The Chrysler Sebring ( ) is a line of

mid-size Mid-size—also known as intermediate—is a vehicle size class which originated in the United States and is used for cars larger than compact cars and smaller than full-size cars. "Large family car" is a UK term and a part of the D-segment in t ...

automobiles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...

that was sold from 1995 through 2010 by

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automotiv ...

. Three generations of convertibles, two generations of sedans, and two generations of coupes were produced. Although the coupe shared the same name and some styling cues, it was mechanically unrelated to the other Sebring models. The Sebring line was introduced in 1995 with the Chrysler Sebring coupe. It was the replacement for the Chrysler LeBaron coupe. In 1996 the convertible was introduced, replacing its LeBaron counterpart as well. For 2001, both body styles were redesigned and a sedan version was offered, replacing the

Chrysler Cirrus The Chrysler Cirrus is a mid-sized 4-door notchback sedan introduced by Chrysler motors for the 1995 model year. Built on the Chrysler JA platform, the 4-door notchback sedan joined Chrysler's roster of "Cloud Car" models drawing their names ...

. The coupe was discontinued after 2005 with no replacement model planned. The redesigned sedan was introduced for 2007, and a convertible the following year. New options included all-wheel drive on sedans and an available retractable metal top for the convertible. All Sebring models were replaced by the

Chrysler 200 The Chrysler 200 is a mid-size sedan that was manufactured and marketed by Chrysler from model years 2011 to 2017 across two generations in four-door sedan and two-door convertible (first generation only) body styles. The 200 nameplate debuted ...

for the 2011 model year.

First generation (FJ/JX; 1995)

The Chrysler Sebring was introduced as a

coupe A coupe or coupé (, ) is a passenger car with a sloping or truncated rear roofline and two doors. The term ''coupé'' was first applied to horse-drawn carriages for two passengers without rear-facing seats. It comes from the French past parti ...

for 1995, and as a convertible in 1996, both models replacing the

Chrysler LeBaron The Chrysler LeBaron, also known as the Imperial LeBaron, is a line of automobiles built by Chrysler from 1931-1941 and from 1955-1995. The model was introduced in 1931, with a body manufactured by LeBaron, and competed with other luxury cars o ...

convertible and coupe. The convertible was built off the

Chrysler JA platform The JA platform was Chrysler's smaller complement to the LH cars which were larger than the Ks, and a direct size replacement for the last extended K cars, the Acclaim and Spirit. It was a mid-size front-wheel drive automobile platform that was t ...

also used for the

Cirrus Cirrus may refer to: Science *Cirrus (biology), any of various thin, thread-like structures on the body of an animal * Cirrus (botany), a tendril *Infrared cirrus, in astronomy, filamentary structures seen in infrared light *Cirrus cloud, a typ ...

sedan, while the coupe was based on the Mitsubishi Eclipse. The Chrysler Sebring was named after Sebring, Florida, the site of the renowned endurance car race called the ''

12 Hours of Sebring The 12 Hours of Sebring is an annual motorsport endurance race for sports cars held at Sebring International Raceway, on the site of the former Hendricks Army Airfield World War II air base in Sebring, Florida, US. The event is the second roun ...

''. The name was first used by Chrysler Corporation's Plymouth division trim line of the Satellite

of the 1970s.

Coupe (1995–2000)

The 1995 through 2000 Chrysler Sebring

was the successor to the

coupe. The first generation Sebring coupe was introduced in April 1995, several months after the related

Dodge Avenger The Dodge Avenger is a front-wheel drive, mid-sized sedan that was marketed by Dodge. The Avenger made its North American debut in 1994 for the 1995 model year as a coupe that was produced until 2000. The model name was reintroduced to the ...

. Despite its similarities to the Avenger, Chrysler's suspension was tuned slightly on the softer side compared to Dodge's stiff suspension. Although the Sebring did not really offer true "off-the-line" muscle, it did handle well over long, curvy roads, offering minimal body roll. LXi models further benefited from rear sway bars, a slightly different tuned fully independent suspension, along with 17-inch wheels wrapped with Goodyear Eagle performance tires. Recorded slalom speeds proved to be impressive for a car of its class, and were a result of Sebring's 4-wheel double wishbone suspension and variable speed rack and pinion steering; both of which were key contributors to the car's road manners. The coupe version of the Sebring had seating for five and was considered to be one of the larger, more roomy coupes on the market. Trunk capacity was similar to that of many mid-size cars, capable of handling more than one set of golf clubs. At the time of its introduction, the Sebring sported a crosshair grille, reminiscent of the original

Chrysler 300 letter series The Chrysler 300 "letter series" are high-performance personal luxury cars that were built by Chrysler in the U.S. from 1955 to 1965 and were a sub-model from the Chrysler New Yorker. After the initial year, which was named C-300 for its standa ...

