Everybody's inner gangster just got a fantastic Christmas present—a full first look at the newly revamped 2011 Chrysler 300. The 300 has been largely unchanged since its production debut in 2005, when it proved to be a smash hit for Chrysler. Now that we're six model years, two corporate sales and a bankruptcy later, it's definitely time for the brand's range-topper to get some attention.
As with nearly every Chrysler product conceived and produced during the Daimler-Chrysler years, the first thing that needed to go was the interior. Nothing inside carries over and with good reason—the interior furnishings were the car's weak point. In place now is a meticulously updated cabin emphasizing high-quality construction with soft-touch plastics, real-wood appliqués, generous chrome and optional ventilated Napa leather seats. Gone are the previous car's awkward controls and ergonomics for a massive, optional 8.4-inch touchscreen with U-connect in-car Wi-Fi and modernized telematics complemented by a very handsome set of blue gauges. New to the car is optional adaptive cruise control, which has a forward-looking camera situated under the new and still-enormous chrome grille.
Flanking that grille is a set of striking projector-beam headlights featuring a row of LEDs in a C arrangement, nodding to the car's brooding uplevel model. The chopped-top cabin is smoothed out with a snazzy outline of chrome around the side windows, and the windshield has been laid back to improve aerodynamic performance. The prodigious wheel flares remain a hallmark of the 300 design and the car nestles over optional polished 20-inch wheels. Round back there's now a lip spoiler pressed into the trunk lid underscored by the new corporate logo and another wide swath of chrome.
Motivation will likely match its platform mate, the 2011 Dodge Charger, with an all new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 delivering around 292 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque to a carry-over five-speed automatic transmission. Expect this transmission to be short-lived as an all-new transmission is on the way (possibly boasting seven gears). The high-powered 300C model will be delivering more grunt via a 5.7-liter Hemi V8, but that's a story for another day.
