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Walk Around

Chrysler has taken a daring tack with the new Sebring. While many car makers strive to carry over as much as they can of a new model's predecessor while still making it look different, the '07 Sebring's stylists tossed more than they kept of the previous generation's visuals. Even so, and despite the sweeping changes to the new Sebring's exterior, it's safe to label the redesign as more dramatic than radical.

Least startling in its revised look is the front end, although there, too, the changes are significant. The shape of the trademark grille survives but shrunken and positioned higher in the fascia. The car gets an honest front bumper, below which is a set of intakes, at least one of which actually functions to channel cooling air to the engine. Large, multi-element headlight assemblies fill the tops of the bumpers. The hood sports embossed strakes splaying back toward the windshield in a pattern intended to bless the Sebring with some of the sporty airs of the Crossfire, the Sebring's underrated, two-seater sibling.

The side of the 2007 Chrysler Sebring is decorated with creased character lines, a big change from the smooth flanks of the '06 model. Flowing rearward from the front quarter panels, these creases spread, expanding the distance between them and emphasizing the sharply outlined wedge shape of the '07 Sebring. Mild fender blisters circle the wheel openings. Body-color, anti-ding door moldings are optional on all trim levels. Side windows are framed in flat black. Door handles are body color on the base and Touring, chrome-finished on the Limited. Mirror housings are body color across the line.

The rear of the car is the most radical element of the Sebring's redesign, but it's radical in a contrarian way, showing more of a traditional trunk and bumper style than the '06's chopped off, Kammback-look. Where the '06's taillights bracketed the trunk lid, the '07's taillights bridge the seam between the lid and the rear fenders. A molded-in, micro-spoiler lip tops the trailing edge of the trunk lid, itself remarkably shallow, yielding a severely cramped trunk opening. The only jarring element is the inset backlight, which seems to be an effort, however futile, to enlarge the trunk opening while maintaining the desired top-to-bottom proportions of the new Sebring.

Interior

2007 Chrysler Sebring

The interior of the 2007 Chrysler Sebring is as dramatically changed as the exterior, but with a much more constructive result. Unlike the outside, which underwent the remake almost exclusively so it would look new, the interior is not only remodeled and updated, but it's also friendlier to driver and occupants.

The dash is less cluttered, much cleaner, with vast areas of seamless, gapless surfaces. Speedometer, tachometer and fuel level and engine coolant gauges are now clustered in three pods, down from the '06's four, distracting less from driving. Air conditioner registers are integrated into the dash panel. A nice aspect of the dash and center stack is they're laid out in a way that's inclusive of the front seat passenger, not oriented toward the driver, a factor that subtly reinforces the family-car personality of the Sebring.

The center stack houses the audio and climate controls, which are easy to use, a classic analog clock and, when ordered, the navigation system display. The center dash flows smoothly down into the center console, a single piece of nicely textured, hard plastic running all the way back to the raised storage bin that doubles as an arm rest for front seat occupants. Just aft of the shift gate are two cup holders. The rearmost of the two can heat (to 140-degrees Fahrenheit) or cool (to 35-degrees Fahrenheit) a beverage (when any of the option packages for the Touring or Limited models are specified).

The stereo's well-mixed, crisp audio did a decent job of masking the test car's ventilation fan.

Seats are comfortable, if a little short on thigh support, with soft, widely spaced bolsters. This bodes well for commuting, if not especially so for exploring the edges of the Sebring's performance envelope. The hefty steering wheel rim delivers good grip, although the massive hub and thick spokes could benefit from a diet. The high cowl cuts into forward visibility, but on the up side, the low-gloss dash top reflects little sunlight into the windshield.

The new Sebring is not the roomiest car in its class. It offers almost as much headroom front and rear as the class-topping Accord, but the Sebring's front and rear seat hip room and rear seat legroom trail all but the Saturn Aura. And only the Accord Hybrid has less trunk space.

The remaining storage compares favorably with the class. Besides the two cup holders in the front center console, a bottle holder is molded into each of the rear door map pockets. Front door map pockets are a bit shallow for anything besides maps. The glove box door is damped, so it doesn't bruise an unwary passenger's shins, but curiously, it doesn't lock, leaving only the trunk as secure storage. The bi-level bin in the front center console provides a power point, supplementing another in a covered compartment forward of the shift gate where the optional ashtray and lighter fit when ordered. A thoughtful feature: One power point is wired to the battery and on all the time, which is good for cell phones and such, while another power point is switched by the ignition key, which works well for radar detectors.

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