2001 Chrysler Sebring Sedan

Optional 16-inch wheel package lends a sporty look and sharper vehicle dynamics.

The all-new Sebring sedan shares its architecture and platform with the new Dodge Stratus sedan. Developed by Chrysler's Large Car team, it will also carry the next Sebring convertible due in January. The Sebring coupe, and its Dodge variation, the Stratus, remains inexplicably a separate, but also totally new platform for 2001.


Four-wheel disc brakes are standard on all sedan models and offer good feel and sure stopping. With available ABS Plus stability control, and available side air bags, the Sebring sedan looks to be a strong value in the safety department.


Even the base 2.0-liter 4-cylinder found in the Cirrus has been upgraded with a revised 2.4-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder pumping out 150-hp and 167 lb.-ft. of torque. Chrysler has been working on reducing the noise and vibration transmitted into the passenger compartment from its 4-cylinder engines with good results.


The Sebring sedan looks longer and sleeker than the Cirrus because it is. A total of five inches of overall length have been added to accommodate styling cues adopted from the Concorde, such as the wide oval egg-crate grille. There are two trim levels, the base LX packed with standard features and the fully equipped Lxi. The LX comes standard with the 2.4-liter 4-banger and the 2.7-liter alloy V-6 is optional. Standard equipment on the LXi includes the 2.7-liter engine and the 16-inch wheel package.

Sebring retains the cab-forward design of the Cirrus, offering excellent interior room. LXi model features comfortable leather seating, sporty black-on-white instruments and an available AutoStick shifter that lets the driver manually shift through the 4-speed automatic.

Interior appointments are on par with most domestic competitors, but still not quite the quality of some imports. However, now that Sebring sedans are hitting the showrooms, fit and finish has improved from the early production pre-release models we drove. The instrument panel is a rather plain, linear design, but the black on white gauges (similar to those found in the 300M) are well-positioned. One minor quibble is the controls for the CD player, below and separate from the stereo, are set a few inches in from the rest of the center panel controls and require a bit of a stretch to operate. We're not sure why they aren't in line with the rest of the controls. Seat support is good, and the LXi's leather seating is quite nice for its class.