The Last Real Chrysler 300 HEMI
The 2023 Chrysler 300 SXT and R/T models came with the 5.7-liter HEMI V8. It made 363 horsepower and 394 pound-feet of torque. That was the end of the line for this platform. No more 300 after that model year. Zero to sixty sits somewhere around 5.4 seconds depending on conditions. A standing quarter mile runs approximately 13.9 seconds at 102 miles per hour. These numbers come from real-world testing including multiple road tests published by automotive reviewers, not just EPA estimates. The EPA itself rates the R/T at 16 miles per gallon combined city and highway. The engine uses standard port fuel injection. It has an aggressive cam profile that keeps the valvetrain loud. I ran into an issue once where the intake manifold runners kept sticking open on cold starts. This is a known problem with these LA-based HEMI engines. You hear a rattling noise for about 3 seconds after cranking, then it goes away. The fix involved replacing the variable intake manifold solenoid and cleaning the runner pivot pins with white lithium grease. Cost was under forty dollars in parts.
What most people miss when talking about this engine is that the torque curve is actually pretty flat from 4,000 RPM to redline. There is not a massive torque hump in the midrange like you get on modern turbocharged engines. This means the eight-speed automatic transmission does a lot of the work in making the car feel quicker than its numbers suggest. The transmission shifts are generally smooth but can be hesitant at low speeds in normal driving mode. Switching to Sport mode changes the shift points significantly and makes the car feel more willing downshift on light throttle lift. Another thing nobody warns you about is heat management in the engine bay. The 5.7 HEMI in the 300 sits pretty far back in the chassis. Airflow to the radiator is adequate but not great when you are towing or running hard in hot weather. I noticed the temperature gauge climbing toward the middle when towing a small trailer on a 95 degree day on the highway. Turning off the air conditioning dropped temperatures back to normal within a minute. If you plan to tow anything with this car, install an auxiliary transmission cooler. The factory one is marginal for sustained loads. Real world fuel economy tends to be worse than the EPA rating unless you drive very conservatively. My best highway run was 21 miles per gallon at a steady 65 miles per hour. City driving averaged closer to 13 or 14 miles per gallon. The stop and go traffic kills the mileage pretty badly since this is a heavy car pushing over four thousand pounds with a naturally aspirated eight cylinder.
The engine is generally reliable if you change the oil every five thousand miles or less. The factory recommendation of ten thousand miles is generous. Sludge buildup in the oil pickup screen is a documented failure mode on high mileage examples. Spending another hundred dollars a year on oil changes will likely save you thousands in repairs down the road. Use full synthetic 5W-20 and an OEM quality filter. Aftermarket filters from unknown brands tend to bypass more than they should after six months of use. One final note on the 2023 model year specifically. Chrysler offered the 5.7 HEMI as an option on the SXT trim along with the standard 3.6 liter V6. If you are shopping for one, verify the window sticker or vehicle options code confirms the 5.7L engine since the exterior badges can be removed. It is surprisingly common to find 3.6 liter cars that someone has badged up as 5.7 models.
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