. The grille was non-functional, with the lower half under the bumper used for airflow intake in a "

bottom breather A bottom breather is a front-engine automobile that takes in air from below the front fascia (nose) rather than through a conventional grille at the front of the vehicle.Mitsubishi Motors platform shared by the Eagle Talon, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Mitsubishi Galant, and

. They share a great deal with their Talon sibling, including much of their dash and instrument panel along with most mechanical components. Parts of the Sebring coupe cannot interchange with the sedan or convertible, which were not built by Mitsubishi. 1997-2000 Chrysler Sebring LXi coupe -- 03-21-2012 2

1997-2000 Chrysler Sebring LXi coupe -- 03-21-2012 2

The Sebring underwent a minor facelift for 1997. Its grille was replaced with a slightly larger black grid. The facelift also made the Sebring the first car to use Chrysler's "wings" logo. The 1997 restyle also saw the addition of ribbed lower body cladding and new wheel styles. Features offered on Sebring coupes included 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, adaptive automatic transmissions, and fully independent suspensions, along with a host of power-operated features. Sebring also offered variable speed rack and pinion steering, 17-inch aluminum wheels with Goodyear Eagle tires, 4-wheel double wishbone suspension, one-touch power windows, one-touch moonroof, electrochromic mirror with compass, power accessory delay ignition (which allowed occupants to operate power window switches when the ignition is turned off), and Homelink universal transmitter, among other options. The Sebring coupe received a 5-star frontal safety rating, the highest rating possible. First-generation body style coupes continued to be sold past the 2000 model year to select export markets. Trim levels: *''LX'' — 1995–2000 *''LXi'' — 1995–2000

Convertible (1996–2000)

The Chrysler Sebring convertible was launched in 1996 alongside the Sebring coupe, replacing the LeBaron convertible. The convertible did not share any parts with the coupe and was instead based on the

sedan. Consequently, both the Cirrus and the Sebring convertible were sold in Europe as the Stratus. All Stratus convertibles were assembled in Mexico. The Chrysler Stratus convertible was marketed in Mexico, but the sedan version was not. The Sebring convertible was sold alongside the Chrysler Stratus convertible in Mexico. In Mexico, a turbocharged 2.4 L DOHC I4 engine was optional. Trim levels: *''JX'' — 1996–2000 *''JXi'' — 1996–2000 *''JXi Limited'' — 1998–2000

Second generation (ST-22/JR; 2001)

The Sebring name was then used on three different cars for 2001: the coupe was based on the Mitsubishi Eclipse, while the sedan and convertible utilized the Chrysler JR platform successors to the

. The 2004 Chrysler Sebring had received minor tweaks to its front end: a redesigned grille, reworked headlights, and a Chrysler winged emblem placed in the center on the rear deck; furthermore, after the 2004 Chrysler Sebring sedan had seen a mild cycle refresh, the company discontinued the Chrysler Sebring coupe after the 2005 model year. Outside of the United States, and Canada, over into Mexico, the Sebring was sold as the Chrysler Cirrus. Exclusive for the Cirrus was the availability of Chrysler's turbocharged 2.4 L DOHC engine. The Cirrus was available as a sedan and convertible body styles. Models with this engine are identified with a "High Output" badge on the back of the vehicle. Also unique to the Cirrus were the trim levels; the sedan was offered in two while the convertible had only one. All were equipped with an automatic transmission. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gives the 2001–2006 Sebring an ''Acceptable'' overall rating in frontal crash tests. In the side impact test, a ''Poor'' overall rating was given to models without side airbags. The IIHS did not test the Sebring with side airbags since Chrysler declined another test. 04-06 Chrysler Sebring Sedan

2002 Chrysler Sebring LX, Rear Left, 09-12-2020

2005 Chrysler Sebring Touring, Rear Right, 04-24-2020

Convertible

2004 Chrysler Sebring LX, Front Left, 05-01-2021

For 2001, the Sebring Convertible was restyled. It now closely resembled the sedan, and continued to be built on the same platform as the sedan. Many interior and exterior components were carried over from the first-generation car. The Sebring received minor styling revisions (mostly the appearance of the front end) for the 2004 model year.

