It is a good car.

The reason I went for the Genesis is that it has more room, I like the look a little better, the handling of the Genesis seems better (although the ride in the 300 is nicer on bad roads), the Genesis audio system is better overall (less bass than the Beats though) and the warranty is really good on the Hyundai. I looked closely and almost went for the 300C but found for my needs the Genesis was a little better. But do not knock the 300C, it is really good.

By the way, the dial shifter is in my new RAM truck and it works very well. And the HEMI in the truck is getting 22MPG on the highway - not bad for a 400hp V8 in a crew cab truck.

 

[Aquineas]

Yeah I honestly hadn't heard anything about having to rebuild the Hemi, so I guess I was wondering if there's anything to that. Not knocking the 300c, but I love my Genny. Incidentally, I was checking out a 300 forum a few days ago, and they're just as biased, and in some cases uninformed, about the Genesis. Ah well, it is the way of things.

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I actually love the Chrysler 300 but I owned a 2007 bought new and had a pretty bad experience. The car looked great and was fairly luxurious for what it was - but service was bad and the car had issues... That was a first generation, however...

 

[Bill K]

I did not like the touch screen Navigation at all. You could pan out for a wider view, but it would jump back to a close view after a few seconds. I much prefer the Genesis DIS controller for the navigation. I did not like having to go through the menu on the touch screen in order to turn on the seat heaters, or use the rear window sunshade.
I like buttons.
Like I said before, I hated that rotary shifter, and think that the transmission downshifts way to much, in a "clunky" fashion.

PS The picture on the back up camera was poor.

 

[Ray J]

I know two 300c owners and the Hemi and tranny have a life of about 6 to 8 years before they start having problems.. Cooled cup holders.......cmon

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[FastDEW1]

Yeah I honestly hadn't heard anything about having to rebuild the Hemi, so I guess I was wondering if there's anything to that. Not knocking the 300c, but I love my Genny. Incidentally, I was checking out a 300 forum a few days ago, and they're just as biased, and in some cases uninformed, about the Genesis. Ah well, it is the way of things.

Exactly

 

[geops]

You guys are forgetting that you can get that car with lifetime warranty for the same price you pay for the 10year extended on the genesis. Also, check your information again, the V6 in the 300C is crap but the V8 is very solid.
Regarding gadgets - to everyone his/hers own. I personally love the rotary shifter and the transmission in the 300C is way better if you look for sportiness (compared to the gear hunting and delays of the R-Spec tranny). If you look for extremely smooth and slow-shifting tranny - then the genny one is for you. Seems like you drive the V6 Genny so you probably look for the latter and that is why you didn't like the 300C.

P.S. The same rotary shifter (almost the same) is in my favorite car - the Jag XF R-S with the same 8-speed ZF, just tuned a bit differently.

 

[FastDEW1]

Yes - I have the rotary shifter in my 2014 RAM. It is really easy to use and I love it. clears room on the center console for more storage. The truck manually shifts gears up and down on steering wheel buttons, but the 300C uses paddles.

The HEMI is very strong. It sounds good and is reliable and gets better MPG than our 5.0 does because of the cylinder deactivation. There is nothing wrong with the HEMI at all and they last a long time. The V6 I know nothing about.

The transmission in the 300C is the 8 speed ZF unit and it is super strong. But I find my R-Spec shifts great too and doesn't have any trouble with slow shifts as people have said.

Basically both cars are very good and closely matched. Thats a fact. They are closely matched and it is more about style and options, etc.

I loved the user interface of the garmin unit in the 300C. But the digging around for heated seats and such I agree is a downside. The graphics are great though.

The car I was considering had the Beats sound system which was very powerful but not as refined as the Lexicon. It had more bass, but not the clean sound our Genesis have.

I really like the pano roof.... but the read seat is much tighter than ours.

They are a good match up.

 

[Bill K]

Chrysler 300 2015 warranty.

Basic warranty: 36 months/36,000miles
Corrosion perforation warranty: 60 months/100,000miles
Powertrain warranty: 60 months/100,000miles
Roadside assistance coverage: 60 months/100,000miles

Slightly lacking compared to Hyundai.

41 less HP also. Maybe that's why the tranny has to downshift so much.

 

[geops]

Chrysler 300 2015 warranty.

Basic warranty: 36 months/36,000miles
Corrosion perforation warranty: 60 months/100,000miles
Powertrain warranty: 60 months/100,000miles
Roadside assistance coverage: 60 months/100,000miles

Slightly lacking compared to Hyundai.

41 less HP also. Maybe that's why the tranny has to downshift so much.

Basic warranty is lacking but again, you have lifetime option if you want to keep it.

Did you look at the torque? It compensates in that department: 394 lb-ft. I remember watching a magazine road test between the V8 genny and 300C and they actually picked the 300C as the winner (better handling, power delivery, smoother ride, etc.)

 

[Sal Collaziano]

I know two 300c owners and the Hemi and tranny have a life of about 6 to 8 years before they start having problems.. Cooled cup holders.......cmon

If the engine and transmission truly had a lifespan of only 6-8 years, Chrysler would be the laughing stock in the media. The media is always looking for a good story.

Cooled cup holders are a nice feature. Just like heated cup holders, heated/cooled seats and every other amenity that new luxury cars are getting these days. Cooled cup holders sound just as stupid as having a little refrigerator or refrigerated glove compartment or center console but keepings things like food and drinks cold, especially on long trips, are a very nice luxury for a car to have. There was a time when people thought power locks and windows were stupid. I mean, really - all you have to do is push the lock stalk down to lock the car - or twist a crank to open and close a window. Big deal. Right? How about that "one click" signal where it blinks three times? Just because the Genesis is missing a feature doesn't make it undesirable.

Not everybody clearly understands luxury...

In regards to the Chrysler 300 - it's a very nice car and a good competitor to the Genesis. The Genesis leans more toward luxury - which is what I prefer...

 

[05king]

I have owned 2 hemis and there is nothing wrong with them. And them only lasting 6-8 years (for a norm) is totally untrue!!

 

[Ray J]

SENSITIVE. Just look at the reliability stats enough said..and who says there not the laughing stock?

 

[svensk]

They're having issues with the new 8 speeds especially in the 200. The hemi and the old 5 speed are rock solid units.

 

[FastDEW1]

The 200 is a 9 speed auto.