2004 Chrysler Sebring: Sure it's a Convertible, but is it Cool?
Written: Apr 26 '04 (Updated Apr 27 '04)
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Pros: Convertible top, cute exterior...
Cons: Not reliable, very scant on trunk space, no power, not reliable, bad stereo...
The Bottom Line: While the Sebring Convertible is cute from the exterior, it is mechanically inferior and seems to have been eliminated from the R&D process...
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| lambchops's Full Review: 2004 Chrysler Sebring Convertible |
It only made sense to rent a convertible while on vacation in Florida. With little choice in models, I settled for a 2004 Chrysler Sebring Convertible. Simply put, the car looks great from the outside but is severely lacking when it comes to power, interior, and overall mechanical stability.
The model I drove around sunny Florida was Stone White with all the bells and whistles offered by the Touring package. There are a total of five models of the Sebring Convertible—two “better” and two “worse” than the Touring. In the context of my vacation I found the car to be fine but by no means outstanding and by no means a performance machine. It was merely fun—and considering the extra cash I plopped down on it I can’t help but be a bit under whelmed by the whole thing.
I’ve always admired the Sebring Convertible from afar. Never having ridden in any past or present model, I was unaware of the (many) shortcomings but still I found it hard to resist the car’s sleek good looks. It’s a large convertible as opposed to something like a Mazda Miata or a Porche Boxter but the size does not compensate for the problems. The car was generally comfortable in the front seat with both the top up and top down but the back seat was a bit confining when it wasn’t in the convertible form. As driver, I found the leather seat to be decently comfortable but not outstanding. If I were any taller, I would have felt cramped in the vehicle—but as a 5'10" woman there was ample room.
Speaking of size, the Sebring had a tiny trunk. We’re talking miniscule to the point that we couldn’t fit two traveling carry-on pieces of luggage in the trunk. We actually had to put our luggage (which isn’t even that large) in the back seat. The trunk capacity is paltry for the large-ish car at just 11.3 cubic feet. Adding insult to injury, the convertible top actually impedes the use of much of that space—then again I might be a wee bit spoiled by my own Impala LS’s huge trunk with something over 18 cubic feet of space.
Had it not been for the bad handling and strange stalling episode, I could have probably given the Sebring Touring Convertible a positive rating based solely on the fun factor. But as driver I had to take into account a few things that the passengers may have not noticed. First and foremost the car had zero power. We rented it with approximately 5000 miles. That’s not too outrageous. Though the 2.7 liter V6 didn’t have any pick up despite boasting 200 horsepower. Again, I’m spoiled by my own Impala but one would think that a car that retails for nearly $30k would have some amount of power. Speaking of power, the car just randomly stalled while in a parking lot. That makes me question whether I would be willing to take it on a long trip and have confidence in its reliability.
Other strange things also rubbed me the wrong way. The shifter is on the floor and not the column. No big deal except for the fact that it didn’t click into place. Push the button to shift (it’s an automatic) and it was luck of the draw whether I’d end up in the proper gear. On multiple occasions I ended up in neutral instead of reverse or drive. If Chrysler had some sort of indicator on the shifter it would have worked better. Guess they cheaped out on R&D or something. Also bothersome were the blind spots. I usually drove with the top down so there were no visibility issues, but with the top up it was near impossible to see behind the car. The rear right and left both have huge blind spots—and even the front has some pretty major problems with visibility. Finally, the car just didn’t ride well. It felt loose and tended to bounce for no particular reason. After just 5000 miles (regardless of how hard those miles were) I wouldn’t think that this would be a problem so I can only assume that the shoddy build is to blame.
Speaking of strange and unsuccessful build ideas, what in the world is up with the shiny holographic-esque dashboard? It is just weird. I know the car is a sports model, but it is distracting to the driver and in the end just makes me think that the Sebring Convertible is a toy car at best. Not even the radio/stereo/CD player is good. It sounds tinny and hollow—Chrysler really should have invested some time in better sound design.
While I was comfortable enough sitting in the 2004 Chrysler Sebring Convertible Touring model, I was not a happy driver. The car felt as though it had been cobbled together with more flash than actual function. Uh. Yeah. I guess I didn’t like it…
Specifications:
Engine: 2.7L 200 hp V6, 24 valve DOHC
Horsepower: 200 @ 5800 RPM
Torque: 190 @ 4850 RPM
Transmission: 4-speed automatic
MPG (city/highway): 21/28
Seating: Leather
Stereo: 6-speaker with in-dash CD player
Airbags: Driver & passenger
Interior Passenger Volume: 94 cu feet
Gas Tank Capacity: 16 gallons
Warranty: 36,000 basic/75,000 powertrain/100,000 rust
Price: $26,000 - $30,000
Recommended:
No
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: Convertible Touring
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Epinions.com ID:
lambchops
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Member: Shelly T.
Location: Metro Detroit, Michigan
Reviews written: 1172
Trusted by: 842 members
About Me:
Bye-bye CL hat. Hopefully I'll write some new reviews some time soon!
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