Chrysler Viper Reviews

It has been a long wait for the Chrysler Sebring, with the promise of affordable family motoring with an American twist, but now it is here.The Sebring looks different to anything else in the mid-sized class, dominated by the home-grown Toyota Camry and Mitsubishi 380.It has a much chunkier body and an aggressive nose that sits comfortably alongside the successful 300C. Its name is from an American racing circuit in Florida, which has been home to sports-car contests since the 1950s.But the Sebring is more pedestrian than full-on fast, though other Sebring models with fewer doors will follow.It is priced from $33,990 with a huge amount of standard equipment that ranges from six airbags and electronic stability control to a cupholder in the centre console that can be cooled to 1.6C and heated to 60C, almost hot enough for cooking.The most popular option is expected to be a thing called MyGIG.For $3500 it gives you a regulation big-screen satnav system and a 20-gigabyte hard-disc drive with a jukebox system for music and pictures.The Sebring has a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine and front-wheel-drive, four-wheel disc brakes, fully independent suspension and power steering. The engine is no powerhouse, with 125kW and 220Nm, and is also held back by a four-speed automatic in a class where a self-shifting five-speed is the benchmark.There is a V6 but, like too many Chrysler newcomers, the mid-sizer has landed with the four, which means the first impression is nowhere near as strong as it could be.Chrysler is going in hard with 'surprise and delight' features, packing in heated leather seats, LED cabin lights, a tilt-telescope steering column, audio controls on the steering wheel and much more.There are two models, the Touring and the Limited. The $37,490 headliner has a sunroof, premium sound, 18-inch alloy wheels, headlamp washers and better interior trim.Both cars score high on safety, with airbags, electronic stability control, a rear-vision mirror that dims automatically, and windows and sunroof with auto-reverse triggered by a trapped arm or head.The Sebring is nothing special. I would like it to be a car, I would recommend to friends, and one that provides great driving enjoyment and quality. However, US engineers and designers have failed to deliver a real rival to the Camry and 380, let alone a class leader.Part of the disappointment is down to the dozy engine and transmission, but the real failure is in the cabin.There are lots of nice stuff, but the basics, hard-touch plastics, jagged edges and even a headlining that is not properly locked in place, are underdone.That is because Chrysler is still a US carmaker geared to the needs and expectations of its domestic customers.It still needs to be more global, and look at the sort of competition it faces in countries such as Australia, to make genuine progress.What makes the Sebring so frustrating is that I know there is a V6. And that I have had the same basic cabin complaints since the Neon in the 1990s.The performance is disappointing. It has no punch yet the gearbox has a sports manual shift, but no reason to use it.However the Sebring returned outstanding economy during my run, which is one positive for the 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine.The styling of the Sebring is impressive. It stands out in a crowd. It is also quiet, has nicely compliant suspension and plenty of room for five adults.It is easy to park, the lights are good, the airconditioning works well and all the standard equipment makes a basic Camry look dull and underdone.The starting price is good, too, even if it comes in a fair way beyond a basic Camry or 380.And that is what it all comes back to, rivals. The line-up of medium family cars in Australia is impressive and makes for tough opposition. We start with the value-first Holden Epica and move on to costlier standouts including the Subaru Liberty and Honda Accord, as well as the locally made Camry and 380.Newcomer with distinctive looks, but missing the performance and quality to win.64/100The Sebring sedan will be followed later this year by a coupe and a convertible.

