Chrysler Sebring Review

I have been a big fan of Chrysler and its Jeep and Dodge brands for bringing pizzazz and value for money to us price-gouged Europeans. But its new Sebring, designed to compete with the Ford Mondeo and VW Passat, just doesn’t cut the mustard. It looks bland, and the interior quality is poor.

Being excited by Chrysler group styling has become a given. Look at the Dodge Caliber and the Dodge Nitro. Jeeps have a certain lasting attraction. Sure, these cars have minor interior quality problems, but the sheer bravado of the styling has always cancelled out any doubts for me. If you had any misgivings, the prices soon overcame them. Imagine the impact if the Sebring looked like a mini 300C?

The Sebring is very well equipped, but the interior is awful. In the model I drove, the doors and facia were decorated with faux wood which looked like a leopard skin design. Chrysler liked it so much, the motif was coordinated with the wood rimmed steering wheel.

Woolly steering, lumpy ride
The Sebring’s steering was woolly, and the ride lumpy. The 2.0 litre diesel – (from VW) – was fine, but the 2.0 litre petrol seemed lifeless. Prices start at £18,000-€26,600 for the petrol, and £19,000-€28,100 for the diesel. The only available options are a paint job for £400, a satellite navigation system for £1,500 and a better one for £2,100.

I didn’t drive the 2.4 litre 162 bhp V6 automatic, which costs £19,000 too. This might be the pick of the bunch in terms of value. Chrysler claims it will return an average 31.7 mpg too.

All Sebrings have “Limited” trim and are loaded with goodies including ESP, fog lamps, automatic headlamps, leather trimmed seats, powered driver’s seat, tinted glass, air conditioning, and power boot release.

Chrysler says prices are 10 per cent below the competition. I don’t think that will be enough. Even the cup holder, which either heats or cools your drink (you just know it’s going to heat your cold drinks and freeze your coffee) won’t lure the punters.a

(more on Chrysler see - Dodge Nitro)

Neil Winton – July 12, 2007