The Sebring fails on the second, and most important, count. Despite a nice-looking interior and an optional heated and cooled cupholder, the Sebring doesn't offer the performance or materials quality that competitors hadn't already exceeded when this car was introduced.
The Sebring was, not surprisingly, named by Consumer Reports magazine as one of the "most disappointing" cars of the year.
It does have obvious Chrysler design cues, like the series of lines running up the hood, but the car itself isn't particularly compelling.
The steering and suspension are lightweight and limp. The interior, while nicely designed, feels cheap.
Ultimately, a car like the Sebring may rely too much on a checklist of design cues, with not enough attention paid to genuine quality. "I really don't know what they're benchmarking against," David Champion, Consumer Reports' head of auto testing, said.
The Sebring does come in a convertible version available with your choice of a cloth, vinyl or hard top. That choice is one key feature that competitors have not yet come up with.
