The Facelifted Chrysler 300C Is Now In The Philippines

The Philippines is unique among its ASEAN peers when it comes to the cars on sale. We are the only ASEAN nation with a left hand drive configuration, so what does a configuration have to do with us being unique? Well, apart from being the only LHD country, we are lucky and fortunate enough to have a huge variety of cars, and the Chrysler 300C is one of them. While available in an RHD configuration, it wasn’t until the second generation when the 300C became available to RHD markets, and now, the facelifted, second generation Chrysler 300C is now here.

The Chrysler is one of my favorite large sedans. It’s big, brash, and bold, and somehow, this large American sedan got infused with a bit of European soul, which isn’t a surprise considering Fiat now owns the Chrysler group. New for 2015 is a redesigned front end, incorporating a larger grille, redesigned Bi-Xenon headlamps with C-shaped LED daytime running lights, and in the rear, revised LED tail light graphics.

Inside, the Chrysler 300C also receives a few notable changes. Chrysler’s excellent and user friendly UConnect system remains unchanged, but the materials and build quality have been improved all around. The climate control and radio buttons have been redesigned for a more user friendly experience, and a new large LCD screen now sits in between the analogue gauges. Perhaps the most noticeable change is the omission of a gear lever, in place of a space saving knob, a design trait that first premiered in the Chrysler 200 midsize sedan.

In terms of safety, the Chrysler 300C gains a new Full-Speed Forward Collision Warning. Basically, the system can bring the vehicle to slow down, or come to a complete stop, depending on the speed. Unlike most systems, the FCW is active at all speeds, hence its name. A nifty new feature is called the Anti-Tilt feature, in which the car blares once it senses it is being lifted or jacked up. Other active safety features, such as Blind Spot Warning, radar guided Adaptive Cruise Control, and Lane Keep Assist, now being able to make steering corrections, remain as standard features.

Power hungry people, however, won’t be happy to know that the Chrysler 300C’s 3.6 liter Pentastar V6 engine is down on power and torque. The engine now produces 286 hp vs 292 hp, and 340 Nm of torque vs 350 on the previous V6. However, don’t fret because thanks to a new ZF 8-Speed Automatic Transmission with Sport Mode, shifts can be done from 400 milliseconds in Normal to 250 milliseconds in Sport, so those who are betting themselves on a drag race won’t have to fret, as 0-100 km/h acceleration times remain unchanged. On the upside of these things, fuel economy is expected to be better than the previous models.

So if you happen to have P3,550,000 lying around your big-ass house, you know where to spend it.