Coupe

A redesigned Sebring Coupe was introduced for the 2001 model year, based on the third-generation Mitsubishi Eclipse. Like the previous generation, the coupe shared very little in common with the sedan or the convertible, other than the name and a few exterior styling cues to help market all three vehicles together as one model. The Sebring Coupe received a minor facelift for 2003, and was discontinued after the 2005 model year. The Sebring Coupe was only sold in Canada for the 2001 model year.

European versions

Chrysler also manufactured export versions of the 2001-2006 Sebring sedan and convertible for the mainland European market. Front and rear lights are to European standards, different from the USA & Canada in that turn-signal indicators are orange, with additional side-turn repeaters on the front fenders. The rear bumper has a larger recess for the longer European-size license plates, and two rear fog lamps are fitted; one on each side of the license plate. The LHD headlamps incorporate Euro-type H4 bulbs, together with three-way up and down beam-level adjustment via a dash-mounted switch to the left of the steering wheel. Emissions controls are to the EURO 3 standard; later versions are compliant with EURO 4. Engine ranges offered were the 2.0 L DOHC 16V inline 4-cylinder (later replaced by the 2.4L unit in some countries), and the 2.7 L DOHC 24V 6-cylinder unit. The 2.0 and 2.4L engines are available with the 5-speed manual or four-speed 41TE auto transmission (depending on the country); the six-cylinder engine is automatic only. The Canadian-market 240 km/h-160 mph speedometer (with km/h predominant) is fitted to the European models. The odometer and trip meter are in kilometers. As the 2001-2006 Sebring sedan and convertible were made in left-hand drive only, they were not sold in the UK and Ireland. Chrysler UK did, however, import 50 convertibles with the 2.7 L engine in 2001/2002, and these were sold through selected dealers. Being non-standard in Chrysler's UK range at the time though, no more were imported. Trim levels offered in Europe were LE (equivalent to North American market LX) and LX (equivalent to North American market LXi). From 2004, ''Touring'' and ''Limited'' versions started to replace the LE and LX designations respectively. The lack of a diesel engine and right-hand drive availability prevented this Sebring from being a true pan-European model unlike other Chryslers such as the Chrysler 300M, PT Cruiser, and Voyager. In addition, the model was dropped from Chrysler's lineup in some countries, notably France, before production ended in 2006. In France, the three domestic car-makers PSA-Peugeot, Citroen, and Renault dominate the new car market, which meant very low sales of the Sebring there. As a result, the sedan was only imported by Chrysler France in 2001 and 2002. The 2003 and facelifted 2004–2006 year models were not. The convertible was only sold until 2004. The 2005 and 2006 models were likewise not imported. Despite not being available in the UK and Ireland, some Sebring convertibles have been bought in from the U.S. as grey imports. Some Euro-spec models have also been privately imported, mostly from Germany. The European versions are easier to re-register in the UK as they have EU-type approval. The dual km/h-mph speedo-display and twin rear foglights mean only headlamp beam-aim adjustment for left-hand traffic is necessary. The sedan is much rarer in the UK though; a few EU models have been imported, but most are likely from North America as grey imports.

Trim Levels

*Base (sedan and convertible 2004–2006) (coupe 2004–2005) *''GTC'' (Convertible 2002–2006) *''Limited'' (sedan 2004–2006) (convertible 2001–2006) (coupe 2004–2005) *''LX'' (sedan and convertible 2001–2004) (coupe 2001–2003) *''LXi'' (sedan and convertible 2001–2004) (coupe 2001–2003) *''Touring'' (sedan and convertible 2004–2006) *''TSi'' (sedan 2005–2006) Note: Additional packages could be added to various standard trim levels.

