First Drive Review
Hoping that a radical redesign would do the same thing for its sleepy mid-size Sebring that the 300 did for the company
in the full-size class, Chrysler gave the Sebring an extreme makeover for 2007. Whereas the outgoing model was about as memorable as what you ate for breakfast last Wednesday, today's Sebring wears bold styling that has stirred up more than a little controversy. However, the car is undeniably better in every other respect, offering a choice of three engines, three trim levels and a slew of creature comforts never seen before in a mid-size Mopar sedan.
The inspiration behind the 2007 Sebring's styling is the slippery and beautiful Airflite five-door concept from 2003, which itself was inspired by the Crossfire coupe. Clear connections to the Airflite can be seen in the Sebring's straked hood, egg-crate grille, body sculpting, and stretched roofline. However, just as much was lost in translation as was kept when the big Airflite was shrunk into the Sebring, most notably the gorgeous boat tail rear end and fastback roofline. The result is awkward at best, just plain ugly at worst. Interestingly, Chrysler mentioned that among the Sebring's early design proposals was one that looked like a junior 300. That doesn't sound like such a bad thing, but they said it didn't work. And this one did.
More content
The story gets better inside. The Sebring's cavernous interior is an improvement, in spite of it being as frenetically styled as the exterior. Thanks to the Sebring's high roof and long, 108.9-inch wheelbase, there is plenty of room for four adults, five in a pinch. Assembly and material quality are light years ahead of the 2006 model, though still not on par with competitors like the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The Sebring is unique, however, in offering cool, white LED interior lighting in higher trim levels, something we're seeing pop up all over the Chrysler lineup. Outward vision is enhanced by a driver hip point some two inches higher than in the outgoing model. The only ergonomic nit we can pick involves the sliding center armrest, which blocks one of the cupholders unless it's in the rearmost position.
The 2007 Sebring comes in three trims: base, Touring and Limited. Base (read: rental-spec) models won't blow anyone away in terms of feature content, but stepping up to the Touring adds dressier satin silver interior trim, a fold-flat front passenger seat, and YES-essentials stain- and odor-proof seat fabric, which features a stain repellent in the fabric itself (as opposed to an upholstery treatment) that, we're told, is impervious to pretty much anything from ketchup to grease to exploded Sharpie markers. The Limited adds leather upholstery, tortoise-shell/satin silver trim, and one other nifty feature: a cupholder capable of heating your latte to 140 degrees, or chilling your soda to just above freezing.
All Sebring stereos have auxiliary input jacks for iPods and the like, while optional SIRIUS satellite radio, Bluetooth connectivity and a rear-seat video entertainment system all bring the Sebring up to par with the options list of its competitive set. Our favorite feature on the Sebring, however, which isn't available on any of its competitors, is Chrysler's new MyGIG voice-activated Harman/Kardon navigation/audio system, which includes a touch-screen, voice commands, available real-time traffic reports, and, best of all, a 20-GB hard drive capable of storing 1600 songs that you can upload from CDs, a flash drive, or even your laptop itself via a USB port in the faceplate. MyGIG also has a feature that allows you to upload eight jpeg photos, one of which can be selected to display as wallpaper on half of the display.
Mechanical enhancements
Similar improvements can be found under the 2007 Sebring's skin, starting with a body that is 1.7 times stiffer in torsion and 1.6 times stiffer in bending. Together with the numerous sound-deadening devices incorporated for the first time in the Sebring, cabin isolation from road and wind noise is excellent. The MacPherson strut front and multilink rear suspension is now firmer, creating ride-and-handling characteristics closer to its contemporaries such as the Saturn Aura and Mazda 6. Steering is a touch light, but reasonably precise.
Three engines are available for all Sebring trim levels, starting with a base 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder that produces 173 hp and 166 lb-ft of torque. Chrysler's expected volume motor, carried over from the old Sebring, is a gruff-but-adequate SOHC 2.7-liter V-6 producing 190 hp and 191 lb-ft of torque. At the top of the range is a SOHC 3.5-liter V-6 with 235 hp and 232 lb-ft of torque. The latter engine naturally is the most spirited, thanks in part to the six-speed automatic transmission with manual shift control (the others make do with a four-speed). Regardless of engine, no Sebring can be described as truly fun.
Perhaps the best news is the Sebring's price, which is lower across the board, starting at $18,995 for the base, $20,195 for the Touring and $23,995 for the Limited. All told, the 2007 Sebring is far improved, and, for better or worse, virtually unrecognizable relative to the outgoing model. Dodge's upcoming Avenger sedan wraps the Sebring's mechanical improvements in a more palatable wrapper. If you're a Mopar fan looking for something in this segment, we'd wait.
