Plethora of entertainment options, dialed-in handling, unmistakable in its set.
Four-speed auto only for the four-cylinder? Cheapskates like quiet, too, you know.
It's Sybil does design. Which personalities sketched out the shape, and should they be banned from Starbucks?
You can think of it as Mission: Impossible 3, but you can leave the couch-jumping to the experts here. That's because the new Chrysler Sebring's task is merely to unseat some shoppers from the Honda Accord and the best-selling Toyota Camry and put their backsides in a Chrysler instead-not to transcend all levels of self-intoxication.
The Sebring is now in its second generation as a four-door and its third as a new-generation Chrysler mid-sizer (it started back as the Cirrus, if you can recall). But in this case it's a first: the first vehicle the Chrysler Group will build on the new D-segment platform that will also be used for the upcoming Dodge Avenger and more. In all, ten models will be built on the same flexible assembly line in Sterling Heights, Mich. -in which the Chrysler Group invested $500 million-including a new Sebring convertible yet to come
Chrysler hopes the Sebring will build on the momentum of the Chrysler 300 and the Caliber, though the former is beginning to slump in its golden years. The mid-size segment home to the Sebring is a huge one-it's good for 2 million units a year, representing 28 per cent of the passenger car market-and Chrysler has a small to nonexistent image in the segment.
All this explains the Sebring's grabber styling and long list of options, but does it mean that Chrysler's now reached the same lofty plateau of its Japanese competitors?
Range of motion
The second-gen Sebring hits showrooms in three models: Sebring, Touring and Limited. The base version will be available with the 2.4-liter four-cylinder world engine developed by DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi and Hyundai. It delivers 173 hp and has 166 lb-ft of torque. It's the same engine we also approved of in the Caliber.
The Touring gets the 2.7-liter V-6 with flex-fuel capability, meaning it can run on gasoline or E85. It has 189 hp and maximum torque of 191 lb-ft. Both the four-cylinder and this V-6 work together with a four-speed automatic transmission.
The Limited is the nicest, priciest version. It will be powered only by a 3.5-liter V-6 engine with 235 hp and 232 lb-ft of torque. This V-6 is mated to a new six-speed automatic transmission with AutoStick.
During our test drive near Palm Springs , we focused on the 2.7-liter Touring model. Chrysler expects the 2.4-liter four to be by far the most popular engine (80 percent of sales, they think). This engine will also be available in export markets, such as Europe , which will also get a smaller 2.0-liter four as well as a 2.0-liter diesel.
Practical praise
Riding on a longer wheelbase (108.9 inches), the Sebring is also longer overall at 190.6 inches, wider at 71.2 inches and taller at 59.0 inches than its predecessor. Predictably, interior space, especially rear leg room, benefits from the girthing up. But trunk volume goes up as well, to 13.6 cubic feet, which should be enough space to haul luggage for four or five people spending a weekend in the country, unless that country is Afghanistan or Iraq.
The interior also gets some flexibility through the rear seatbacks, which fold down to pass through to the trunk. The front passenger seat also folds flat, so that a long object (say, a boogie board, or Grace Jones) can be carried without having to borrow a buddy's pickup. The front passenger seatback can also be used as a table, if it's so inclined.
Thoughtful touches grace most of the Sebring's mid-grade-plastic interior. Yes Essentials fabrics upholster the base cars, and provide protection against microbes, static, water and dirt. The Limited comes standard with two-tone leather seats and a leather shift knob, while handsome tortoiseshell details are applied to the dashboard, door panels and on the steering wheel.