For the automotive industry, safety technology has always been about changes made inside the vehicle from making the structure stronger to adding seat belts, airbags and, in some high-end models, collision-warning systems.For the new generation of drivers, safety could come through a wireless network that would enable cars to communicate electronically with one another and with the roads they are driving on.It's an initiative that is expected to roll out in the US over the next 10 to 25 years, experts at an industry conference said recently.“This has the potential to give us a big leap in saving lives,” Steve Speth, director of Chrysler's Vehicle Safety Office, said. The glimpse into the auto industry's future takes today's hi-tech global positioning systems and turn-by-turn directions a step further.On the highways and in the cars of the 2030s, a broken-down vehicle on a highway could send wireless messages to an approaching semi-trailer truck, and on to the cars behind it.Today, a car driving behind that semi would have no warning of the broken-down vehicle until the trucker puts on the brakes. The new system would deploy wireless communication technology and in-vehicle systems to send alerts to the car behind the truck. It could even apply the car's brakes automatically if the driver behind the semi was distracted, said Bob Lange, executive director of vehicle structure and safety integration at General Motors.Similar warnings would be sent to the car to alert a driver if another car is in the so-called 'blind spot,' or if there is construction work ahead that will require a lane change, he said.The rapid ascendance of wireless technology, high-speed internet and other factors are driving change and investment in vehicle electronics, experts said.Spending by the auto industry on in-vehicle electronics is projected to triple by 2011, said Harry Voccola, senior vice-president of Navteq, a GPS firm, and chairman of the Connected Vehicle Trade Association.That could mean more business for automotive suppliers. For the system to work, aftermarket suppliers will need to develop systems to retrofit older model vehicles to connect to a national wireless vehicle network, Lange said.The primary goal of the program is to improve safety on the road, industry and government officials said.But major obstacles remain.The technology will need to be set up with a wireless system that will enable all vehicles to communicate with one another. Today, General Motors can communicate with all of its customers through the OnStar system, but not to anyone driving a Ford or a Toyota.Setting up a national system is expected to be costly, and it's unclear how it would be funded.US Congress could earmark funds to create a national digitally collected roadway network following the August 1 deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis, said Kirk Steudle, director of the Michigan Department of Transportation.In the wake of the Minnesota tragedy, transportation departments around the country are talking about using electronic monitoring to test the structural integrity of bridges. Funding for that could be tied-in to funds for a smart-highway network, he suggested. “That's a very new discussion that is percolating around the country,” Steudle said.In addition, privacy concerns remain about how the information collected from vehicles will be used.Shelley Row, who heads the Intelligent Transportation Systems unit for the federal Department of Transportation, said privacy concerns are a key consideration. Car makers and the DOT have drafted a set of privacy 'principles,' developed with privacy-advocacy groups that govern how the system will be developed."You won't be able to track people by vehicle identification number, where they live or what age they are," said Speth of Chrysler. "That's very important." 

The world's biggest motor show is weeks away, yet the car companies are already scrambling over each other to release clues about their exhibits.Among the highlights of the 62nd Frankfurt International Motor Show are cars made out of bamboo, a boxer diesel engine and yet more “urban crossover SUVs.”Mitsubishi Motors Corporation will unveil its Concept-cX compact SUV at the show.Concept-cX uses interior trim materials made from bamboo and other plant-based resins.The concept is powered by a new high-output, high-efficiency 1.8 litre diesel engine, featuring a variable geometry turbocharger for optimum boost control and a diesel oxidation catalyst with diesel particulate filter, and Mitsubishi's new twin clutch sport shift transmission.Dodge will also launch a crossover wagon, called Crew, which hits Australia late next year.The seven-seater is based on the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring sedan platform but with all-wheel drive and powered by 2.4-litre petrol and 2-litre turbo-diesel engines.The Crew looks like a shrunken Chrysler Voyager people mover, but with a longer nose and higher ground clearance.It will be built at Chrysler's Toluca plant in Mexico with production due to start in December.Subaru will use the show for its biggest new model blitz yet.Leading the line-up will be the new Impreza five-door