Strong dollar gives Sebring edge

A strong Australian dollar has helped Chrysler Australia debut its new Sebring midsizer with all the bells and whistles and super-competitive pricing.

Launched in the south west of Western Australia this week, the Sebring arrives Down Under in just two specification levels and with one engine transmission combination -- initially at least. However, the strength of the dollar has seen the American marque generously equip the Sebring, including features such as leather upholstery and sunroofs as standard equipment.

The Sebring range kicks off with the Touring variant which hits the market at $33,990. Given the high level of standard inclusions, 'base' is not the term we'd use for the model.

The opening Sebring shot includes 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 and foglamps all as part of its standard specification. Also included is a trip computer, 60:40 splitfold rear seats, heated and cooled drinks holder and an innovative fold-flat front passenger seat.

Chrysler staffers describe the car as rivalling Toyota's grandest Camry, the $39,990 Grande in terms of specification.

An optional 20gig hard drive-equipped DVD, audio and navigation system is available as a $3500 option on the Sebring and addresses the key difference in spec between the class-leading Toyota and the US-built car, they say.

The top-of-the-range Sebring, the Limited is priced from $37,490 and adds more equipment to its off-the-shelf offer. Power tilt and slide glass sunroof, 18-inch alloys, six-disc in-dash and headlamp washers are all standard. The MyGig system is also optional on the Limited.

Both Sebring models feature four-wheel disc ABS brakes and ESP and traction control as standard equipment. The active safety suite is augmented by multi-stage front passenger and driver airbags, side thorax bags and front and rear side curtain bags on both models.

Though Chrysler was expected to offer V6 petrol and four-cylinder turbodiesel powerplants at launch, the sole powertrain (for the moment) is the jointly developed (with Hyundai and Mitsubishi) 2.4-litre DOHC fuel-injected petrol four used on both the Dodge Calibre and Jeep Compass. In the Sebring it is matched to a conventional four-speed (non CVT) automatic transmission.

Rated at 125kW/220Nm the engine yields a claimed combined fuel economy figure of 8.9lt/100km.

Chrysler Australia chief Gerry Jenkins says the company has limited the powertrain offering initially to "remove complexity and allow the car to gain traction in the local marketplace".

"Both the 2.0-litre diesel and the 2.7 V6 are available to us but we haven't brought them in yet. We're going to try and make a go [of the 2.4-litre four], reduce the complexity [of the offer] and see how we fare," he said.

Chrysler has set a minimum sales target for the Sebring of 1200 units per annum. This is less than two cars per Aussie dealer per month -- a conservative aim. By way of comparison Mazda regularly sells more than 1000 Mazda 6 each month.

Jenkins said he expected the new car would 'steal' sales from the existing midsize market players. The models in Sebring's sights include the Honda Accords (Euro and VTi-L), Mazda 6, Subaru Liberty and Volkswagen Passat. Both Toyota's Camry range and the new Holden Epica were studiously avoided in the product comparisons at the launch presentation.

"We feel we'll be able to take some business away from the models already in the segment. The Sebring is one of the few cars in the segment that has some panache and got some style. For the customer that's looking for something that speaks to their personality, we think this car stands out."

Jenkins said Camry was more a fleet vehicle. Sebring, he stated would be more focussed on the retail customer.

The Sebring will be joined later this year by its Dodge equivalent, the Avenger. It's expected that this model will arrive with a lower standard equipment model and challenge the magic $30K mark.

Look for The Carsales Network's launch review of the new Chrysler Sebring soon.