Editors' Most Wanted Vehicles for 2001

Midsize Coupe Under $30,000

Winner: Chrysler Sebring

The new Sebring Coupe represents a belief by Chrysler that consumers (read: aging baby boomers moving out of SUVs and minivans) want near-luxury coupes. Borrowing heavily from the Mitsubishi Eclipse (both are made at the Mitsubishi Motor Assembly plant in Normal, Ill.), the new Sebring Coupe combines the Mitsubishi's interior with Chrysler's exterior styling. Sebring's interior is nearly identical to the Eclipse cabin with a muscular, sporty look accented by fake wood and gathered leather in top-line models. Outside, Sebring's roofline is raked and streamlined, with thin side windows creating a need-for-speed look. The elliptical egg-crate grille with built-in fog lamps is reminiscent of the Concorde and its rear end mimics that of Chrysler's popular 300M. In short, the coupe looks sexy, raw and fast. On the road, the coupe is good fun, especially the five-speed manual. While the standard 2.4-liter inline four might feel a bit pokey when pushed, the available Mitsubishi-derived 200-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 provides slick and sure acceleration and the standard 16-inch tires lend attitude and superior traction. Also, the coupe's single-piece body was redesigned to provide a 90 percent improvement in bending resistance and 9 percent increase in twisting resistance over last year's model. This increased rigidity and an added front strut tower brace and sport-tuned suspension system give the coupe great feel and handling on all road surfaces. LX models come with an impressive array of standard features, including air conditioning, cruise control, four-wheel disc brakes, six-speaker stereo, four-speed automatic tranny, tilt, power trunk release and power windows, locks and mirrors. Upgrading to the LXi adds leather upholstery, 17-inch wheels, power sunroof, ABS and an AutoStick transmission. If there are no more kids at home and the days of lugging camping equipment or a soccer team around are a cherished memory, the Sebring Coupe makes sense.