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Chrysler Sebring
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Not to be confused with Maserati Sebring. Although Chrysler and Maserati did team up to produce the Chrysler TC before the Sebring came out.
The Chrysler Sebring is a line of mid-size cars sold by Chrysler LLC. There have been three entirely different vehicles with this name:
Chrysler Sebring was introduced as a coupe for 1995, and later, a convertible was released for 1996. Both models replaced the Chrysler LeBaron.
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Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Maserati Sebring. Although Chrysler and Maserati did team up to produce the Chrysler TC before the Sebring came out.
The Chrysler Sebring is a line of mid-size cars sold by Chrysler LLC. There have been three entirely different vehicles with this name:
1995-2000
The Chrysler Sebring was introduced as a coupe for 1995, and later, a convertible was released for 1996. Both models replaced the Chrysler LeBaron. The convertible was built off of the Chrysler JA platform also used for the Cirrus 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 name was first used by Chrysler Corporation's Plymouth division trim line of the Satellite mid-size coupe of the 1970s.
2001-2006
The Sebring name was now used on three different cars for 2001. The coupe was based on the Mitsubishi Eclipse while the sedan and convertible were Chrysler JR platform successors to the Chrysler Cirrus. The Sebring sedan is also a de facto successor to the Plymouth Breeze, since most Plymouths (e.g. Voyager, Prowler) were rebranded as Chryslers since the marque's demise in 2001. The car got a facelift in 2004 by getting a new front fascia, as well as a Chrysler logo on the rear. The Sebring coupe was discontinued after 2005. The Sebring is sold as the Chrysler Cirrus in Mexico.
Some of the 2.7 L V6 engines have suffered from failures due to oil sludge contamination. These problems happen when fine engine oil passages become clogged with sludge, and often result in catastrophic failure of the engine. Improper maintainace, such as irregular oil changes would see such results. An unknown number of Sebring, Concorde, Dodge Intrepid and Stratus owners have been affected. Fixes include changing to synthetic oil, inspection, and even engine replacement.
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.
Trim levels
Throughout the 2001–2006 generation sedan many different trim levels were offered. Though there were multiple variations of some(for example plain Touring and Touring Platinum Series), just the main ones are listed below.
- LX — 2001–2004
- LXi — 2001–2003
- base — 2004–2006
- Touring — 2004–2006
- Limited — 2004–2006
- Signature Series — 2005
- TSi — 2005–2006
European market
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 fog-lamps are fitted; one on each side of the license-plate. The LHD headlamps incorporate Euro-type H4 bulbs, together with 3-way up & down beam-level adjustment via a dash-mounted switch to the left of the steering wheel. Emmisions controls are to the EURO 3 standard; later versions are compliant with EURO 4. Engine ranges offered were the 2.0L DOHC 16V inline 4-cylinder (later replaced by the 2.4L unit in some countries), and the 2.7L DOHC 24V 6 Cylinder unit. The 2.0 and 2.4L engines are available with the 5-speed manual or 4-speed 41TE auto transmission (depending on country); the 6 Cylinder engine is auto only. All three engines are tuned to run on the higher-grade 91 to 98 RON-octane unleaded gasoline sold in Europe.
The Canadian-market 240 km/h-160 mph speedometer (with km/h predominant) is fitted to the European models. Odometer and tripmeter are in kilometres. 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 2.7L engine in 2001/2002, and these were sold though 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' started to replace the LE and LX designations respectively.
Sales of the 2001-2006 Sebring were at their best moderate in Europe; most were of the convertible. 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 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 USA 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 means 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 to be North-American 'grey-imports'. The 2007-onwards Sebring sedan and convertible (below) are now sold in right-hand drive through Chrysler's UK and Ireland dealer network.
2007-present
The Sebring was replaced with a new model based on the JS platform for 2007.
Because 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 new Sebring borrows many styling cues from the 2003 Chrysler Airflite concept. It also has several Chrysler-signature styling cues, several of which come from the Chrysler Crossfire. Additionally, the new Sebring is the first Chrysler model to offer Chrysler's "MyGig" infotainment system.
The Chrysler Sebring is assembled in Sterling Heights, Michigan and contains over 82% of parts sourced in North America.
The convertible version was introduced in 2007 as a 2008 model, and for the first time featured an optional power hardtop in addition to the available cloth and vinyl tops.
2008 marks the first year that the Sebring is available with optional "MyGIG Multimedia Infotainment System" which allows you store 20GB of music, dvds, and pictures.
Chrysler offers three engines for the 2007 Sebring, the GEMA I4, the EER V6, and the EGJ V6. The 3.5 L V6 is coupled to Chrysler's first ever 6-speed automatic transmission, which employs Autostick technology, and the 2.7 L V6 is capable of running on cleaner-burning E85. Export vehicles will be offered with a 2.0 L turbocharged common-rail diesel made by Volkswagen and the 2.0 L GEMA engine. The 3.5L V6 sedan is available with all wheel drive as a extra cost option for 2008 only. AWD will be dropped from the Sebring lineup in 2009 due to low demand.
Trim levels
- base — 2007
- LX — 2008 (replaced base)
- Touring — (2007–2008)
- Limited AWD — (2008)
- Limited — 2007–present
For the 2009 model year the LX and Touring trims are dropped leaving only the Limited. In addition the Limited also gets the 2.4 litre 4 cylinder engine and its priced at the same price as the 2008 Touring model. And also for 2009, the Sebring gets rear badge placements modified slightly.
Fuel
All engines used in the Chrysler Sebring accept regular unleaded gasoline. Only the 2.7L DOHC 24V 6 Cylinder Flex-Fuel engine (offered in North America only, not export versions) can accept both regular unleaded or E85 Flex-Fuel.
Licensed production in Russia
The first-generation (2001–2006) Chrysler Sebring and its Dodge Stratus cousin will be built in Russia from late 2007 or early 2008 on, and will be sold as GAZ Siber. The license and tooling for these cars were sold in April 2006 to Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who owns the GAZ company in Nizhny Novgorod, which builds the Volga automobile. This agreement cost about US$151 million (€ 124 million). It is planned to build up to 65,000 cars of both models annually. GAZ will keep its Volga nameplate, naming this vehicle Volga Siber. GAZ will import Chrysler 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engines (not the World Engines) from Mexico for use on these vehicles.
Launch of Chrysler Sebring in China
Production of the new Chrysler Sebring sedan for the China market will begin later 2007 in Beijing at Beijing-Benz DaimlerChrysler Automotive Co. (BBDC). BBDC is a joint venture between the Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Co. Ltd. and Chrysler.
Production of the Sebring leverages assembly capacity at the new BBDC plant, which also builds the Chrysler 300C, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Mitsubishi Outlander. Four-cylinder World Engines for the Sebring will be built at the Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance (GEMA) plant in Dundee, Mich. for export to China. GEMA is a joint venture of Chrysler, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co.
External links
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