Vehicle: 2007 Chrysler Sebring Limited sedan
Price as tested: CDN$29675

Performance: There are 3 engines powering the new Sebring. A new 2.4L 173hp 4-cylinder in the base model. The 2.7L V6 with 191hp or the High Output 3.5L V6 in our fully loaded Limited tester. To called it “high output” in this Sebring is an oxymoron simply because all these 3 engines don’t offer the same kinds of acceleration one expected from such horsepowers. Take our 3.5L High Output V6 for example. On paper, it has 235hp and 232 lb/ft of torque. That sounds like a lot. But in real life, its a complete dog that is very legthegic when pushed. Its also very noisy. Completely lack the well-honed refinement and smoothness that are so special in its Japanese rivals. Matched with this V6 is the 5-speed manumatic. The saving grace of the whole powerplant is actually the gearbox. Its tuned more toward the cruising with high gear ratios for 4-5 gears and low ratios for good low-end power delivery. Throttle response is so-so and gearbox has a tendency to jerk during upshifts.

Handling: Although Sebring received a stiff chassis for suspension system to hang on its place, it remains a disconnected driving experience. The suspension is soft and floaty at highway speeds. There are plenty of body rolls with heavy understeer when pushed. As for steering feel, its none. Featherweight and numb pretty much perfectly describe the whole steering input. Even though its turn-in is more than acceptable, its far from being precise. Not to mention its standard ESP kicks in abruptly whenever driver wants to enter a corner quicker. The trade-off of such a poor handler is a comfortable ride over smooth surface.

Brakes: The initial bite of the brake pedal feels soft and disconnected. Once pushed the pedal into the floor to activate the ABS system, it feels spongy. One has to take lots of efforts to put the Sebring to a compete stop due to its numb pedal feel. Simply put, its pedal feel as disconnected as the rest of the vehicle.

Interior: Although Chrysler tried to put as much painted aluminum trim in the interior as possible, it still can’t beat the fact that those are very cheap plastic. Like all recent Chrysler interiors. Everything else is covered with cheap, rock-solid, rotten plastic pieces from dashboard to door panels. Its just in the Sebring those hard plastic are painted aluminum instead of all black in Compass or Caliber. The leather seats, however, are quite comforrtable despite the lack of thigh support.

Even with the 60/40 split fold down rear seats, Sebring’s high trunk liftover and swallow cut-off make for an awkward access. You also have to be careful for the trunk to flip down during opening, due to the cheap hinges used to hang into the trunk.

Conclusion: Exactly like the Caliber I drove last year, I feel totally disappointed after driven the new Sebring. To describe this car as a piece of crap is an understatement!

OVERALL VERDICT FOR 2007 CHRYSLER SEBRING
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Performance: 2/5
Handling and ride/fun-to-drive: 2/5
Interior/ergonomics/user-friendliness: 2/5
Fit-and-finish/build quality: 2/5
Cargo/accessibility/layout: 2/5
Value-for-money: 2/5

Overall rating: 2/5