Volga Siber

In 2006, the license, tooling, and assembly line for the second-generation Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Stratus sedan was sold to Russian firm

GAZ GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (russian: ГАЗ or Го́рьковский автомоби́льный заво́д, , Gorky Automobile Plant) is a Russian automotive manufacturer located in Nizhny Novgorod, formerly known as Gorky (Го ...

for about

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

151 million (€ 124 million). After some minor modifications the vehicle was renamed the

Volga Siber The GAZ Volga Siber (russian: Волга Сайбер) is a four-door sedan manufactured by the Russian firm GAZ, introduced at the 2007 Moscow International Automobile Salon and marketed in a single generation for model years 2008 to 2010. ...

. It went into production in March 2008 at the

Gorky Automobile Plant GAZ or Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod (russian: ГАЗ or Го́рьковский автомоби́льный заво́д, , Gorky Automobile Plant) is a Russian automotive manufacturer located in Nizhny Novgorod, formerly known as Gorky (Го� ...

in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. However, due to the

Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of marked general decline, i.e. a recession, observed in national economies globally that occurred from late 2007 into 2009. The scale and timing of the recession varied from country to country (see map). At t ...

sales were not as expected and production ended in 2010 after 9,000 examples were built.

Third generation (JS; 2007)

The Sebring was replaced with a new model based on the JS platform for the 2007 model year. The third-generation Sebring was assembled in Sterling Heights, Michigan, containing over 82% of parts sourced in North America. Since no 2007 convertible was offered, the 2006 Sebring convertible was left to fill the void, remaining in showrooms and on the company's website until the 2008 model's release. The third-generation Sebring borrowed many styling cues from the 2003

Chrysler Airflite The Chrysler Airflite was a concept car created by the American car manufacturer Chrysler. It was first introduced at the 2003 Geneva Auto Show. The Airflite's looks are a combination of a sporty design, stylish looks, and some of the design cues ...

concept Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs. They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by sev ...

. It also has several Chrysler-signature styling cues, several of which were borrowed from the

Chrysler Crossfire The Chrysler Crossfire is a rear-wheel drive, two-seat sports car that was sold by Chrysler and built by Karmann of Germany for the 2004 to 2008 model years. Developed during the union of Daimler and Chrysler, the two-seater is based on the ...

. The Sebring sedan and convertible were also sold in right-hand drive through Chrysler's UK and Ireland dealer network. 07-Chrysler-Sebring-sedan-rear

Chrysler offered three engines for the 2007 Sebring; the GEMA I4, the EER V6, and the EGF V6.2007 Sebring Specifications
. media.chrysler.com. Retrieved 2010-04-13. The 3.5 L V6 is coupled to Chrysler's first ever six-speed

automatic transmission An automatic transmission (sometimes abbreviated to auto or AT) is a multi-speed transmission used in internal combustion engine-based motor vehicles that does not require any input from the driver to change forward gears under normal driving co ...

, which employs

Autostick The name Autostick has been used for a Volkswagen semi-automatic transmission, which is a vacuum-operated automatic clutch system, coupled with a conventional 3-speed manual transmission. The "AutoStick" system designed by Chrysler allows for man ...

technology, and the 2.7 L V6 is capable of running on cleaner-burning

E85 E85 is an abbreviation typically referring to an ethanol fuel blend of 85% ethanol fuel and 15% gasoline or other hydrocarbon by volume. In the United States, the exact ratio of fuel ethanol to hydrocarbon may vary according to ASTM 5798 ...

. Export vehicles will be offered with a 2.0 L

turbocharged In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

PDTDI ( pumpe düse) diesel made by Volkswagen and the 2.0 L GEMA engine. The 3.5 L V6 sedan is available with all-wheel drive as an extra cost option for 2008 only. Trim levels: *base — 2007 *''LX'' — 2008 (replaced base) *''Touring'' — (2007–2010) *''Limited AWD'' — (2008) *''Limited'' — (2007–2010) In 2008, the optional ''MyGIG Multimedia Infotainment System'' became available. In addition, the Limited received the 2.4 L four-cylinder engine and was priced at the same level as the 2008 Touring model. Also for 2009, the rear badge placements were modified. For the model 2010 year, the hood was redesigned, eliminating the longitudinal grooves. The IIHS gave the 2010 Models a G for good in the frontal crash test, the side impact test, and the roof strength test, giving the 2010 Sebring a ''Top Safety Pick''.

