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The all-new Sebring convertible for model year 2008 is built on the company's new D-segment platform, delivers enough room for four adults and fits two golf bags in the trunk, but the vehicle can often feel like a catch twenty-two.
Drivers will get the plush of a nicely stitched leather job in the vehicle, but the folks at Chrysler are yet to refine the interior with a not-so-plastic feel. It would also be nice to have some unique interior design rather than a more-than-obvious, across-the-line Chrysler DNA, especially when owners allot sums north of $30k for the vehicle with all of its options.
The options however can be very welcoming. The all-new convertible also is the only four-passenger convertible to offer three automatically latching convertible top options: vinyl, cloth and a first for this new '08 Sebring convertible, a body-color painted steel retractable hard top, all of which can be retracted with a push of a button on the key fob.
The new model sports some cosmetics changes as well. The new wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer, and the car is 3.5 inches taller and more than 2 inches wider than the vehicle it replaces. Its overall length also is 3 inches longer than the sedan, which lengthens the side profile and provides enough cargo room in the trunk to hold two golf bags when the roof is retracted and not much else.
Three engine options power the convertible sold in the United States: the standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder world engine, an available flexible fuel vehicle 2.7-liter V-6 engine and our tested 3.5-liter V-6 engine coupled with a new six-speed automatic transaxle with auto stick.
The highest output 3.5-liter V-6 engine produces 235 horsepower and 232 lb.-ft. of torque coupled with a new six-speed automatic transaxle that comes standard with auto stick. The powerplant will help you launch quickly and confidently off the line, but will also make gas station owners happy. The Sebring's gas mileage was as good as my editor's eight-cylinder Chevy Suburban. With soaring gas prices, drivers might consider a deeper hit in annual gas cost with an EPA estimated $3124 a year (at $3.96/gallon).
Finances aside, Chrysler's convertible proved to be a safe option. The 2008 Chrysler Sebring convertible was engineered to have an extremely rigid body structure, which provides its quiet, comfortable ride, devoid of cowl shake, even when the top is down.
Compared with the model it replaces, the new Sebring convertible's body structure is substantially stiffer in bending and torsion due to very large sills. In fact, its new front-wheel-drive architecture and the three-box vehicle design contribute to a body that is 2.5 times stiffer in twist and 1.5 times stiffer in bending than the previous generation convertible.
So the latest generation Sebring can please some and rub others the wrong way, depending on how you look. If you can maintain its costs, then by all means, go ride--and have a great time--into the sun.
If you are more of a budget-oriented driver, you might want to consider some other, more economical options.
Base Price - $27,290
Price as tested - $34,450
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Daniel Souza can be reached at
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