hatchback in its 1.5 and 2 litre naturally aspirated formats, which arrives in Australia the same month.Other Subarus on show include an Impreza-based World Rally Car Concept, facelifted Tribeca luxury SUV with more efficient 3.6-litre boxer engine and five-speed auto, new Justy one-litre supermini and the world's first horizontally opposed boxer turbo-diesel engine, due to be progressively installed in models from early in 2008.Mazda will debut its Mazda6, the second Mazda new generation product to evolve to the next stage following the new Mazda2.Although Australia is yet to see the Kia cee'd five-door, the Korean company will debut its new sporty three-door Pro-cee'd, the third model in the family of cars designed for Europe and made in Slovakia.Only the bonnet and the front wing panels are carried over from the five-door model.Volkswagen will revive the 'people's car' with a concept Beetle.It is called the City Expert because The Beetle name has been taken by the more expensive new-generation car.The City Expert goes back to Beetle roots with a rear-mounted, flat-four boxer engine and a cheap price tag.VW will also reveal six new models with BlueMotion diesel technology, including the new Golf BlueMotion claiming economy of 4.5 litres/100km down 0.6-litres from the previous model, and CO2 emissions down 16g/km to 119g/km.Range on a 55-litre tank is now more than 1200km.Peugeot's 308RCZ concept will give a big hint towards a future body style for the 308 family.The ultra-light 2+2 coupe uses aluminium, polycarbonate windows and carbon fibre body parts and is powered by a 160kW 1.6-litre twin-scroll turbo jointly developed by PSA Peugeot Citroen and BMW.Renault will show a wagon version of its Clio mini.The Clio Sport Tourer will go on sale in Europe early next year.Mini is also on the bandwagon with the return of the Clubman van.The five-door model has double rear doors and a suicide door on the driver's side.The suicide door, which opens the opposite way, is designed to allow passengers easier access to the back.It would make more sense on the other side, but clearly the former British car now owned by BMW is designed for left-hand-drive markets with the blinkers also on the left.Ford will show its Kuga crossover all-wheel-drive probably powered by a range of petrol and turbodiesel engines, including the 2-litre 100kW/320Nm TDCi that has just appeared in the Focus.The Kuga is based on the Iosis X concept unveiled at last year's Paris Motor Show.In a surprise move, Suzuki will show it's expanding from small cars and SUVs into the family market.Their Kizashi family car looks mean with a massive black grille, sloping lamp clusters and low-level fog lamps.Also looking mean is Saab's 9-3 Turbo X which will rekindle the spirit of the 1980s Saab 900 Black Turbo.It will feature Cross-Wheel Drive allowing torque to be split to either side of the rear axle via an electronically limited slip differential, based on information from the stability and traction control systems.However, the show-stealer is likely to be seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher when he unveils the Ferrari 430 Scuderia, a lighter and faster development of the existing 430 coupe and convertible.Power is up to 380kW, weight is down 100kg and the F1 transmission has new software that cuts shift times to 60 milliseconds. 

The top end of the working ute business has been barren since Ford ran out of F-Series trucks, following the end of right-hand drive production in South America, which has created an opportunity for Chrysler.The American company is now mounting a detailed investigation into the potential for the Ram in Australia, as it prepares for the next all-new model, and the chance of right-hand drive trucks for overseas sales."There’s an opportunity with the Ram. I think it's worth investigating," Chrysler's senior manager for international product, Kevin Tourneur, says.He attended the Australian press preview of the new Jeep Patriot and Dodge Avenger in New Zealand last week and now has a strong understanding of the opportunityl for the Ram.“We don’t know if the time is right yet to bring it in, but this would be the time to start thinking about it. It's a matter of working with the markets," Tourneur says.He believes Australia's traditional support for both commercial and sports utes, over more than 40 years, points to the potential with Chrysler's long-running rival to Ford's F-Series, which is the world's favourite truck."But you need to have sustainable demand, because the Ram is not right-hand drive and was not developed with right-hand drive in mind, so there would be a lot of engineering work," he says.Chrysler Group Australia’s managing director, Gerry Jenkins, believes the Ram has a place on our roads and is keen to see it here."We’d love to have Ram here . . . I’m really excited about the idea,” Jenkins says."It’s not entirely about the numbers, but there probably needs to be demand for about 10,000 a year right-hand drive in the international market before it’s viable.""I think we could sell 3000 a year in Australia, especially with the Cummins diesel engine. There’s really nobody in that large ute market, there’s no competition.”The commercial market has big potential for the Ram, according to Chrysler spokesman, David McCarthy."If we brought the Ram here, more than half would be cab-chassis for ambulance and food delivery use,” McCarthy says.Jenkins says he has already had a stream of inquiries about the Ram from a mining company in Western Australia, and impressed by their persistence, eventually flew over and met with them."We’re going to supply some to them, but they will be left-hand drive," he says.However, Jenkins says converting Rams to right-hand drive is not an option he wants to consider for the broader Australian market.