» Get the best price on a new Chrysler Sebring Cabrio International Launch
Portland OR, USA
What we liked
>> Room for four
>> Cockpit serene at highway speeds
>> Drivetrain is refined…
Not so much
>> …but output is only adequate
>> Scuttleshake
>> Remote roof operation fiddly
Overall rating: 3.0/5.0
>> Engine/Drivetrain/Chassis: 3.0/5.0
>> Price, Packaging and Practicality: 3.5/5.0
>> Safety: 3.0/5.0
>> Behind the wheel: 3.0/5.0
>> X-factor: 3.0/5.0
OVERVIEW
Unknown Down Under, Chrysler's Sebring has been one of the world's more successful soft-tops. Limited to the USA and 'like' markets, in the last generation, the open-top four-seater won friends for its space and not unattractive face.
First introduced in 1996, it was updated in 2001 and was built until the 2006 model year. It was far from a dynamo in terms of driving dynamics and approached the early Saab convertibles and home-made Valiant soft-tops in its, err… flexibility. Indeed, it shook and shimmied with the best of them. But in an age that was dominated by pickups, minivans and Jeep 4x4s, it remained one of the more successful of Chrysler Group's models to the end.
But in 2007 open cars have moved on. Where once a manual canvas roof was enough, there are now electric folding cloth tops that are fully lined and insulated. Even more commonplace now are folding hardtops -- producing vehicles that blur the line between coupe and convertible. With this progress, consumers have come to expect levels of refinement and structural integrity that approach coupe models.
Enter the new Sebring Cabrio -- a car that Chrysler hopes will win the brand sales in markets all around the world. Based on the brand's new midsize sedan (more here), the Cabrio is in effect a discrete model. It's not only longer than the four-door, it's also a fair chunk of money dearer in every market.
Here it will launch within six months of the 'donor' sedan -- a new nameplate locally. It will be priced to target the current crop of smaller European convertibles, with an ace up its sleeve. At the time of writing Chrysler Australia is negotiating to offer local buyers a choice of both fully-automated cloth and folding hardtops Down Under -- a first in a four-place convertible.
PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
Our drive of the Sebring Cabrio took place as part of the international launch of the model. Chrysler has big hopes for the Cabrio as one of the marque's burgeoning range of global models along with 300C, the Sebring sedan and the new Voyager people mover. As such the Cabrio was unveiled to media from as far afield as the Middle East, United Kingdom, Russia and South America.
As the model is some months away from local release, pricing and final equipment levels have not been announced. Indeed, if our information is correct, they have yet to be finalised.
The lynch pin in the company's plan to target local open air favourites like the Saab 9-3 as well as smaller 2+2 seaters like Holden Astra Twintop, VW EOS and the upcoming Focus CC, is the ability to offer a choice of tops: cloth or steel -- both electric, fully-automated and able to be operated remotely via the key fob.
The Sebring sedan launched last month comes with a comprehensive equipment list including goodies like leather upholstery, front heated seats (the driver's with eight-way power adjustment) power windows, mirrors and doors with keyless entry, a premium audio system, climate control air-con, 17-inch alloys, foglamps and more. This is the case even in its base Touring model, and therein lies Chrysler Australia's rub.
Chrysler's local product planners want to kick off the Cabrio Touring model with a cloth top under $50K. However the factory currently reckons such a price point won't get Aussie buyers leather or all the goodies the $33,990 cooking model sedan delivers. Hmm... Don't think that'll work guys.
With the strong Aussie dollar and the solid performance of Chrysler-Jeep Australia, expect the guys and girls at Mulgrave to put the screws on the guys and girls at Auburn Hills and get the problem sorted before November. Indeed, if we were betting types we'd say the Cabrio Touring will land at just under $49K with an almost identical spec to the sedan.
Expect no such penny pinching on the top-of-the-range Sebring Cabrio Limited. That'll get all the goodies of the $37,490 Limited sedan (18-inch alloys, headlamp washers and a swag of interior and exterior fiddles) and then some. Expect the Chrysler's premium MyGig hard-drive based entertainment and navigation system as standard spec for the Limited as well the car's raison d'etre -- its Karmann-supplied body-coloured three-piece folding steel-roof.
MECHANICAL
Confirmed is the vehicles' powertrains: the sole offering comprising a 2.7-litre 138kW/256Nm fuel-injected petrol V6 coupled to a new six-speed automatic gearbox.
