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AMERICA IS NOT given to caring about what everyone else in the world thinks. This much, to anyone who's been following the news these past couple of years, should be certain. That said, American carmakers have been finding it increasingly essential to look to markets outside of North America, simply in order to survive.
An imploding home market, and the inability to gain any sort of traction against Japanese manufacturers like Toyota (which builds efficient, reliable small cars and giant American-style pick ups and trucks better than the Americans can themselves), are just two of the factors that have prompted carmakers like GM and Chrysler to take global markets very seriously.
In Chrysler's case, a very wobbly domestic market performance in 2006, and the revelation that its German masters would be open to selling off the Chrysler arm, seriously underscore the company's commitment to global markets.
This entails building cars that actually handle, and ones that come with much smaller engines. The Chrysler Group, which comprises Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge, has been pretty active in this regard and the latest model set to hit local showrooms is the new Chrysler Sebring, a Toyota Camry-sized big sedan segment contender.
This is actually the first time that Chrysler has offered the Sebring in right-hand drive guise. The Group also promises that virtually all future products, barring the Viper supercar and certain US market-only truck models, will be made available in right-hand drive.
If, from the pictures you find yourself wondering exactly what to make of the car, not to worry. Chrysler reps themselves pretty much state that the styling is of the 'love it or hate it' variety, and besides, the car really does stand out in a crowd.
The nose of the Sebring bears a strong resemblance to the Crossfire coupe's, but Chrysler has added a pair of rather ungainly fog lamp nacelles that jut out from the lower bumper. These are okay when seen from head-on, but they add a curious jowly sort of accent to the front three-quarters view.
The Sebring?s side profile is probably the car's most harmonious. The rakishly sloping roofline is reminiscent of the Dodge Caliber's, and it's set off quite well by the aggressively sculpted flanks.
The rear, however, is decidedly odd-looking, mostly on account of the Subaru Impreza-esque tail lamps. Again, though, the main thing is for the car to catch the eye, and you?re more than likely to do a double take if you walk past one in a parking lot.
There's a choice of two petrol engines, a 2.0-litre and a 2.4-litre, and both are sourced from Hyundai. Only the 2.4-litre version will make it here though.
An imploding home market, and the inability to gain any sort of traction against Japanese manufacturers like Toyota (which builds efficient, reliable small cars and giant American-style pick ups and trucks better than the Americans can themselves), are just two of the factors that have prompted carmakers like GM and Chrysler to take global markets very seriously.
In Chrysler's case, a very wobbly domestic market performance in 2006, and the revelation that its German masters would be open to selling off the Chrysler arm, seriously underscore the company's commitment to global markets.
This entails building cars that actually handle, and ones that come with much smaller engines. The Chrysler Group, which comprises Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge, has been pretty active in this regard and the latest model set to hit local showrooms is the new Chrysler Sebring, a Toyota Camry-sized big sedan segment contender.
This is actually the first time that Chrysler has offered the Sebring in right-hand drive guise. The Group also promises that virtually all future products, barring the Viper supercar and certain US market-only truck models, will be made available in right-hand drive.
If, from the pictures you find yourself wondering exactly what to make of the car, not to worry. Chrysler reps themselves pretty much state that the styling is of the 'love it or hate it' variety, and besides, the car really does stand out in a crowd.
The nose of the Sebring bears a strong resemblance to the Crossfire coupe's, but Chrysler has added a pair of rather ungainly fog lamp nacelles that jut out from the lower bumper. These are okay when seen from head-on, but they add a curious jowly sort of accent to the front three-quarters view.
The Sebring?s side profile is probably the car's most harmonious. The rakishly sloping roofline is reminiscent of the Dodge Caliber's, and it's set off quite well by the aggressively sculpted flanks.
The rear, however, is decidedly odd-looking, mostly on account of the Subaru Impreza-esque tail lamps. Again, though, the main thing is for the car to catch the eye, and you?re more than likely to do a double take if you walk past one in a parking lot.
There's a choice of two petrol engines, a 2.0-litre and a 2.4-litre, and both are sourced from Hyundai. Only the 2.4-litre version will make it here though.
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DRIVING IT
The Sebring gets MacPherson struts up front, and a multi-link set up at the rear. Chrysler engineers have also mounted the suspension assemblies on special isolating subframes that help keep vibration and noise to minimum levels.
In terms of refinement, therefore, the Sebring genuinely impresses. The ride can actually be described as luxurious, and you barely discern any road noise at all. All the more impressive considering the fact that our test car came with 18-inch alloys. Wind noise is also kept to an appreciable minimum, the most you hear at licence losing speeds is a little rustling from the pillars.