`"We’re not going to do conversions . . . we’re only interested in getting one that’s ADR compliant. People want the authentic product.”Jenkins says the same approach would apply if there was a chance to bring the latest Dodge Charger here, which will be unlikely as long as demand for the left-hand drive version continues to outstrip supply."Could we sell it in Australia? Of course we could,” he says."I think it’s the best-looking car we have. But it’s not really a possibility right now.”Tourneur says the strong American styling of Dodge vehicles, including the Ram and Charger, is the key to the brand's growing success.There’s no point in us trying to follow European design. If people want European, they’ll buy European," he says."We need to stay true to the US style. That unique design, that’s what we can bring. People all over the world want to be different."The character about Dodge is DNA from the trucks and the 70s muscle car phase . . . strong emotions and passion. Every product has to have a certain `Dodgeness.’ 

When you are behind the wheel of a new Chrysler people notice you. Well, the car at least. Chryslers are known to attract attention. I think it is because of their distinctive design. The new Sebring sedan certainly can boast she is unique. From her ribbed bonnet to her clever cup-holders that can chill or heat contents, this American-made gal ticks many boxes for the family car buyer. She is value for money, spacious and quirky and sure to attract the 100 or so buyers predicted for her Australian market each month. From front on, the Sebring looks burly, but side on she is more your classic family sedan. What I like is that she features as standard equipment, many things you would expect to find only in luxury models such as the heated seats and an alarm. Also included are six airbags, 17-inch alloy wheels and tyre-pressure monitors, a great idea. I don't even mind the plastic dash that takes up a whole lot of the front because it is curved in all the right places and sits comfortably with the Sebring's street-wise feel. She is that sort of car, one that warns other vehicles not to mess with her; she has that mean look that means business. This won't put women off her. I enjoy being behind the wheel and did not feel at all aggressive. Women will appreciate her gentle side and will look forward to the convertible, which is due to release later this year in Australia for about $45,000. The Sebring sedan was released here in June and is available only as a four-speed automatic model for now.

A Chinese link may help Chrysler hatch a plan to bring the Dodge Hornet to Australia. DaimlerChrysler is believed to be close to announcing a joint-venture deal with Chinese carmaker Chery Motors, that will see its hot Hornet hatch concept turn into a production reality.However, Chrysler Australia Group managing director, Gerry Jenkins, says the Chery talks are ongoing and nothing firm has been decided.But he would definitely like to have the Hornet in local showrooms. "We'd love to have it because there is a huge appetite for these B-segment cars," Jenkins says.However, despite having his fingers crossed that the Chery deal will go ahead, he is wary of speculation."Unfortunately there's nothing definitive at this point," he says.Jenkins says Chery's decision to build the car for China could enhance the car's prospects for Australia."But I can't really give you a time-frame," he says. "There isn't anything official at this point. I can only really speculate that it's in the foreseeable future."He says a car the size of the Hornet would be ideal for the Dodge brand, which is still in its infancy here."That sub-$20,000 market is an interesting market and I'd love to be able to play in it," Jenkins says. He also believes the Hornet would present a good value proposition for a first-time Chrysler-Dodge buyer.The Hornet was first shown as a concept at last year's Geneva motor show. Its compact, modern design was specifically tailored to the ultra-competitive European light car segment. The showcar is powered by a rear drive supercharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine developing 128kW mated to a six-speed manual. Its size, engine and looks clearly aims the Hornet at the Mini Cooper.Chrysler also has the Demon sports car;  a hit at the Geneva show. Jenkins says the company is now in the process of putting a business case together for production of the car.“I have my fingers crossed on that one as well,” he says.And if the Demon gets the nod, it will be aimed right at the Mazda MX5. 

