1996 Chrysler Sebring Jxi

It was America's best-selling convertible, just like the LeBaron it replaced, but the slick new "Cab Forward" 1996 Chrysler Sebring Jxi was a far better car -- arguably Chrysler's best all-around ragtop yet.

The 1996 Chrysler Sebring Jxi was America's best-selling convertible.

As one of Chrysler's "Cab Forward" generation, the dashing Sebring convertible bowed for 1996 without a trace of K-car in it. Yet like its LeBaron predecessor, it was America's best-selling ragtop -- not to mention the "rent-a-vertible" of choice in playgrounds from South Beach to Palm Springs.

The 1996 Chrysler Sebring Jxi model featured a 163-bhp 2.5 V-6.

There was certainly lots to like about this Sebring. For starters, it was a four-passenger convertible that actually seated four adults in real comfort, helped by a relatively long 106-inch wheelbase and a wide stance that also contributed to secure handling. And though loosely based on Chrysler's Cirrus sedan, the ragtop Sebring was engineered to be a convertible, so it's pleasantly rigid. Acceleration? Decent with the JX model's 150-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder, almost lively with the 163-bhp 2.5 V-6 in the upscale JXi (shown here).

Add standard power top, automatic transmission, and other essential amenities at low-to-mid-$20,000 prices, and it's little wonder the ragroof Sebring sold at a 50,000-plus annual clip. In terms of popularity, nothing else even came close.

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