Vast optical differences - can someone help me out?

[DReffects]

Hey guys,

i am trying to get a new 300 for about a year now here in germany. they are being sold as Lancia Thema and i am sort of stuck with a few things one of you guys hopefully can help me with. As the car is simply being relabled i have high hopes...

1. When looking at pictures of the cockpit i can find two different versions:
The one from the catalogue:


yet on nearly ALL vehicles listed in online sites the steering wheel looks like this:

yak!
The lancia press area at Fotos - Fiat Group Automobiles Germany - Pressesystem features both...

2.
Both Pricelist and Catalogue do not tell what color the wooden stuff of the executive/luxury series has if you order with black leather.
Again, there are multiple variations on the web:
Black Leather, Gray Wood, Black Steering Wheel:


Black Leather, brown wood, dual color steering wheel:
http://www.comparis.ch/carfinder/web...w=-1&h=-1&rm=2

3.
I was told at one point that ALL cars would have paddle shifters from week 10 2012 on forward. unfortunately the german catalogue and price list has no information on this, nor do the dealers. yet i found pictures of recent 2012 Lancia themas with paddle shifters:

Also there should be a harman kardon sound group be available (rear sunshade removed if you choose it) but no info on that either. None of the dealers here has any clue about that. So i am really hoping to get some answer (perhaps from ChryslerCares ^^) on how those cars are actually built at the very moment. Of course i'd like to have paddle shifting, of course i love the dual color steering wheel with chome and brown wood with the black leather.

Is there some information out there on how the current 300 are built? I know this is a rather strange set of questions, but i am really stuck with the dealers here... one actually suggested someone has retrofit the shifting paddles and that he thinks that the wooden stuff is brown for sure as "brown is clearly the best choice". But.... uhm... that really does not help me - i need to know what kinda car i am getting upfront...



thanks
-daniel

[MADDOG]

I would go to Chrysler.com and try some option package configurations in the Luxury group and the 300C group. The steering wheel in the very first picture looks like a Luxury group steering wheel with the Poltroona leather interior option.

Right now, the only cars I've seen here in the US with the paddle shifters (which was still listed as an option) are the SRT8 300's.

Good luck!

[DReffects]

Well, chrysler.com lists all the features like harman kardon sound group, paddle shifters and stuff. my question more or les is: are really ALL cars with the luxury group built with paddle shifters and the nice steering wheel since march 2012 or are there still differences?

[phunter1]

I have a 2012 300C Luxury Series. It does indeed have the paddle shifters, was built in February 2012 and it was the first luxury series in California. The regular 2012 300C does not have paddle shifters. It is my understanding that the Lancia Thema is equivalent to the 300C Luxury Series, not the regular 300C. My interior is an exact match to the first picture, including the steering wheel. Interestingly, all of the pictures of the luxury series in the 2012 sales brochure have the same steering wheel as shown in the second picture, which appears to be a regular 300 steering wheel. I suspect that Chrysler decided to upgrade the steering wheel before production began. I have never seen a luxury series with the black interior, nor is it shown in the 2012 sale brochure, so I can't help you with the wood color. Likewise, I have never seen a car with the Harman Kardon 19 speaker system, but it was listed as an option in 2012. I have no idea was the 2013 changes are. Hope this helps some.


Phil

[DReffects]

Thanks Phil for your insights.
So you do have the Steering Wheel WITHOUT the chrome ring but it's a fully fledged Luxury Series Car? Just stumbled upon this video:

Chrysler 300 Luxury: Judging for Ward's 10 Best Interiors of 2012 - YouTube

Chrysler 300 Luxury: Judging for Ward's 10 Best Interiors of 2012 - YouTube

- he's testing a 2012 luxury series 300 and the steering wheel has the chome and two tone element.

[blk300limited]

When i scoped out the 2012 Lux series 300 a few months back it had all black interior and the wood trim was brown. I hope that helps.

[DReffects]

Originally Posted by blk300limited

When i scoped out the 2012 Lux series 300 a few months back it had all black interior and the wood trim was brown. I hope that helps.

Thanks! At least someone can confirm that this combination exists

[phunter1]

Hi DReffects,

My car is a full fledged Luxury Series and it has the two tone brown and beige steering wheel with the chrome ring as shown in the first pic. It does not have the monotone steering wheel. It is the same wheel pictured in the video. The car in the video appears to have a gray and beige interior. My car has a brown and beige interior. The car in the video is a six cylinder with the 8 speed transmission, which was not available in 2012. The Luxury Series was only available on the 300C with the Hemi V8 in 2012; at least in the US.


Phil

[DReffects]

thanks!