Now an appropriately styled limited-edition version of the Chrysler 300C 'E490' show car will be in showrooms by the end of the year. Chrysler Group Australia-Pacific, managing director Gerry Jenkins, expects a more modest version of the E490 concept to slip into the range below the 6.1-litre SRT8. The car will be built in-house at the same factory that builds the 300C in Graz, Austria. CARSguide understands one of the biggest stumbling blocks to its development has been the car's rorty exhaust note, which does not meet drive-by noise regulations. However, Jenkins reckons noise is not the issue, saying the company was trying to figure out the car's marketing and positioning in the line-up. Despite this, DaimlerChrysler is pushing ahead with plans for the E490, as well as increasing the accessories available through Chrysler's Mopar performance division. "Certainly there is customer interest in the 6.1-litre HEMI SRT8," Jenkins says. But Jenkins reckons all 300C owners should have the option of personalising their cars. "At the bottom end there is a customer who wants the utility and functionality of the 300C, and somewhere in-between there is a customer who wants the base vehicle but wants to dress it up and personalise it," he says. Jenkins says that personalised 300C sedans and wagons could eventually account for 15 per cent of overall sales of the car. Buyers of the 300C spend about $12,000 dressing up their cars. "A lot of our buyers are already taking their cars to the local car shop and dressing them up," he says. Now Jenkins wants a slice of the action — and the 300C is not the only car in his sights. He says there is huge scope for customised Jeeps and Dodges. He is looking at German company Startech, which sells a range of high-end cosmetic enhancements for the three brands. "They do a little bit of tuning but we're more interested in the cosmetics," Jenkins says. The E490 got its name because of its power rating — 490 horsepower — in pre-metric terms, which equates to 365kW, 48kW more than the standard SRT8. After the jet-black car appeared at the Melbourne Motor Show in March, Chrysler dealers were inundated by interested buyers. The company took a $74,990 SRT8 Touring and added a huge cold-air intake system and modified exhaust. A $6380 Alpine audio system was added, along with XPH 20-inch Cruise alloys, dark window tinting and E490 badging.  

Professor Thomas Breitling is not a fan of some of the latest in-car communication systems available, such as email, internet or even rear-seat DVD players.“I'm a fan of not having too much in-car communication distracting drivers,” he says. Breitling says too many communication and navigation systems have the potential to distract drivers, even though his own company, DaimlerChrysler, is at the forefront of offering such systems in its Mercedes-Benz and Chrysler vehicles.He says discretion and moderation are the keys to their use.DaimlerChrysler also measures the effect of what Breitling calls the “human-machine interface” of the newest communication systems. He says Europe and the US are conscious of the impact of these new technologies and are evaluating their relationship with the driver.Breitling, who was in Australia this month for a road safety conference in Canberra, also says more could be done to vary speed limits in Australia relative to the road conditions.“In Germany, we have many sections of roads that have adjustable speed limits,” he says.“They change with the weather or with the traffic flow. Drivers accept the variable limits because they are usually relevant to the conditions. If it is misty you go 80km/h, if it is summer and you have light traffic in the evening you go as fast as you want.”Variable speed limits are applied to few NSW roads, mainly on motorways.Germany, which has unrestricted speed limits on most of its freeways, balances this with variable speed limits in keeping with the road conditions. Despite unrestricted speeds, Breitling says the high-speed autobahn network has some of the safest roads and lowest accident rates in Germany.The unrestricted autobahns are generally wide, open roads with few cross-roads or sharp corners.“Accidents happen in complex situations, in towns, winding roads in the landscape, where we have crossings etc. There we see road deaths,” he says. “We don't see them much on the autobahns.”He also says the electronic stability program is the most significant safety feature for new cars.Breitling says research shows that where ESP is fitted there is a 40 per cent reduction in passenger-car accidents and up to a 70 per cent reduction in crossover wagon and four-wheel-drive crashes.“If you look at accident-reduction numbers there is a clear safety impact, especially in loss-of-control accidents,” he says. “Loss-of-control accidents are when you lose control and the car starts to spin.“Usually you hit an object, mainly from the side, and these are dangerous, often fatal accidents.I don't have the statistics for seat belts or airbags, so I cannot compare, but my personal impression is that driving without ESP is like driving unbelted.”Australia and the US lag behind the rest of the western world in ESP take-up. We have a take-up rate of only about 30 per cent of all new cars sold.And he says radar-based assistance systems are the next big thing. “We have brought to the market a radar-based assistance system and we combine it already with the ESP and brake-assist systems,” he says. “We call it brake assist plus.” But how long before it is available in a $15,000 car?Anti-skid brakes, first introduced in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class in 1978, took about 10 years to filter down to all Mercedes-Benz cars, but Breitling reckons the widespread availability of radar-based braking systems will happen much faster.

