It hasn’t been an easy couple of years for Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge, as any Portage used Jeep Wrangler dealer will tell you, but due to a serious a commitment to fixing the brand and crawling out of the depths of recession we’re really starting to see these three American brands rise from the ashes like a glorious phoenix. While the new Wrangler has helped Jeep get back on its feet, and the Charger has been largely responsible for Dodge’s resurgence, the automobile that could mean the most for Chrysler in the coming year is the 2011 300, which not only is getting a facelift but an engine overhaul as well.
In Portage, used cars sometimes get a bad name, especially ones manufactured by the automakers listed above. However, while the old 300 may have been chastised as getting more use at car rental places than by actual buyers, the new one is a completely gorgeous, functional, and desirable car.
It all starts with the new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine, which will replace the old 2.7-liter and SOHC 3.5-liter V6 engines of the past. That, as the base engine, can get up to 290hp, and optional upgrades to bigger and stronger V8s can produce as much as 430hp. Despite all that power, EPA estimates for fuel economy top out at 28mpg on the highway—a more than respectable number for a non-hybrid vehicle of that size with that kind of engine.
Also notable is that the new 300 will be built on Chrysler’s new LY architecture, which replaces the old LX chassis from when the company was still under the Daimler banner. While some aspects of the current framework of the vehicle will be carried over to the new version of the car, for the most part we’re looking at a completely new vehicle from the ground up.
Outside it looks like a completely new animal, too, with only remnants of its former self visible to the naked eye. It’s a complete reworking that gives Chrysler an automobile they can get behind as they attempt to bury the frustrations of the last couple of years. The 300 may not have been one of America’s favorite cars in the past, but it’s got a good chance to become one of them now that it’s been overhauled. Just see it for yourself. You’ll hardly believe your eyes.