The 2010 Chrysler Sebring was such a disaster, we named it one of the worst cars of the 2000s. More than a new name, what it needed was a complete redesign.
Instead, for 2011 the Sebring got the name "200," some updated sheet metal, a new interior and a reworked chassis, but it remains at least one step behind the market's best-selling family sedans.
The Sebring comes as a five-seat sedan or a four-seat convertible. Both layouts offer a four-cylinder or a V-6. Compare them here, or stack the 200 against the Sebring here. The related Dodge Avenger, which comes only as a sedan, boasts similar platform updates. I drove a four-cylinder 200 sedan and a V-6 200 convertible.
Nicer, Not Bigger
Redesigned extensively, the 200's interior ranks among its strengths. Chrysler needs to banish a few Sebring relics — including the clunky window controls and flimsy turn-signal and wiper stalks — but cabin materials are impressive for this class. Problem is, the Sebring's small dimensions live on. Cabin volume in the 200 sedan is a modest 100.3 cubic feet — 2.2 cubic feet less than the Sebring and on the small side for this class. It shows: The front seats feel nine-tenths the size they ought to be. The seat cushions are too short for proper thigh support, and at 5-foot-11, I could have used another inch or so of driver-seat travel.
The backseat has adult-friendly headroom, but legroom trails its class, in some cases by more than an inch. Adults will find their shins digging into the front seatbacks, and the low backseat will leave their knees too elevated. Other editors agreed: For many families, the 200 will be a tight fit.
Trunk volume in the 200 sedan matches the Sebring's underwhelming 13.6 cubic feet. That's the size of many compact-car trunks. Competing family sedans generally offer more; the Ford Fusion beats the 200 by more than 20 percent.
Get the V-6
I'm at a loss to explain why a car so small on the inside weighs more than nearly every major competitor. I can only describe the consequences: Chrysler's aging 2.4-liter World Engine is tasked with pulling the heavy 200 up to speed, and it emits a harsh, grainy sound as it does so. It gets the car there eventually, but the experience is neither quick nor refined. The also-heavy four-cylinder Chevy Malibu is similarly sluggish; others are both quicker and more fuel-efficient.
With 283 horsepower — 110 hp more than the four-cylinder — the optional 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 is well worth the upgrade. Fellow editor Mike Hanley drove the V-6 sedan last fall, and he says it's a potent engine, moving the 200 with a vigor similar to the V-6 Honda Accord. If absolute power is your thing, though, the 200 can't outmuscle the V-6 Malibu or V-6 Toyota Camry, which are so quick you may not want to hand the keys to your teen driver.
All 200s but the LX sedan get a six-speed automatic. It upshifts smoothly and quickly around town, which is more than I could say for the 2010 Sebring's lurch-prone automatic. Still, the 200's auto can be indecisive in interstate passing lanes (that should be the left one, California), hunting for gears when you need it to kick down and pick one already. I didn't drive the base LX, which gets a four-speed automatic.
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