2004 Chrysler Sebring Limited Sedan

The Chrysler people have been leading the domestic manufacturers in style and design for some time, and the Sebring sedan is a showstopper compared to some of the decidedly stodgy competition. Adorned with the cool Chrysler winged logo, which harkens back to days of yore, the look is one that's distinctive, handsome, sleek and clean.


A first impression upon getting inside is that there's a lot of room in here; this tendency for interior spaciousness is also becoming something of a Chrysler trait. There's plenty of room for front-seat occupants, but you'd expect that. What's impressive, though, is the amount of stretch-out room for those in the rear. This is one midsize sedan that does not require those who ride in the back seat to be no more than midsize themselves, nor does it require them to ride along with their knees tucked into their chins. And the trunk offers a generous 16.0 cubic feet of capacity, with the added convenience of a 60/40 split folding rear seat making it easy to stash in the occasional fishing pole or chair-rail molding you just bought at the home improvement store.


The instrumentation and controls are properly arranged for an easy reach, and the interior style is a match for the elegant exterior skin, as well. The instruments themselves are slick-looking white dials with black enumeration, and the up-level Limited gets wood-grain trim. One nit we'll pick: There's an eight-way power seat option for the driver's seat-standard on Limited-but we'd like to see a power seat availability for the front passenger seat as well.

The 2.7-liter V-6 is both quick and smooth, and it also has the muscle to deal safely and surely with maneuvers and merges.

Chrysler engineers have given the Sebring a chassis that's superior to much of the competition, and a fine combination of ride and handling is the result. The suspension sponges up the defects of highways that have borne too many big rigs and endured too many harsh winters, and does it with smoothness and control. Yet aim into an off-ramp and find out, a little too late, that it's a tighter corner than you might have expected, and the Sebring Limited will grab hold and deal with it. The Limited-and the Touring version, as well-are fitted with a firmer suspension configuration, with the addition of a rear anti-roll bar the base model does not enjoy. While we don't expect anyone will rush right out and slap some racing numbers on the doors, the Limited does offer a level of handling precision and response that's noticeably better than it merely has to be-and also noticeably better than a lot of other four-door family haulers.


The 2.7-liter V-6 is both quick and smooth. Ask it to make a nifty move across the intersection and it answers with sprightly performance and easy revs, and it also has the muscle to deal safely and surely with highway passing maneuvers, freeway merges and other potential issues of life on the road. And, driven in a civilized manner, it will return decent fuel economy; the EPA Highway number is 28 mpg, but take it easy on an Interstate cruise it might deliver more than 30 miles for each gallon.