You normally read about American cars being all wallowy and generally useless in corners, but Chrysler actually builds different versions of the Sebring for the US and the rest of the world. The American version gets a soft and pillowy suspension set up to suit American tastes, while the version for the rest of the world has supposedly been tightened up quite a bit.
It certainly feels very tidy in the corners. The Sebring's steering is nice and light, there's a wee bit of slack just off-centre but give the wheel a committed turn and the nose tracks pretty sharpish. And while the suspension is cushy enough to smother bumps and ruts, there's precious little roll in corners.
Grip levels are quite high, too, and the brakes are easy to work and quite effective.
The 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine makes 170bhp and 220Nm of torque, sufficient to propel the car to 100km/h from stationary in a little over 10 seconds. It's pretty smooth, too, and quite well insulated so you hardly hear it working unless you've got the throttle pinned to the carpet. Unfortunately, it's mated to a four-speed automatic, a considerable deficiency when you take into account the fact that most rivals offer five-speeders.
The auto shifts smoothly enough, but you find yourself nearly always wishing for an extra ratio. There is a manual override facility called 'Auto Stick', and while this offers useful responsiveness, full bore upshifts can be a little jerky.
The Sebring gets MacPherson struts up front, and a multi-link set up at the rear. Chrysler engineers have also mounted the suspension assemblies on special isolating subframes that help keep vibration and noise to minimum levels.
In terms of refinement, therefore, the Sebring genuinely impresses. The ride can actually be described as luxurious, and you barely discern any road noise at all. All the more impressive considering the fact that our test car came with 18-inch alloys. Wind noise is also kept to an appreciable minimum, the most you hear at licence losing speeds is a little rustling from the pillars.
You normally read about American cars being all wallowy and generally useless in corners, but Chrysler actually builds different versions of the Sebring for the US and the rest of the world. The American version gets a soft and pillowy suspension set up to suit American tastes, while the version for the rest of the world has supposedly been tightened up quite a bit.
It certainly feels very tidy in the corners. The Sebring's steering is nice and light, there's a wee bit of slack just off-centre but give the wheel a committed turn and the nose tracks pretty sharpish. And while the suspension is cushy enough to smother bumps and ruts, there's precious little roll in corners.
Grip levels are quite high, too, and the brakes are easy to work and quite effective.
The 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine makes 170bhp and 220Nm of torque, sufficient to propel the car to 100km/h from stationary in a little over 10 seconds. It's pretty smooth, too, and quite well insulated so you hardly hear it working unless you've got the throttle pinned to the carpet. Unfortunately, it's mated to a four-speed automatic, a considerable deficiency when you take into account the fact that most rivals offer five-speeders.
The auto shifts smoothly enough, but you find yourself nearly always wishing for an extra ratio. There is a manual override facility called 'Auto Stick', and while this offers useful responsiveness, full bore upshifts can be a little jerky.
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INSIDE IT
The Sebring's interior isn't as striking as the exterior, which is either a blessing or otherwise depending on your point of view. The dashboard is supposedly modelled after the famous Chrysler winged badge, and does offer something different to the usual plain and boring sort of look sported by most rivals.
Unfortunately, trying to do something different has its consequences. The Sebring's dashboard comprises quite a lot of different, and complex-looking, individual elements, and the manner in which these all come together doesn't seem well resolved. You almost get the impression that making all the different panels fit in a neat and tidy manner was too tall an order, so the designers came up with scalloped and chamfered edges as visual camouflage.
Still, you do get some nice, soft touch plastics covering plenty of surfaces, and there's oodles of room both front and rear. Chrysler also offers some special cloth upholstery that repels dirt and stains. It's not certain if this will be offered in alternative to full leather, but it'd no doubt be useful for drivers who constantly park out in the hot sun, and who don't want to have to deal with burnt bum syndrome. Also on the options list is a trick optional infotainment system that incorporates a 20GB hard drive. You can store movies and music, and there's also a sat-nav feature.
Another neat option is the heated and cooled cupholder. This doesn't actually use the existing climate control system, rather you get a proper thermocouple sort of gadget that can keep hot drinks at 60 degrees Celsius, and cold ones at a frosty two degrees Celsius.
The Sebring's interior isn't as striking as the exterior, which is either a blessing or otherwise depending on your point of view. The dashboard is supposedly modelled after the famous Chrysler winged badge, and does offer something different to the usual plain and boring sort of look sported by most rivals.
Unfortunately, trying to do something different has its consequences. The Sebring's dashboard comprises quite a lot of different, and complex-looking, individual elements, and the manner in which these all come together doesn't seem well resolved. You almost get the impression that making all the different panels fit in a neat and tidy manner was too tall an order, so the designers came up with scalloped and chamfered edges as visual camouflage.
