Chrysler Sebring
Some cars make you feel a special way. The Subaru WRX's like the rally champ you always dreamed you would be, a Lotus reconciles you with those racing dreams. A Land Rover, the adventurer and an MPV… well let's not go there, how many kids does the world need anyhow?
The Sebring makes you feel, well special, very special. I don't quite know how to put it. Oh yes I do, it makes you feel like a pimp, down to it's last piece of chrome and fake tortoiseshell finish. When I started writing, I never quite thought I would ever get to use the words fake and tortoiseshell in the same sentence. It just goes to show, you never can tell. Unpredictable this motoring writing. So let me describe the experience. A barge of a vehicle; enormous, American and bling. VERY bling. The boot is about the size of a small African Dictatorship, and about as useful. It has a plastic thingy in it to prevent your precious things from breaking the folding roof mechanism when activated. This leaves you with enough space for…
Well let me put it this way, a gym bag wouldn't quite fit. It leaves a long triangular sausage of space, about the same as one gets in a compact coupe convertible.
The thing is, this ain't no
compact, buddy. The car will
however get you noticed. Do you
hark back to the days of American
Iron, big ships of the road that were
all about being seen? Well this
certainly conforms to that mould.
Especially in the test car's gold
paintwork. It sho' ain't subtle,
brudda. Also not pretty.
Shameful that. Power? Sure.
Lots of it. Torque too. More
power and torque than you can use, in fact. Just try using all of it.
In these days of traction control,
you can tell that you are getting
your money's worth from the nerds
who designedt his system, 
because
you get to use it more than the fine
sound system. Any big prods of
the accelerator had the wheels
scrabbling for traction in an old
school (read that as bad) front
wheel drive kind of way.
Sadly not in a burn out cool way. Sigh. The ride is plush and pleasant however. Almost ironically, there isn't a hint of body flex, and I didn't get her to corner fast enough to detect scuttle shake. An indictment on the nature of the car and building ambivalence to the cars performance. The sound system includes Bluetooth, a builtin hard drive for your sounds, and plenty of connectivity to external devices. Talking about systems, the climate control was brilliant with the roof up. This not being a roof up kind of car, that hardly matters.
With the roof down, the system won't keep up and hold you warm and cozy on a cold day, as many modern systems will. However the cup holders do have heaters and coolers. Seat belts - always a bugbear and an in-the-way nuisance in two doors - are integral with the seats and were easy to get to and never in the way. Not a driver's car.
It is a poser's car; a poser of a very specific kind. If looks are your thing, and the looks of this one don't have you running for the hills with your retching reflex in full swing, then lay down your easy money and ride off, holding your head up as a character in a Dallas or Dynasty remake. Just don't call me.
