For most enthusiasts, sweet dreams of topless motoring aren’t exactly made of this. But slighting Chrysler’s new Sebring Convertible for its inability to deliver the driving experience of a BMW Z4 is to miss its point entirely. The car’s mission is to provide painless wafting to folks far more likely to pick up a nine iron than a tire iron. And while that may not set one’s ventricles atwitter, it’s a reasonable enough position. It’s also a profitable one: DaimlerChrysler moved around 475,000 Sebrings over the last decade—making it America’s best-selling drop-top for seven of the last eleven years.

With this new model, DCX is looking to enhance the characteristics for which Sebring devotees faithfully whip out their checkbooks. The car boasts a sheaf of new conveniences, greater interior space, and increased all-weather usability. In order to accomplish this, Chrysler had to spring for a new platform, as the 2001-06 Sebring’s structural rigidity left something to be desired. The new model uses high-strength steels, cross braces, and structural reinforcements to make it 2.5 times stiffer torsionally and 1.5 times more resistant to bending. Over Southern California’s occasionally pockmarked mountain roads, the buttressing did its job, evincing a credibly rattle- and groan-free structure.

The fortified structure also allows Sebring’s four-wheel independent MacPherson struts and revamped dampers to do their thing, which is still, evidently, to provide a pillowy ride and rather numb, over-boosted steering. DCX sent us up some surprisingly challenging roads, and the Sebring never really felt at home; hustling through the twisties felt undignified and unrewarding. Conversely, lazing oceanfront drives proved a satisfying part of the convertible’s oeuvre.

The Sebring—in base, Touring, and Limited trims—comes with a trio of engines, starting with a 2.4-liter inline-four that generates 170 horsepower and 166 pound-feet of torque. One can also opt for either of two V-6s—a 2.7-liter making 185 horsepower and 191 pound-feet or a 3.5-liter with 231 horsepower, 232 pound-feet, and a couple extra cogs in the automatic transmission. We sampled a 2.7-liter Touring and a loaded Limited 3.5, and both had ample shove for sashaying about greater Los Angeles. The larger combination is preferable, if only because the six-speed hunts less and does a better job of keeping the powertrain in the meat of its powerband.

Suffice it to say the convertible’s looks are an acquired taste. From the A-pillar forward, it is identical to the Sebring sedan, meaning you get the same keyhole headlamps, longitudinally straked hood, and egg-crate grille. To some, it strikes as a bit overwrought, but others find it an upscale, pleasant face. Where things start to go well and truly pear-shaped for us is in the profile. Or rather, things might—if only the car’s sides weren’t an assortment of too-long horizontal lines. To accommodate the top mechanism without impinging upon an owner’s prized golf clubs, the car’s overall length is stretched by three inches. Given the front-end sheetmetal is scaled for a different vehicle, the net-net is a proportional hodgepodge, exacerbated by a trunk-lid cut line that gashes into the rear fender. This aesthetic penalty reaps a duffer’s payoff, however—the Sebring can hold two sets of Big Berthas top-down, or four sets top-up.

Inside, things improve markedly. The quality and fit of the plastics are equal or better to those found in the Toyota Solara and Pontiac G6 (which DCX had on hand for comparison’s sake), and there are a host of options, including cup holders that run hot and cold, and a MyGig Harman Kardon stereo. There’s even a key fob that incorporates remote start and top operation.

The Sebring is the only car we know of that is available with three different roof mechanisms—vinyl, cloth, and origami steel. Why a trio? DCX says it’s because it wants customers to get exactly what they desire. We’re inclined to agree, presuming one understands fleet sales make up a sizeable chunk of this car’s constituency. The Sebring has long been a hire-car favorite, and rental car agencies aren’t keen to spend a lot on a fancy folding hard top, so the latter is optional and a low-cost vinyl unit comes standard. Those opting for the metal lid will reap a quieter, safer ride, but the soft tops are also well rendered.

All in, if you’re looking for pin-sharp steering and a rapturous exhaust note, this isn’t your ride. But arguably, there isn’t a true driver’s car in America’s affordable four-seat convertible genre, save perhaps Ford’s Mustang. But the Sebring offers a more refined ride, along with a range of creature comforts that should be enough to keep DaimlerChrysler in the hunt for another best-seller.