IndyStar.com's view

January in Indiana is not exactly convertible time. Nonetheless, Chrysler is kicking off the New Year by introducing its new 1996 Sebring convertible coupe.

The corporation is displaying some managerial good sense by making the Sebring available in the spring. But what is interesting is that there is some convertible business going on during the winter.

“The convertible market is a little stronger in the summer,” said Kevin O’Brien, president of Tom O’Brien Chrysler-Plymouth-Jeep-Eagle. “But many buyers feel they can get a better deal this time of year, so we do actually sell convertibles in the winter.”

The all-new Sebring softtop has been designed and built specifically as a convertible, not as a derivative of a coupe that has had its roof cut off.

Structural components have been developed to insure maximum body/chassis rigidity, thus minimizing that inherent bogie of open cars, body shake.

As a four- passenger convertible, the Sebring is not a muscle car, but an open, sports- oriented vehicle that can serve as an all-season automobile.

Available in JX and JXi form, and with a four-cylinder or V-6, the car is an extension of Chrysler’s convertible market, which came on strong in the 1980s with the LeBaron.

Style-wise, the new Sebring adopts Chrysler’s theme of cabin- forward architecture in which the touch-down point of the windshield is over the center line of the front wheels.

This results in a 63-degree windshield angle. The other aspects of the cabin-forward design are that the wheels are moved out to the four corners of the body, a widened track, and a wheelbase lengthened to 106 inches.

Moving the wheels out to the corners allows wide front door openings, and easier access and entrance to the rear seat. The rear is designed to comfortably seat two adults, and a front-seat integrated three-point seat belt system eliminates having to struggle with pillar-mounted belts when entering the rear seat.

With air conditioning and the top up in the summer you have in essence a tight, comfortable closed car, if riding in the open during the heat of the day is not to your liking. The same applies to winter where occupants are fully protected from the elements by an insulated fabric top.

Operating controls and instrumentation are state-of-the-art, with a center console dividing two individual front seats. The car is available only with a four- speed automatic transmission, with the shift level mounted on the console.

The instrument cluster includes a speedometer, tachometer, temperature and fuel gauges. The 7,000 rpm tach is “red-lined” at 6,250, which doesn’t mean a whole lot because the automatic is going to shift long before that engine speed is reached. And I question whether the engine is going to turn 7,000 rpms with an automatic in fourth gear.

With the Sebring convertible utilizing SLA (short/long arm) double wishbone suspension front and rear, a lot of attention has been give to body/chassis rigidity.

A major innova tion is the straight-through rail concept in which underbody structural rails are continuous from front to back, forming a ladder configuration in conjunction with structural cross members.

In addition, sill tubes connect the front and rear pillars to stiffen the door openings. These tubes connect to front and rear bulkhead structures, which enhance the body’s resistance to twist.

The overall result is a rigid body/chassis that provides a firm platform for the suspension to work and give the car a stable but easy ride.

As I stated, the Sebring is not meant to be a muscle car, but it still has lively performance, courtesy of a pair of high-tech engines.

Both the 2.4-liter (148.2-cubic inch) in-line 4 and 2.5-liter (152.4-cubic inch) V-6 utilize four valves per cylinder for their respective valve trains. The 150-horsepower 2.4 is a double overhead cam engine that is standard in theJX. The 2.5 is a single overhead cam (per bank) V-6 that puts out 168-horsepower. It is standa rd in the JXi and a $1,365 option in the JX model.

The Sebring is priced at $19,460 for the JX, and $24,675 for the JXi.

“My feeling,” O’Brien said, “is that the JX with a V-6 will be the most popular seller because of price.”