2022 Honda Civic Hatchback vs 2023 Chrysler 300

Hatchback popularity had its ups and downs, and with consumers gravitating towards small crossover SUVs, hatchbacks were on a downward trend. Automakers like Ford, General Motors, Hyundai Motor Group, and Nissan had removed them from their U.S. lineups. Even the Volkswagen Golf, a staple in America since 1975, exited the States in 2022. Honda saw this as an opportunity and redesigned the 2022 Civic hatchback to capture a significant share of the remaining market. Produced in Indiana, it was one of the few compact cars still made in the U.S. The new Civic hatchback was also expected to serve as the foundation for the revived 2023 Acura Integra, potentially sparking a hatchback renaissance.

The 2022 Civic hatchback needed to prove itself first. Based on a week of driving, it was more appealing than most of its rivals but still had room for improvement. Honda offered the Civic hatch in LX, Sport, EX-L, and Sport Touring trims, with prices ranging from $22,900 to $29,400, plus a $1,015 destination charge. The test cars driven were both Sport Touring trims, one with a CVT and the other with a six-speed manual transmission. The new hatchback resembled the Civic sedan from the front doors forward but had a unique design from the rear doors back. The interior featured sophisticated digital instrumentation and infotainment displays, with high-quality controls and a modern appearance, though the CVT shifter operation was slightly janky.

When Chrysler introduced the 300 sedan in 2005, it was likened to a Bentley due to its round headlights, bold grille, and stately proportions. The stark difference between the new 300 and the old 300M lent instant credibility to the Bentley comparison. Chrysler reworked the 300 in 2011, updating powertrains, technologies, and other enhancements over the years. Despite its age, the 300's styling aged well, with every trim level available in a blacked-out appearance with large 20-inch wheels.

For its final production year, the 2023 300 was available in Touring, Touring L, 300S, and 300C trims. The Touring and Touring L had a V6 engine with RWD or AWD options, while the 300S offered a V6 or V8 engine with RWD. The limited-edition 300C featured a powerful V8 and RWD, priced at $56,595. The 300C came fully loaded with significant performance enhancements, making it a bargain. However, the interior quality did not match the exterior's luxury promise, with carbon-fiber trim, premium Laguna leather upholstery, and cowhides covering parts of the cabin. The rest of the interior felt its age and price.

The 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback offered two engine options. The LX and Sport trims had a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 158 horsepower and 138 pound-feet of torque. The LX came only with a CVT, while the Sport offered a choice between the CVT and a six-speed manual transmission. The EX-L and Sport Touring trims featured a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine with 180 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque, available with either transmission. All models were front-wheel drive, with no AWD option. The Sport and Sport Touring trims had 18-inch wheels with 235/40 Continental all-season tires, while the LX had 16-inch wheels, and the EX-L had 17-inch wheels.

The CVT worked well with the turbocharged engine, with paddle shifters on the Sport and Sport Touring models providing a more traditional transmission feel. The six-speed manual transmission was a highlight, offering short throws, fluid gear engagement, and excellent clutch modulation. The Civic hatchback's suspension tuning was firm yet comfortable, and the steering and brakes felt good. However, the all-season tires and brakes were not up to the task of aggressive driving on winding roads. Despite this, the Civic hatchback was enjoyable to drive and delivered good fuel economy, with real-world testing nearly matching the EPA estimates.

The 2023 Chrysler 300C revived the performance of the 300 SRT with a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 engine producing 485 horsepower and 475 pound-feet of torque. The power was sent to the rear wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission with a Sport mode and paddle shifters. Chrysler claimed a 0-60 mph time of 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 160 mph. The 300C also featured an adaptive damping suspension, Brembo brakes, and performance tires on lightweight forged aluminum wheels. Driving modes allowed customization of drivetrain response, steering effort, suspension firmness, and exhaust sound.

The 300C's performance was impressive, with a Germanic sensation in the ride and handling reminiscent of a mid-1990s Mercedes-Benz E-Class. However, the cabin noise from the exhaust and the fuel economy, rated at 18 mpg combined, were drawbacks. The 300C averaged 17.5 mpg during testing, similar to a full-size pickup truck.

The 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback excelled in functionality, with a 24.5 cubic-foot trunk and a two-piece cargo shade. The back seat was a 60/40-split folding design, though the load floor was not flat. All seating positions were comfortable, but the front passenger seat lacked a height adjuster, and there were no rear air conditioning vents. The driver’s seat had eight-way power adjustment, and both front seats were heated. The interior featured black fabric seats in LX and Sport trims, while the EX-L and Sport Touring had black leather upholstery. Automatic climate control was standard, with a dual-zone system in the EX-L and Sport Touring.

The 2023 Chrysler 300 felt like a full-size car only in the front seats, which offered adequate power adjustments, premium Laguna leather, heating, and ventilation. The back seat was less comfortable due to hard plastic front seatbacks and a slouch-promoting backrest angle. However, it had air conditioning vents, heated outboard cushions, and charging ports. Storage space was limited, with no slot or tray for a modern smartphone or wireless charging. The trunk offered 16.3 cubic feet of cargo space with enclosed lid hinges.

The 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback featured a new infotainment system with a 7-inch touchscreen, physical knobs, and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in LX, Sport, and EX-L trims. The Sport Touring trim added a 9-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, wireless smartphone charging, navigation, and a 12-speaker Bose audio system. The digital instrumentation included a 7-inch screen with an analog speedometer, while the Sport Touring had a 10.2-inch display panel.

The 2023 Chrysler 300 used the previous-generation Uconnect infotainment system with an 8.4-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, and Guardian connected services. The 300C also had a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system and an SRT Dashboard for performance settings. The system had physical knobs for volume and tuning, and the primary climate controls were separate from the touchscreen. However, accessing seat heating and ventilation required using the touchscreen. The 300C lacked a surround-view camera system and had a low-resolution reversing camera.

The 2022 Honda Civic Hatchback came with the Honda Sensing suite of safety features, including adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, Road Departure Mitigation, and Lane Keeping Assist. New features included low-speed following and Traffic Jam Assist, available only with the CVT. Blind-spot warning and rear cross-traffic warning were available in EX-L and Sport Touring trims. The Civic hatchback earned a "Top Safety Pick+" rating from the IIHS.

The 2023 Chrysler 300 offered optional safety features in the Safety Tec Plus Group, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and adaptive cruise control. The lane-keeping assist system was useful, but the adaptive cruise control was less sophisticated. The 300 performed well in NHTSA tests but received a Marginal rating in the IIHS moderate-overlap frontal-impact test and Poor headlight performance.