Still, you do get some nice, soft touch plastics covering plenty of surfaces, and there's oodles of room both front and rear. Chrysler also offers some special cloth upholstery that repels dirt and stains. It's not certain if this will be offered in alternative to full leather, but it'd no doubt be useful for drivers who constantly park out in the hot sun, and who don't want to have to deal with burnt bum syndrome. Also on the options list is a trick optional infotainment system that incorporates a 20GB hard drive. You can store movies and music, and there's also a sat-nav feature.
Another neat option is the heated and cooled cupholder. This doesn't actually use the existing climate control system, rather you get a proper thermocouple sort of gadget that can keep hot drinks at 60 degrees Celsius, and cold ones at a frosty two degrees Celsius.
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DOLLARS AND SENSE
Chrysler isn't aiming for big volume with the Sebring, at least not in Toyota Camry terms, so tentative pricing has been set at about the $100,000 with COE mark.
Standard equipment levels should be on the high side at this price, but they'd have to be to sway practical-minded local buyers.
The problem is that while Chrysler is shy about overtly pointing to the Camry as a direct rival, that's essentially what the car is, but with a hefty dose of idiosyncrasy thrown in courtesy of those looks.
Whether there are enough people shopping in this segment who privilege the Chrysler badge and the individuality offered by the Sebring's design remains to be seen...
CONCLUSION
The Sebring is big, plush and handles very decently, so the basic recipe is sound. The most polarising aspect should be the looks but in any case, Chrysler's target market consists of those iconoclasts who would find the car's design striking and appealing in the first place. The car goes on sale towards the middle of the year.
PLUSES Roomy interior, comfortable and refined, competent handling
MINUSES Looks can be polarising, some odd interior architecture and trim
VERDICT It's a decent car, but you?ve got to get past the looks
Chrysler isn't aiming for big volume with the Sebring, at least not in Toyota Camry terms, so tentative pricing has been set at about the $100,000 with COE mark.
Standard equipment levels should be on the high side at this price, but they'd have to be to sway practical-minded local buyers.
The problem is that while Chrysler is shy about overtly pointing to the Camry as a direct rival, that's essentially what the car is, but with a hefty dose of idiosyncrasy thrown in courtesy of those looks.
Whether there are enough people shopping in this segment who privilege the Chrysler badge and the individuality offered by the Sebring's design remains to be seen...
CONCLUSION
The Sebring is big, plush and handles very decently, so the basic recipe is sound. The most polarising aspect should be the looks but in any case, Chrysler's target market consists of those iconoclasts who would find the car's design striking and appealing in the first place. The car goes on sale towards the middle of the year.
PLUSES Roomy interior, comfortable and refined, competent handling
MINUSES Looks can be polarising, some odd interior architecture and trim
VERDICT It's a decent car, but you?ve got to get past the looks
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NEED TO KNOW
Model : Chrysler Sebring 2.4 (A)
Engine Type : 2,360cc in-line 4
Max Power : 170bhp at 6,000rpm
Max Torque : 220Nm at 4,500rpm
Gearbox : 4-speed automatic
Top speed : 180km/h
0-100km/h : 10.4 seconds
Price : $100,000 with COE (est.)
Warranty : TBA
Contact : Chrysler Jeep Automotive of Singapore at 6479-3333
SIMILAR CARS TO CONSIDER
Honda Accord 2.4 (A)
$95,500 with COE
The one to go for if you privilege the driving experience above all else. Great handling and a superb four-cylinder engine make the Accord the keen driver's choice. The only downside is that the car is not as attractive as the Japanese domestic market-only version that the parallel importers bring in.
Toyota Camry 2.4 (A) $96,988 with COE
The king of the hill, and for good reason. The Camry does everything you ask of it perfectly well, and the latest version even comes with much tidier handling. It's roomy, quiet and very comfortable. The equipment levels are super generous, too.
Model : Chrysler Sebring 2.4 (A)
Engine Type : 2,360cc in-line 4
Max Power : 170bhp at 6,000rpm
Max Torque : 220Nm at 4,500rpm
Gearbox : 4-speed automatic
Top speed : 180km/h
0-100km/h : 10.4 seconds
Price : $100,000 with COE (est.)
Warranty : TBA
Contact : Chrysler Jeep Automotive of Singapore at 6479-3333
SIMILAR CARS TO CONSIDER
Honda Accord 2.4 (A)
$95,500 with COE
The one to go for if you privilege the driving experience above all else. Great handling and a superb four-cylinder engine make the Accord the keen driver's choice. The only downside is that the car is not as attractive as the Japanese domestic market-only version that the parallel importers bring in.
Toyota Camry 2.4 (A) $96,988 with COE
The king of the hill, and for good reason. The Camry does everything you ask of it perfectly well, and the latest version even comes with much tidier handling. It's roomy, quiet and very comfortable. The equipment levels are super generous, too.
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