Convertible

For the 2008 model year, the Sebring convertible was redesigned with hood strakes recalling the

. The new convertible body style debuted at the 2007

Los Angeles International Auto Show The Los Angeles Auto Show is an annual auto show held at the Los Angeles Convention Center in early December. The LA Auto Show is an OICA sanctioned international exhibition. It is open to the public for ten days each year, filling of exhibit ...

as an early-2008 model. It was the second bestselling four-place open-top cars in the United States, trailing only the Ford Mustang convertible. The new convertible offered both a retractable hardtop and soft tops, with the Sebring's roofs manufactured by Karmann. A vinyl top came on the base LX model, a cloth roof on the Touring and Limited models with the option of a retractable metal top. The convertible top retracts into the trunk with a power

tonneau cover A tonneau ( or ) is an area of a car or truck open at the top. It can be for passengers or cargo. A tonneau cover in current automotive terminology is a hard or soft cover that spans the back of a pickup truck to protect the load or to improve ...

and a luggage protector for the top. The top can also be retracted with the remote keyless entry, meaning the top can be stowed without being inside the car or starting the engine. The LX model included a new 2.4 L I4 engine, the Touring version came with a retuned version of the 2.7 L V6, while the Limited featured a new 3.5 L V6. Unlike the Sebring sedan, the convertible was not available in

all-wheel drive An all-wheel drive vehicle (AWD vehicle) is one with a powertrain capable of providing power to all its wheels, whether full-time or on-demand. The most common forms of all-wheel drive are: ;1x1 : All unicycles Reflecting one axle with one w ...

Chinese versions

Production of the Chrysler Sebring sedan for the China market began in 2007 at the Beijing-Benz DaimlerChrysler Automotive Co. (BBDC) in Beijing. BBDC is a joint venture between the Beijing Automotive Industry Holding and Chrysler. Production of the Sebring leveraged assembly capacity for the new BBDC plant which also built the Chrysler 300C, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, and Mitsubishi Outlander. Four-cylinder World Engines for the Sebring were built at the

Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance Global Engine Alliance LLC, began as a joint venture of Chrysler, Mitsubishi Motors, and Hyundai Motor Company for developing a line of shared engines. In September 2009, Chrysler purchased Mitsubishi and Hyundai's shares, after 5 years of allie ...

(GEMA) plant in Dundee, Michigan for export to China. GEMA began as a joint venture of Chrysler, Mitsubishi, and

Hyundai Hyundai is a South Korean industrial conglomerate (" chaebol"), which was restructured into the following groups: * Hyundai Group, parts of the former conglomerate which have not been divested ** Hyundai Mobis, Korean car parts company ** Hyundai A ...

. Since 2009, GEMA is wholly owned by Chrysler.

European version

Chrysler introduced this generation Sebring in the European markets (including right-hand drive markets) as their first competitor in the

D-segment The D-segment is the 4th category of the European segments for passenger cars, and is described as "large cars". It is equivalent to the Euro NCAP "large family car" size class, and the present-day definition of the mid-size car category used ...

. It received a generally unfavorable reception from European motoring journalists.

European reviews

Auto Express ''Auto Express'' is a weekly motoring magazine sold in the United Kingdom published by Autovia Limited. The editor-in-chief is Steve Fowler. History and profile Launched in September 1988, its 1,000th issue was published on 20 February 2008. ...

Caradisiac Caradisiac is a French language automotive website belonging to the French company Car & Boat Media. History Caradisiac was launched in July 2000 by Cédric Bannel. In March 2001, the site got closer to Procar. In February 2002, Caradisiac joined ...

Honest John

MSN Cars
*

Parker's The Smith's Snackfood Company is a British-Australian snack food company owned by American multinational corporation PepsiCo. It is best known for its brand of potato crisps. The company was founded by Frank Smith and Jim Viney in the United Kin ...

Verdict On Cars

Wise Buyer's

Mid-cycle refresh and replacement

The Chrysler Sebring was extensively refreshed in 2010, but was rebadged as the

. The JS platform and bodyshell had been retained, but there were extensive cosmetic and powertrain changes to the vehicle. The name change helped distance the vehicle from the Sebring's reputation for quality issues and fleet pervasiveness.

Total U.S. sales

Notes

References

External links

Official Sedan Website

Official Convertible Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chrysler Sebring (Sedan) Sebring Front-wheel-drive vehicles Flexible-fuel vehicles Mid-size cars Coupés Hardtop convertibles Convertibles Sedans 2000s cars 2010s cars Cars introduced in 1995 Partial zero-emissions vehicles