Far from new, the fuel-injected and thoroughly conventional 60-degree V6 engine is a Chrysler stalwart. No lightweight in sedan form, the Sebring-as-Cabrio gains around 160kg to top out at around 1800kg in steel folding roof Limited guise. Performance is not a strong point with the V6's modest output.
That said, in our short drive the combination proved smooth, quiet and relatively willing. It's worth noting that Chrysler's combination of the 2.7 petrol/six-speed auto engine/gearbox combination is unique to international markets. US buyers must step up to a 3.5-litre V6 to get the new auto box.
The '62TE' six-speeder is Chrysler's own and features adaptive software as well as the brand's version of Tiptronic, called Autostick.
For the record the Sebring sedan's four-cylinder engine is mated to a four-speed auto without Tiptronic. Thus part of the Cabrio's price premium needs to be 'allocated' to the drivetrain upgrade (it's not known when or if the V6 and six-speeder will make it into the local model sedan).
Though offered as a turbodiesel in Europe, it's unlikely the 2.0-litre VW-based powerplant will find its way Down Under in the Cabrio. Chrysler Oz believes (probably correctly) that Cabrio buyers are unlikely to accept the six-speed manual only gearbox the TDI engine brings with it.
Suspension, four-wheel ABS-equipped disc brakes and other sub-systems are all provided by the donor sedan. Check out the link above for more.
Chrysler made much ado about the Sebring Cabrio's improved structure for this generation, claiming it is not only 2.5 times stiffer in torsion and 1.5 times stiffer in bending than the previous-generation Sebring soft-top, but that it matches the latest BMW 3 Series Convertible in torsional strength.
We'll let the two car giants duke that battle out -- it certainly doesn't feel as stiff as the Beemer (more on that later). We can tell you that in comparison to the Sebring sedan Chrysler has positioned reinforcements in the rear bulkhead behind the seats and in the sills; adhesive-bonded, high-strength steel tubes are located in each sill and two sets of cross-braces are fixed in place underneath the car.
A roll-formed, under-rear seat high-strength beam improves side-impact performance, allied with dual-phase steel rear rails, tunnel reinforcement and the sills already mentioned. The A-pillars are also strengthened to provide rollover protection.
Special attention has also been paid to reducing NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) via the use of new generation sealants and adhesive bonding of components as well as measures to alleviate road, wind and powertrain noise and vehicle shake. The end result is a commendably quiet car -- at least on Portland's near blemish-free roads. We're keen to see if that same serenity translates to local conditions.
PACKAGING
Sebring sedan owners will be at home in the Cabrio. Up front it's pure sedan -- same dash layout, same hard surfaces and (alas) same shiny silver plastic. The whole cabin is too 'hard' for our liking, but at least the Sebring models have raised the bar for Chrysler as far as the quality of internal finishes (see sedan link for more).
Sebring Cabrio does bring something new to the open car market Down Under, however -- space. In terms of accommodation for four, the Chrysler is a considerable step up from all the small Euros and even the Saab 9-3. It also betters or effectively matches the Volvo C70 in critical dimensions.
A conventional two-door layout (Chrysler Group proudly states it builds the only four-door convertible in the world -- the Jeep Wrangler!), the Cabrio sits the front passengers a touch higher than you might expect from a soft-top matching the 'command position' H-point of sedan.
The longer doors provide reasonable access to the two-person rear compartment. And once you're in situ there's a surprising amount of legroom. However, the advantage the Sebring Cabrio has over the likes of the VW Eos and Astra is shoulder room. Two burly Aussies will fit, and they'll be comfortable even on a longer trip.
That's the same with the roof in place too. Headroom is ample, and unlike some other folding hardtops your passengers won't have to duck while the roof folds back. It's commendably quiet in the cabin too -- the soft-top is a triple-layer insulated unit and the hardtop features molded liner components for a classy coupe-like finish.
Thanks to the extra headroom, access to the rear seat with the roof in place is also better than average. This is aided by the fact you won't have to untangle yourself from the front seatbelts. These are mounted directly to the front seats and move with them.
The lines of both the cloth and three-piece steel tops are identical and give the car a handsome integrated, coupe-like appearance. The tail's a touch longer than the standard Sebring -- about 80mm -- but manages to avoid the l-o-n-g look of the Focus soft-top. Rear and rear three-quarter vision with the roof in place is also better than average. That said, we'd be optioning up to rear park sensors if they don't arrive as part of the Cabrio's standard specification.