The car industry uses a web of alliances to survive.Lust, affairs, one-night stands, engagements, marriages and divorces — it can be hard sharing your love. It can also be expensive, especially if the human analogy is applied to the car business.DaimlerChrysler's recent divorce cost the now-solo Daimler AG a cool $33 billion.Daimler and its former partner, now known by her maiden name of Chrysler Group, still share the kids.These include shared components and manufacturing, including the Chrysler Crossfire (based on the previous Mercedes-Benz SLK) and Jeep Grand Cherokee, which uses Mercedes' V6 diesel engine and transmission.Daimler-Benz and Chrysler courted in the late 1990s, sealing their association in 1998 with a new name, DaimlerChrysler.The marriage was mutually beneficial. Daimler gained economies of scale and a new customer for engines, transmissions and an outlet for its old platforms. The previous Mercedes E-Class shares the same platform as the Chrysler 300C.Chrysler gained unprecedented, cost-effective access to the drivetrains used to power its distinctively styled cars.Of the divorce, shareholders of Daimler- Chrysler spitefully said “I knew it wouldn't work”.Marriages may be difficult, but alliances are what keep many car companies afloat.All these inter-relationships are spurred by one goal — profit. So competitive is the car industry that every dollar counts.Making cars cheaper improves profits, even if that means relocating factories to countries with low labour costs, non-existent unions and tax-free government incentives.Few would know that 10 models on the Australian market are made in Thailand. South Africa makes five, there's one from the Czech Republic, three from Slovakia, one from Poland, four from Malaysia and one from Indonesia.Build quality in most cases is as good as you'd expect from a country-of-origin factory.The biggest difference is manufacturing costs. Building a Volkswagen Golf in Germany, for example, costs substantially more than building the same car in South Africa. Sharing components such as engines, transmissions, platforms and bodies with a rival company — or at least one perceived as being a rival — is big business.The platform of the Mazda3 is similar to the Volvo S40 and Ford Focus. Ford has a big chunk of Mazda's shares and owns Volvo outright.The Toyota Aygo, a one-litre hatch soon to be sold in Australia, is built in the Czech Republic with the Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107. The only differences are interior trim, grilles, head and tail lights. Everything else, except the badge, is identical.General Motors has a giant web of ownership, component sharing and minor shareholdings. It owns Saab and Hummer, and rebadges cars including the Daewoo Matiz as Chevrolets.GM owned 20 per cent of Fiat until it dissolved the relationship in 2005. But retains component sharing deals and owns 50 per cent of Fiat's JTD diesel engine technology.GM also has 3 per cent of Suzuki (it had 20 per cent until selling down in March 2006) and 7.9 per cent of Isuzu.This relationship crosses with Fiat. Suzuki buys Fiat diesel engines for its European cars but also buys diesels from the PSA group (owner of Peugeot and Citroen) and Renault. Fiat this year will also supply diesel engine's to Saab.The Suzuki Splash, to be launched in Europe later this year is based on the Swift/SX4 platform, but will be rebadged the Opel/Vauxhall Agila for European sales.Fiat sells the Suzuki SX4 as the Sedici in Europe.Suzuki also owns 11 per cent of GM-DAT, the Korean-based company that makes the Holden Epica, Captiva, Viva and Barina.GM sold its 20 per cent of Subaru parent, Fuji Heavy Industries, in 2005. Fuji bought back most of the shares, though Toyota bought in and now owns 8.7 per cent of the company.Toyota also owns Daihatsu and has a big stake in Yamaha. Yamaha has an engineering alliance with Toyota — twin-cam engine and multi-valve heads