The Sacramento Bee's view

Building a new midsize sedan for the U.S. market is a daunting task … not unlike opening a new fast-food restaurant.

It’s hard to sell something new in a killer-competitive segment where folks tend to stubbornly stick with favorites they’ve been gobbling up for years.

That’s the environment the reworked-inside-and-out 2007 Chrysler Sebring Sedan finds itself in. But let me say that the automaker has done a pretty good job with this midsize makeover.

It’s sportier looking than before and, accordingly, the ’07 Sebring has more baseline pop than the 2006 model. Also, it’s jazzed up with modern features that will appeal to younger drivers.

Like the previous-generation version, this Sebring is a logical choice for families seeking a moderately priced, moderate-size, four-door passenger car. Throw in its 2007 tweaks and upgrades, and I’d say the newest Sebring sedan will appeal to younger families that previously might have passed it up.

The sedan comes in three trim levels, with starting prices ranging from about $18,500 to $24,000. My tester was the Touring version starting at $20,920.

All three trim levels have a new, racy look — sort of a flying wedge in profile, spiced up with some raised side edges running from front wheels to back. The grille is bold enough to give Sebring some character, and there is parallel-line sculpting in the hood as well. Taillamps are large and nicely incorporated into the exterior trunklid.

The car’s cut-through-the-air look is backed by a stronger base engine — a 2.4-liter in-line 4 rated at 173 horsepower. That’s up from 150 horses in the previous base, four-cylinder power plant.

The tester had the even more robust 2.7-liter V-6 with 189 horsepower. Performance junkies can load up even more with an available 3.5-liter, 235-horsepower V-6.

The 2.7-liter V-6 handled all situations impressively, but was noisy when asked to do maximum duty. Interior cabin conversations had to be put on pause when I accelerated onto local freeways.

Even with nearly 200 horses, the tester’s fuel mileage came in at a fairly nice 22 miles per gallon in the city and 30 mpg on the highway.

Steering was responsive, but the Sebring leaned liberally on slalom runs. Back-seat space was good, but not great. Three adults will likely feel cramped in the 60/40- split seats that can be folded.

Standard perks on the tester that shouted out to younger buyers included an in-dash CD/MP3 player, multiple 12-volt power outlets, a center console armrest that can slide fore and aft, 17-inch aluminum wheels, an electroluminescent instrument cluster, power/heated mirrors and quad headlights with high-tech optics.

The Sebring also can be had with a sophisticated system that combines entertainment, safety/navigation audio and hands-free, wireless technology that enables communication between occupants’ compatible cell phones and the vehicle’s on-board receiver.

Other available goodies include a power sunroof, a heated/cooled front cupholder and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

Keep in mind that picking from the menu of electronic extras could put your Sebring closer to $30,000 than $20,000.

While the center stack of controls in the tester featured large, easy-to-operate buttons, it had the same cheap, plastic look and feel found in other Chrysler/Dodge products. That was a disappointment, as was less-than-precise fitting of interior materials.

While some colleagues have grumbled that the Sebring’s bright-white LED interior lighting is too bright, I had no problem with it. It’s great for reading the family’s menu requests before hitting the drive-through lane.

Overall, the Sebring is a pretty fair midsize sedan offering. It has some things you expect in a $35,000 car — arguably enough to make it stand out from the crowd and let you perhaps ignore some of the car’s shortcomings.

2007 Chrysler Sebring Sedan at a glance

Make/model: Chrysler Sebring Touring Sedan Vehicle type: Five-passenger, four-door, front-drive, midsize sedan Base price: $20,920 (as tested, $22,850) Engine: 2.7-liter V-6 with 189 horsepower at 6,400 revolutions per minute and 191 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm EPA fuel economy: 22 miles per gallon city; 30 mpg highway (regular unleaded) Transmission: Four-speed automatic with overdrive Steering: Power-assisted rack and pinion Brakes: Power-assisted four-wheel discs with anti-lock Suspension: Indepen- dent, MacPherson strut-type on front; independent, multi-link on rear (coil springs, stabilizer bars and gas-charged shock absorbers front and rear) Fuel tank: 16.9 gallons Passenger volume: 102.5 cubic feet Cargo volume: 13.6 cubic feet Curb weight: 3,421 pounds Height: 59 inches Length: 190.6 inches Wheelbase: 108.9 inches Width: 71.2 inches Track: 61.8 inches on front and rear Ground clearance: 6.5 inches (estimated) Tires: P215/60R17 all-season radials Towing capacity: 1,500 pounds