Chrysler Sebring
Forget litres, cubic centimetres, gills or barrels. The de facto measurement of volume in the car world is... the golf bag.
Chrysler has announced that the convertible version of its new Sebring will hit the UK next summer with the proud boast that its D-segment drop-top passes the 'two golf bag test'.
Yes, it's true. Even with the roof down, you'll be able to fit two sets of woods, irons and putters in the boot of the Sebring convertible.
Is there some sort of conversion scale for this sort of measurement? Do two golf bags equate to 16 vanity cases? 24 bags of shopping?
Apart from its club-storing capabilities, the Sebring is a fairly conservative addition to the convertible market.
US customers will get the choice of a vinyl, cloth or steel roof, but us poor Brits will have to make do with the folding hard-top alone. Bah.
The Sebring doesn't break much new ground in the styling department, but it's definitely got an old-school American touch to it.
A couple of inches bigger in every direction than its fixed-roof cousin, it's not the most sporty-looking creature, but the dual chrome exhausts on the top-of-the-range 3.5-litre V6 engine lend it a more aggressive air.
In addition to that 235bhp V6, US buyers will also be able to request their Sebring with a 2.7-litre V6 developing 189bhp, or a more frugal 2.4-litre four-pot. It's still not much of a fuel-sipper though, returning well under 30mph on the combined cycle.
In the UK we'll have the choice of the smaller V6 or a 2.0-litre turbodiesel mated to a six-speed manual, which will develop 140bhp and 229lb ft of torque.
Although Chrysler boasts that the Sebring convertible is twice as stiff as its chop-top predecessor thanks to fatter sills, we're not holding out much hope of it being a finely fettled road racer. But we do like the sound of the in-car entertainment system, which includes a 20GB hard disk drive and integrated movie screen.
God bless those Americans and their television addiction.
There's no firm word on prices yet, but Chrysler reckons that the Sebring will weigh in cheaper than the Saab 9-3 and Audi A4 convertibles, which would put it in the £20,000 ballpark.
The Sebring convertible should reach the UK in the second half of next year, which gives you plenty of time to save up for a second set of golf clubs. In case you get a hole in one.
© Source: original article on topgear