As the folding roof operates, the boot lid does move rearwards a touch, though not to the extent of, say, the EOS. Operation takes 30sec and can only be done while stationary. The roof can be operated remotely using the key fob, but it's a fiddly process that requires a double tap on the appropriate button. We simply couldn't get it right. Owners may have the patience to train their thumbs -- we didn't.
There's no doubting the added utility folding hardtops offer. The Sebring adds to this with a reasonably sized boot that even when full of roof will still cope with two golf bags. With the roof in place, the boot is generous (around 360lt), even allowing for the bespoke storage for the optional windblocker which does such a good job of calming the interior when you're roof down and two-up.
There's no shortage of oddment storage in the cabin either. Rear seaters even get their own cupholders though they don't have the heat or cool function of the centre console unit.
SAFETY
Chrysler Group's marriage with Mercedes-Benz may have been dissolved, but the effects of the partnership will continue to be felt for some time. No more so than in the safety area -- almost every product from the USA brand now boasts an impressive suite of safety equipment.
About the only item that keeps the Sebring from being at the cutting edge of soft-top safety is the lack of any active rollover protection. Unlike the much more expensive Benz convertibles (or indeed Volvo's C70) there's no pyrotechnic charged rollover hoops. Nor does the Cabrio have the Ovlov's special door top side curtain airbags.
The Sebring does get four-wheel antilock discs with brake assist and so on as well as ESP with traction control. A tyre pressure monitoring system is also standard.
Front airbags are multi-stage units that match airbag output to crash severity. Front seat-mounted side airbags are also fitted.
COMPETITORS
As noted hereabouts, Chrysler considers the Volvo C70 and Saab 9-3 as competitors. It also counts Audi's A4 Cabrio as a car in the same consideration set.
Thanks to vagaries of international pricing and the Australian marketplace, the Sebring Cabrio is more likely to be compared with the Twintop, Eos and perhaps the Peugeot 307 CC. The forthcoming Ford Focus CC will also be lumped in.
In reality, all of the above 'affordable' cabrios released locally are based on C-segment vehicles -- what Aussies term small cars. The Sebring is a class larger than these (bigger than the 9-3 and lineball with the Volvo) and will deliver much more space for around the same money.
It should be an interesting stoush.
ON THE ROAD
Where it may not match the quiet, accomplished VW and cheaper Astra is in the driving experience. If you're after a sporty drive, you've come to the wrong place. The Sebring is a lover not a fighter...
The power output of the small V6 is just enough to give this heavy, upper-medium sized vehicle adequate performance. Thanks to the sweet shifting six-speed auto, the 2.7 is allowed to show its best, but its best isn't ever going to bother even cooking model local large cars in terms of straightline performance.
On the steep climb out of Portland proper and into the mountains that are between the Oregon capital and the Northern Pacific Ocean, the wee six and auto were working hard constantly swapping cogs to keep pace with traffic. If the powerplant and box weren't as refined as they were (surprisingly so!) it would have been annoying.
Points though, for the quiet and smooth delivery and also for the air management on the car. Even without the optional windblocker in place the cabin is a serene and surprisingly quiet place right up to and beyond the state's 65mph (105km/h) limit. And the good news is that both the cloth and hardtop versions were also commendably rattle and hum free -- roof up or down.
Chrysler's claims that the car's as stiff as the latest Beemer convertible are, in our experience, off beam. Even on the very smooth roads of the test route (we barely saw a divot missing let alone anything resembling an Aussie pothole!), there was no doubt this is a convertible. It's far from the scuttle-shaking disaster that is the PT Cruiser Cabrio, but you're constantly aware of the mirror shimmying and even on mild bumps the steering column delivers a sidewards shake.
Steering effort is higher than you'd expect from a Yankee cruiser, though feel is not. Ride is comfortable rather than sporty, but damping rates are suspiciously well resolved. Again, we'll be interested to see how the car translates to local roads.
If pricing projections are in line with reality, the Sebring Cabrio could be a surprise package for local Chrysler Group dealers. As an urban cruiser, the car should win friends. It's quiet, quite refined and delivers a unique blend of affordable open-top motoring for four.
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