2007 Chrysler Sebring: another last chance
Chrysler used to own a good part of the market that is now dominated by the Camry and Accord; and while there are still American players in the solid mid-sized “default” family sedan market, Chrysler has been relegated to bit-player status for some time. The Spirit and Acclaim were often criticized but sold rather well; the Cirrus and Stratus (note Chrysler not very subtly displacing Plymouth at that time) were given many awards, but didn’t sell as well, and the second generation (now Sebring and Stratus) were fairly slow sellers.
Chrysler needs this generation to be a hit, at least by Sebring/Stratus standards, and they seem to have pulled out all the gadget/feature stops. From a hard drive based audio system letting your iPod stay at home to a refrigerated cupholder, the gadget freaks will find something to like, while those who sacrificed muscle for utility will probably appreciate the new six-speed automatic, with its nice low first gear for instant off-the-line movement. Yes, the 3.5 liter V6 has been detuned quite a bit from the LH and LX series, but it still has a good 232 hp and we suspect it’s good for quite a bit of low-end torque as well. Unfortunately, every model except for the Limited with optional 3.5 V6 gets a four-speed automatic, and the manual transmission has been completely dropped. (To be fair it never sold all that well in this series, but part of that was people not knowing it was there!)
The looks of this car, inside and out, have been subject to a lot of debate. So far, from what I can see, I really do like it, and I don’t say that reflexively; I think it’ll be just the thing for those looking to replace their Intrepids and Concordes, though the interior isn’t quite as nice as the 300M (then again, the price is a lot lower – or at least I assume it is.)
This one has to be a hit – or the twin Dodge Avenger has to be a hit. Chrylser has been in a small corner of this key market for far too long. It’s time to get some of those Accord sales back.
Click here for full details (with photos) of the 2007 Chrysler Sebring.
The execution comes off very well with a nice style. The HO option with the 3.5 seems aimed right at the Mazda 6, although maybe not exactly. The overall body just screams Mitsubishi Galant to me. That is certainly not a bad thing. Mitsu has been given a very bum rap for their cars. The corporation was mistaken in signing a contract with DCX when Schremmp was in control with his obvious blood sucking conniving ways firmly recognized by then. We do have to hope that the new Sebring is a winner given all the poor management decisions with production, sales, and storage as of late. Zuetsch has indicated that his goal is to eliminate incentives on DCX vehicles, however, it now appears that he will have to allow a whole lot of them across the board to get rid of the over produced back log now sitting inviting rust on many lots around the country. If things don’t pick up rather substantially and quickly, you might see the Sebring coming out with enducements to buy it. Not where we need to go here.
I agree wtih you across the board with your comment here. One thing he has to do is eliminate the yes-man, no-bad-news mentality so eagerly pursued by egomaniacal Schrempp, so that bad news gets acted on quickly and factories are slowed down isntead of kept full tilt pushing out unwanted vehicles. Also, I really hope they don’t do what they did with the LX, which is slap cash on the hood from Day One! There should be no incentives at all on brand new vehicles.
I’m not as impressed with the powertrain as I could be. It doesn’t seem bad, but the four cylinder will work against it in the public eye and gas mileage is not terrific despite all their own self-praise. The 3.5 should be a great engine with that six-speed automatic but I noticed they didn’t publish any sprint times (0-60) – perhaps that will come later. The 3.5 has been pretty significantly detuned for this yet still needs midgrade gas…
Had not noted the power train issue. With the later models, it seems that the 3.5 either doesn’t ramp up quickly, or the transmission seems to hold it back being not as quick as it should be. Given now as you say it has been detuned, this may not pan out performance wise as enthusiasts would expect it to. IF (big IF) that is the case, then marketing has yet again not done it’s job to meet what consumers are looking for. The four cylinder in our Galant is a great engine. It delivers good take off, and good mileage considering that it is loaded with options. The transmission is solid, quiet, and seems to know before I do which gear it wants to be in to deliever the drive I am seeking. It wasn’t the hot rod that the V-6 model was by any means, but I had gotten over that part some time ago. Of course the four burns REGULAR gas. I am not sure what the message might be with the 3.5 in the Sebring requiring a step up, unless it has computerized anti-knock that would cut the power back, allowing regular gas at the penalty of performance, as Mitsubishi does with their top line V-6. Then again that would be sort of an oxy moran to buy a “performance” engine and deliberately penalize yourself by going to fuels that wouldn’t perform…… but then maybe the transmission ranges will be right and help overcome any detuning inefficiences.
Overall, I like it (of course I also thought the last Sebring was attractive). I don’t understand some people trashing it for looking similar to the Crossfire. I didn’t think it was a secret that the design would be taken from the Crossfire. I am also fairly impressed with the interior. Those cup holders are definately a cool touch (just hope they won’t be a numerous reason for recalls).
According to the Chrysler website, they have done a lot of work to make the ride quality and noise level the best possible. I hope that is true.
I was considering a Ford Fusion, but I will be buying this car now, especially if the price is as reasonable as promised.
I’ll support your point regarding the stick shift & the outgoing model…I didn’t even realize one was offered, and I have the brochure!
Regarding the new one…I think I like it. The headlamp assembly does seem a bit large, and the tail end seems a bit busy. I like the interior despite the yawn inducing color pallete they continue to use. I think it’s a pity they completely have bailed on the dark interiors (was just perusing the ’98 Intrepid & ’96 Sebring Coupe brochures and admiring the classy Quartz interiors).
I’m almost ready to retreat from the losing front that is the desire for some color in the interior, and will settle for a return to the *option* of darker colors and the tans they used in the ’90s. At the time I did not like the tan options, but find they have more warmth than much of the current pallete.
The profile of the outgoing Sebring was a study in bland awkwardness, and the new one addresses it. Some call it busy; I think it adds visual interest.
It doesn’t take much to stand out in this segment; hopefully they’ll market this one properly.
Chrysler, along with the rest of the US auto manufacturers need to come out with a rear drive Sebring-sized 4 door. Gasoline price is a supply-demand issue and the US still loves the rear drive. (not to mention FWD issues with over 200 HP). Until some exec figures that out, we’re building to compete with Japan and Europe, not leading the way.
America loves rear drive? Have you SEEN Camry, Corolla, and Accord sales figures?
…and Civic too.
America loved rear wheel drive…25 YEARS AGO! Those days are long gone. How do you expect to compete with Japan using rear wheel drive when Japan makes front wheel drive??? Rear wheel drive is just a niche market.