The leaders of the family sedan segment are bigger, faster and more luxurious than ever before, and with all of them gathered for this comparison test, there was little room for weakness in the rest of the pack. Introduced for 2001 as a successor to the Cirrus, the Chrysler Sebring and its corporate twin, the Dodge Stratus, have always come across as slightly-above-average family sedans that are sold at sensible prices. Not the best, but still solid buys if you're on a budget. In this test, though, it was obvious to us that these cars have aged rapidly in the last three years and will need an overhaul if Chrysler intends to keep them from slipping off the buying public's radar.

Most of the Sebring's failings are in the cabin, where you'll find a drab overall design that gives the car a distinct rental car feel. A classy set of gauges with blue-green backlighting lets you know you're not in a Dodge, but corporate-issue switchgear and black plastic panels (that clash with the two-tone taupe color scheme) assure you that this car is nothing special. Low-grade materials and slipshod build quality bolster that impression. The suede/leather seat upholstery wasn't bad, but the cheap adjustable vents, rough-edged plastics, mismatched grain patterns and misaligned (and in some cases, loose) panels didn't sit well with us. What's more, panel misfits were also noticeable on the exterior of the car

On a practical level, the Chrysler Sebring had the least comfortable backseat of the group. Legroom is adequate, but there's no room to slide your feet under the front chairs and a low bench forces adults to adopt a splayed-leg seating position. Back support is marginal, and designers made absolutely no provision for head rests as the back cushion is straight across the top.

Meanwhile, storage space in the cabin is almost nonexistent — small door bins, small center console container, small glovebox and just one rear map pocket. Cupholders are small and ill-prepared for anything larger than a 12-ounce soda can; the pair in front is crammed under the center stack. Details are important in today's family sedans, and now that Honda has installed bottle holders in the doors and Toyota has created the perfect receptacle for kids' juice boxes, this lack of attention to families' needs can't be overlooked.

The rest of the interior is average. The cockpit isn't overly spacious, but the wide front seats are nicely contoured and offer decent cushioning. The steering wheel tilts but does not telescope. The manual climate controls aren't much to look at, but they're simple to use. There's no separate function for recirculated air, though, so you've got to switch to "max A/C" when you pull up behind a diesel truck. The stereo head unit doesn't offer the best ergonomics, but a full-featured auxiliary set of controls mounted on the back of the steering wheel spokes makes it easy to go from your favorite CD to the latest news report without taking your hands off the wheel.

Trunk capacity is second only to the Camry at 16 cubic feet and the lid is suspended by externally mounted gas struts. This is a nice feature, but the struts, along with the car's smartly creased tail design, make for a small trunk opening with a high lift-over height. Underneath the cargo floor you'll find a full-size spare tire.

Our well-optioned LXi test vehicle included eight of the 12 features we consider most important for a family sedan as either standard or optional equipment. Of course, Chrysler no longer offers the Sebring in LXi trim (our test car was a very early 2004 model), but you can get an almost identically equipped car by going with a Touring Platinum or Limited model. The Touring Platinum, in particular, runs up a bill of just $23,700 when optioned up to the level of our LXi — a much more realistic price than our test car's $26,375 sticker.

It doesn't cost much to add front and rear side curtain airbags to the Sebring (conventional seat-mounted side airbags aren't available), and given that the car earned a mediocre three stars out of five for side-impact protection, they're a worthwhile addition. The car earned a perfect five stars in government frontal impact testing along with a somewhat less impressive "Acceptable" rating (second-best on a scale of four) in IIHS frontal offset crash testing.

Driving the Sebring revealed a lightweight, nimble family sedan with unusually strong brakes, an unrefined engine and a noisy ride. Small in displacement for this class, the Chrysler's 2.7-liter V6 is rated for 200 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque, but out on the road it feels like much less than that, even with only one person in the car. Low-end response is weak, though the V6 livens up when revved, giving the Sebring respectable passing power. Trouble is, the standard four-speed automatic transmission is slow to downshift, and the driver must ultimately plan ahead for lane changes with the same care he would in a four-cylinder sedan. Throughout the experience, the engine serenades the driver with a loud whine that grated on the nerves of all who drove the Sebring.

Ride quality is smooth enough for most everyday driving, but it isn't as comfortable or refined as that of most of the other sedans in the group. "The suspension crashed pretty hard over a big bump, sending a loud shudder through the cabin," one editor wrote in his evaluation. Additionally, the Sebring was susceptible to higher levels of wind and road noise compared with its peers. Handling was one of the more enjoyable aspects of the car. Body roll was evident around corners, but the suspension held on with unexpected tenacity, giving the car a predictable, responsive feel. The steering aided in the sensation of mild sportiness — despite its lack of quickness and road feel, it was nicely weighted.

Braking proved to be one of the Sebring's greatest strengths. You wouldn't necessarily know that from the car's braking performance in everyday situations, as the brake pedal is soft and lacking in progression. Editors called their performance "adequate" but didn't think the brakes had an overly confident feel. Instrumented testing told a somewhat different story, as our test car recorded the shortest stop from 60 mph of all the cars in the test, coming in at just under 118 feet.

Even with its few advantages in braking and handling, the Sebring is destined for the shadows of the family sedan segment unless Chrysler takes action. The very fact that there are 10 cars in this comparison test is proof that buyers have plenty to choose from in 2004. That being the case, we don't see any reason to settle for one with a lackluster interior and an ill-tempered drivetrain.

Second Opinions:

Senior Road Test Editor Ed Hellwig says:
Chrysler may have recently updated this sedan, but it's going to take more than just a few minor updates to keep it competitive with the front-runners in this category. I've always thought the overall exterior design was a good mix of old and new, but these days it's starting to look just plain old. The interior is especially antiquated with its very average-looking plastics and low-quality leather, although I did find the gauges uniquely attractive.

From a driving dynamics standpoint, it's a solid sedan with predictable handling, a smooth ride and excellent brakes. Compared to the big-bore V6s of the import cars, the Sebring's smallish six feels anemic if not exceedingly smooth. The transmission lags behind your foot more often than not and the Autostick is of limited value, but for the most part the drivetrain is capable but uninspiring. Such traits used to be par for the course in this category, but now they land you in the back half of the pack. If you're looking for a bargain and not much more, the Chrysler Sebring won't disappoint, but up against the front-runners it just feels like it needs another refresh.

Road Test Coordinator Kelly Stennick says:
The exterior styling of the Chrysler Sebring makes me want to like this car. Our test car was a deep midnight blue, and coupled with the shiny chrome wide-winged Chrysler badge, the exterior offered classy good looks.

After climbing into the cabin, I was still hopeful, wanting to think the best about Chrysler's midsize sedan offering. The seats were comfortable enough, but the interior materials weren't equal to those of other cars in the test, especially the Japanese competitors, and the controls seemed somewhat antiquated alongside some of the recently redesigned sedans. The plastic wood trim gave the interior some color, but too many hard plastic surfaces didn't offer the comforting feel one hopes to find on a long commute home. To the Sebring's credit, both front and rear seats were spacious, although the rear-seat passengers suffered from no headrests and a wimpy center armrest.

After taking the Sebring out for spin on both canyon roads and freeway stretches, I just couldn't find anything positive to report. The brakes seemed to fade quickly, not inspiring much confidence in reducing speed before going into a tight corner, and the transmission's upshifts seemed noisy and jerky when accelerating at the exit of the turn. The engine also emitted a low whine that went undiagnosed.

While I strongly believe that Chrysler is turning out some of the most attractive vehicles in the market, I can't help but wish that their beauty was more than skin deep.