included — and recently created the V8 engine for Ford-owned Volvo.GM also gets its Saab plant in Sweden to make the Cadillac BLS mid-size car, alongside its Saab 9-3 and 9-5.The Hyundai Sonata's 2.4-litre engine is shared with the Jeep Compass, Dodge Caliber, Chrysler Sebring and Mitsubishi Outlander.Renault has an alliance with Nissan and owns Samsung (Korea) and has a joint venture with Mahindra (India).Porsche's Cayenne SUV is built in Volkswagen's factory in Slovakia alongside the Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7. Porsche's Cayman is built in Finland. That's just the tip of iceberg.Peyton Place has nothing on these guys. 

The Sebring Cabrio has unquestionable space advantages over its open-roof motoring competitors, all packaged in the distinctly American style Chrysler is known for.However, while the Cabrio's performance at the Portland, Oregon launch was sufficient, it was never exceptional.The Cabrio will be offered in Australia from August in both hard top and soft top.The pitch will be that it is an affordable and fun all-year-round offering for the single-car family and that's where the class-leading space comes into play.Unlike many four-seat convertibles, the Sebring has rear seats made with comfort in mind. There's 850mm of space for your legs. Entry to the rear seats is also easier than in most convertibles, with the front seat belts attached to the seat and out of the way of the entering passengers.All-important boot space is at 200 litres with the top down (350 litres when the roof is up), courtesy of the Cabrio being 80mm longer than its sedan sibling. From the front, the Cabrio shares many traits with the sedan, including Chrysler's signature grille and a uniquely sculptured hood. Large quad headlamps wrap around the side of the vehicle, where the all-new Sebring Cabrio's profile takes on a shape all of its own.It is a profile defined by a long hood, a long roofline and a high chrome beltline. Sculpted character lines run across the body, below the door handles and across the lower body side to give the Cabrio an athletic stance.It has grown against the previous model - wheelbase is 73mm longer, it's 86mm taller and 53mm wider.The automatically latching cloth top and retractable hard top can be lowered with the key fob - the rag top dropping in 27 seconds and the hard top down in 30 seconds. Cabrio certainly looks after its occupants once they are seated.The spacious interior features a clean and practical design with plenty of storage bins, including a heated/cooled cup holder and 'MyGIG', an optional 20-gigabyte hard-drive infotainment system capable of storing 1,600 songs and photos, controlled from a touchscreen or voice-operated navigation system.Australia will get the 2.7-litre V6 petrol version producing 138kW of power and 256Nm torque with a six-speed auto transmission. The six-speed auto is exclusive to markets outside America.Chrysler Group Australia is pushing to have the vehicles available in soft top and hard top, with leather-trimmed interior in both. Pricing is still being discussed but the aim is to bring the Sebring Cabrio to Australia at about $50,000 for the lowest spec and up to $60,000 for the higher-end models.While it has not been confirmed, it is unlikely that the two-litre turbodiesel Sebring Cabrio will be offered in Australia.On the road, the Cabrio is not going to set the world on fire. It has sufficient power to be that family cruiser, and the front-wheel-drive vehicle steers adequately.Despite the transmission hunting around a little for gears during ascents on the launch drive, the powerplant and transmission are reasonably well suited for the task. But more questionable were Chrysler's claims that the Cabrio is 2.5 times stiffer in torsional rigidity and 1.5 times stiffer in bending rigidity than the old model; with rattles, steering shudder and body flex the moment there was any hint of roughness in the road.