Car: Chrysler Sebring Cabriolet range
Prices: £23,095-£25,195 - on the road
Insurance Group: 10-12
Emissions: 183-248g/km
Performance: [2.0CRD] Max Speed 118mph / 0-60mph 11.1s
Fuel Consumption: [2.0CRD] (urban) 32.5 / (extra urban) 50.4mpg / (combined) 41.5mpg
Safety: Twin front & side airbags / ABS
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height, 4930/1843/1482mm
‘BRING FORTH THE GUILLOTINE
Our Rating: 6.1 / 10
Exclusivity is guaranteed with the Chrysler Sebring Cabriolet although some will note that there are good reasons for its rarity. Andy Enright reports
For seven out of the last eleven years the Chrysler Sebring Cabriolet has been America’s best-selling drop top, but the market conditions that make it work so well on one side of the pond don’t necessarily translate here. In the UK, it’s a touch expensive and lacks the quality many buyers take for granted.
Imagine you and your better half had touched down at Miami International Airport. You’re feeling a bit second hand after nine hours in economy class, you’ve propped yourself up on your trolley for half an hour at baggage reclaim and undergone the aggressive inquisition that the Department of Homeland Security now imposes. The wait for the car hire shuttle bus, the tedious form filling in the hire office and the deciphering of instructions across the vast hire lot have all been tackled. Your car for the fortnight is a Chrysler Sebring Cabriolet. Things are looking up.
What works in Florida doesn’t always make the translation to the UK enormously successfully. Wet and Wild wouldn’t wash in Wearside and nor would fan boat rides around the Isle of Sheppey. Likewise, the Sebring Cabriolet looks set to remain a rarity on British roads.
Were fuel bills as inconsequential as they are in the States, the Sebring Cabriolet 2.7 would undoubtedly be the plum pick of the range. Powered by a V6 petrol engine that generates a lazy 185bhp, it’s mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox and makes a great cruising car for those not particularly enthralled by performance or handling and more interested in topping up a tan. As it stands, however, the majority of UK buyers who do choose a Sebring Cabriolet will instead opt for the 2.0-litre diesel option.
This 138bhp Volkswagen engine is far from the most refined oil-burner we’ve come across and although it is certainly punchy when it gets into its stride, it doesn’t seem the ideal engine for this sort of car. So there’s the dilemma. You either foot some hefty fuel bills with the petrol engine or you economise with the diesel and end up with a rather unhappy confection. On home turf, the Sebring makes all sorts of sense. Playing away, it has a much tougher time.
With the hood down, the Sebring Cabriolet is a fairly handsome thing. The brash front end with the hefty chromed grille is still something that will deter the introverted, but the gently rising belt line and the steeply raked windscreen give the Sebring a raffish look. It doesn’t gel quite so well with the hood in place, this model sharing with its predecessor a rather distended posterior. There’s room in the 356-litre boot for a couple of golf bags but the soft top roof steals a lot of space compared to the Sebring saloon.
The cabin of the Sebring isn’t going to give Audi any sleepless nights but by previously low US standards, it’s a decent effort. The clocks are softy lit in blue, while the infotainment system on the centre console will be familiar to anyone who has driven a modern Mercedes. Metallic coloured plastics dominate the centre console while the cowled dials, four-spoke sports steering wheel and two-tone trim on the doors act as small design signatures that lift the fascia above the mundane.
Two models are sold and both are very well equipped. The 2.0-litre CRD Limited model that will prove more popular comes as standard with heated front seats, a six speaker Boston Acoustic stereo, air conditioning, a powered boot release, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, power folding and heated door mirrors, ESP stability control and a tyre pressure monitoring system. If you’re really serious about music, or just easily bored, then the optional MyGIG music server and sat nav system will tempt.
The value proposition is a tough one to pin down. I would hazard a guess that most drivers will look at the Sebring Cabriolet diesel, but not for very long, before heading to their nearest Volkswagen dealership and laying down the cash for an Eos 2.0 TDI. The other very worthy recipient of £21,000 would be Vauxhall with the excellent Astra 1.9 CDTi Twintop. Both of these rivals seem better built and have the safety and security of a folding hard top. However, Chrysler
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