Here is an informative discussion about the 2.0 Litre HO DOHC engine and transmission, specific to the Sebring and Avenger, wonderfully written by Dr. David A. Satz at Chrysler-Plymouth-Dodge Central.
The folks at Chrysler claim 140 hp and 132 ft-lbs of torque. But with the 5-speed manual transmission, I calculate about 148 hp and 138 ft-lbs when I back-solve from 0-60 times of 8.0 seconds flat and a quarter mile time of 16.5 sec @ 85.9 mph. The car chirps tires from a standstill and chirp again on the 1-2 shift -- even without a clutch drop.
The car gets a consistent 37.5 mpg on the highway in the mountains of W.Va., at 75 mph, and approximately 22-25 mpg in town. On a recent tank of gas when I took US70 to the beach through stop-n-go traffic and brief stretches at 85 mph, I got 38.9 mpg.
The car has beautifully clean emissions, can travel nearly 550 miles between fill-ups and looks good while doing it.
The car can carry tons of stuff, owing to the split fold-down rear seats and 13+ cu. ft. trunk. It is easy and inexpensive to maintain, handles nearly as well as my IROC-Z and has a fantastic 180-Watt Infinity 8-speaker stereo stock from the factory.
All this for a list price of less than $20,000! Take that, cheap foreign imports! (read: Camry and Accord.)
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