2008 Chrysler Sebring Limited AWD. Click image to enlarge
Review and photos by Laurance Yap
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Toronto, Ontario - Chrysler made a big splash a few years ago with the introduction of the 300, its big, rear-drive sedan. It made a splash because the 300 was so great to look at, with a giant grille, chiseled flanks and chop-top roofline. But it made a splash, too, because it was so good to drive, with fine handling, great balance and the option of big Hemi power under the hood.
How though, to migrate some of that success into the midsize car arena, which is one of the biggest and most competitive in the country? Rear-drive doesn't really fly in this class unless you're a premium manufacturer, and the blocky styling cues of the 300 wouldn't really fit the proportions of a front-drive sedan with a long front overhang. What we get instead, in the Sebring sedan, is something a lot curvier than the 300 along with some detail elements - such as the hood strakes - from the Crossfire two-seater. Looks kinda fun, doesn't it?
Despite big 18-inch chrome wheels, the Sebring isn't much fun to drive. The controls all have a sloppy sort of feel to them, making the car difficult to drive smoothly or well. The brakes, for instance, don't actually start working until you push through a dead zone at the top of the pedal's stroke.
2008 Chrysler Sebring Limited AWD. Click image to enlarge
The throttle is tuned to be jumpy from a standing start, but requires a hefty shove for more power at highway speeds. The shifter squeaks reluctantly through its sporty shift gate. The steering requires constant mid-corner corrections and its looseness even makes driving a straight line a chore when it's windy out.
There was a time, when if you wanted a car to be comfortable, you had to settle for imprecise controls. No longer, though: vehicles like the Chevy Malibu and Honda Accord show that you can have both. Even sportier entries in the midsize-sedan segment like the Mazda6 and Nissan Altima manage to combine a decent ride with more driving feel and composure than the Sebring offers.
No complaints about the drivetrain, however. The Sebring's 3.5-litre V6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission work beautifully together, pushing the Chrysler powerfully and seamlessly along. The engine is powerful and flexible, as happy rushing from stoplight to stoplight in town as it is wafting along in the fast lane on the freeway. The transmission, too, is very responsive, downshifting quickly and smoothly when more passing power is needed. My tester was also fitted with an all-wheel-drive system that was largely imperceptible in its operation, shifting power to the rear wheels when the front all-season radials started scrabbling for grip. ABS and stability control give the Sebring an extra measure of security.
2008 Chrysler Sebring Limited AWD. Click image to enlarge
The Sebring is a comfortable car. It rides well (though a little extra damping would help reduce the heaving over big bumps) and the cabin is quiet, with little engine and road noise making their way inside. It's roomy, too, with plenty of headroom in my non-sunroof-equipped test car and generous legroom front and rear. The front seats are amongst the best buckets fitted to a domestic sedan; they're covered in two-tone leather and have wide range of adjustment. Combined with the tilt/telescopic steering wheel and good sightlines, it's easy to get cozy inside the Sebring. In terms of quality, the materials used in the Sebring are a step up from some of Chrysler's most recent efforts, but they still feel a bit cheap in relation to most of the Japanese models and are eclipsed by the Malibu (one really nice touch, however, is the use of tortoiseshell trim instead of fake wood as a design accent). Build quality is quite good, with tight gaps and no squeaks or rattles in my test car.
Feature content, particularly in the Limited model, is high. You get heated seats, automatic climate control and power assists for everything. The chunky remote key has a starter button for cold mornings. The cupholders can be heated or cooled. There's a trunk organizer that keeps your packages from skidding around inside.
2008 Chrysler Sebring Limited AWD. Click image to enlarge
Perhaps best of all is the infotainment system, which integrates an excellent Boston Acoustics speaker package with a CD player, radio with great AM and FM reception, Sirius satellite radio and auxiliary input. You also use the stereo head unit to operate UConnect, Chrysler's simple-to-use Bluetooth phone system, whose recognition of various voice commands is as good as anybody's in the business. It's also the most polite system in any car, interrupting the radio not with a buzz or a ring, but with a soft-spoken voice informing you when a call comes in.
It's that kind of car, the Sebring. There's a warmth, a sort of friendliness about it, that makes it interesting. The styling, for instance, is full of curves and swoops: a bit awkward in spots, but at least something more to look at than most mundane family cars. When you unlock the car with the remote, the interior lights fade on in a sort of opera-like manner, bathing the cabin in visual warmth as you walk up. The giant chrome grille looks like it's smiling and it's flanked by big, happy eyes.
In a week spent driving the Sebring, I was surprised at how many of them I saw out on the road. In its less-expensive versions, the midsize Chrysler is a good value, with strong engines and lots of standard features; people seem to respond positively to the styling as well. If you find most mainstream sedans a little boring to look at and are in search of something with a bit more style, the Sebring may just be your car.
