Review: 2007 Chrysler Sebring Sedan - A stylish four-door
by Bob Plunkett
A looped route, swooping into Oregon's picturesque Columbia River Gorge, quickly reveals the taut handling characteristics and precise road manners of a new mid-size sedan from Chrysler.
It tackles sets of curves with the sure-grip posture of a sporty machine, then delivers an instant kick each time you tap the throttle.
Despite the sporty attitude, Chrysler's newest car wears an independent suspension system tuned to favor a smooth ride quality, and the passenger compartment, padded and insulated, amounts to a plush space lined with stylish appointments and clever accessories.
The vehicle, fitting in the mid-size segment of four-door sedans, bears a familiar badge under the Sebring name but it seems fresh and different because of a complete make-over for 2007. The re-do produces a shapely new body that blends styling points of Chrysler's 300 series of full-size sedans and the racy Crossfire sports coupe.
Check that bold face. There's a dominating egg-crate grille in chrome with glimmering corner-mounted quad headlamp clusters and a sculpted hood scored by lines strafing across the top. Sebring's silhouette shows brief overhangs in front and back, bold wheel arches and flanks chiseled with more strafing lines that suggest swift movement.
The windshield tips to the extreme to enhance aerodynamic efficiency and flows into a long arch for the roof canopy before tapering to a curt tail.
Sebring as a sedan splits into three versions -- entry-model Sebring, the upscale Touring edition and a deluxe Limited -- and each adds exterior trim elements for differentiation.
For instance, there are dual exhaust pipes with chrome tips on the tail of Sebring Limited as a clue to this version's souped-up powertrain. Chrysler offers three different engines to motivate the new Sebrings -- one for each issue.
Sebring the price-leader entry edition totes a 2.4-liter four-in-line plant with dual variable valve timing (VVT) to generate 172 hp at 6000 rpm plus torque of 165 lb-ft at 4400 rpm. The four-pack ties to a four-speed automatic transaxle.
This engine earns Sebring's highest fuel economy numbers -- up to 31 mpg for highway cruising.
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Sebring Touring scores a V6 engine and a different four-speed automatic. This plant, displacing 2.7 liters off an aluminum block with single-cam configuration, delivers 190 hp at 6400 rpm with the torque pegged to 190 lb-ft at 4000 rpm. Despite the boosted output, the V6 still achieves good fuel economy numbers (22 mpg city/29 mpg highway) and runs on regular-grade gas.
Sebring's strongest powertrain drops into the deluxe Limited edition. The single-cam 3.5-liter V6 produces 235 hp at 6400 rpm and 232 lb-ft of torque at 4000 rpm. It ties to a new six-speed automatic available with Chrysler's AutoStick for manual shift control. With the larger V6, mid-grade fuel (89 octane) is recommended and the fuel economy figures decline to 19 mpg city/28 mpg highway.
Different brake components go with each powertrain. For entry-level Sebring, the brakes consist of front discs and rear drums with the option of an anti-lock brake system (ABS). For Sebring Touring, brakes upgrade to a disc at every wheel and standard ABS. For Sebring Limited, the four-wheel disc brakes include ABS plus options for a non-skid device called electronic stability program (ESP) linked with a traction control system (TCS).
But all versions of Sebring stock a significant content of passive safety gear, including a lot of air bags. There are frontal air bags and seat-mounted side air bags for front seats and curtain-style air bags stretching the length of the cabin above all outboard seats.
Sebring's airy cabin sparks with stylish appointments in two-tone highlights.
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Two bucket seats stand on either side of a central console. Seat height is elevated about 2.5 inches higher than in the previous cabin so riders sit in a raised position and get an enhanced view of the road. The back of the front passenger bucket folds forward to form a flat horizontal surface, and backs of the rear seat, divided into two separate sections, also fold for access to the spacious trunk. Long cargo items can be stacked on top of these folded seats and stretched from dash to trunk.
Clever concepts make life comfortable inside Sebring:
- A cupholder in the front console has hot/cold elements to keep a beverage piping hot or nearly freezing.
- LED (light-emitting diode) high-focus white lights are available to spotlight cabin areas.
- An auxiliary audio input jack is provided on all audio kits for connecting a personal MP3 player.
- Sliding armrest -- to fit a petite driver.
- Optional remote starter to fire up the cabin heater or air conditioner.
- Optional Harmon/Kardon audio and information system which includes a dashboard touch-screen interface to control a 20-gigabyte hard drive for music and video storage.
- Optional USB (universal serial bus) port for transferring WMA, MP3 and JPEG files to the 20-gig hard drive.
- Optional UConnect for hands-free wireless voice communication with a cell phone using Bluetooth technology.
Chrysler undercuts price points for this new Sebring.
The MSRP for a base edition Sebring tallies to $18,320 plus a $675 delivery fee. MSRP for Sebring Touring runs to $19,520, while the Limited begins at $23,320.
| 2007 Chrysler Sebring |
Description: |
Mid-size 4-door sedan |
Model options: |
Sebring
Sebring Touring
Sebring Limited
|
Engine size: |
DOHC 2.4L I4
SOHC 2.7L V6
SOHC 3.5L V6
|
Transmission: |
2.4: Auto/4/40TES
2.7: Auto/4/41TES
3.5: Auto/6/AutoStick/62TE
|
Wheelbase: |
108.9 inches |
Overall Length: |
190.6 inches
|
Rear/Front Drive: |
Front |
Braking: |
Power disc/drum/opt. ABS
Power 4-disc/ABS
Power 4-disc/ABS/ESP/TCS
|
Air bags: |
2 (front) 2 (side) 4 (side curtain)
|
Fuel Economy: |
2.4: 23/31 mpg
2.7: 22/29 mpg
3.5: 19/28 mpg
|
MSRP: |
Sebring: $18,320
Touring: $19,520
Limited: $23,320
|
