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All the right curves
Crossfire points Chrysler in a new direction
By Bradley Horn
Thursday, October 16, 2003
It's a personal edict of mine that one cannot truly appreciate a car until he or she has washed it. While sudsing up and rinsing down, a deeper sense of the vehicle's true form comes to light. If all this sounds too philosophical for a hose and sponge exercise, you've never seen the Chrysler Crossfire. With a body of creases, curves and chrome, Chrysler's latest rear-drive coupe is sure to have you scrubbing and polishing until the sun goes down.
Chrysler says the Crossfire is the first vehicle that truly benefits from its 1998 merger with Daimler-Benz. Under its sultry sheetmetal is a platform shared with the current Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster, as well as a gaggle of Mercedes parts, including a V6 engine. Heck, it's even built across the pond in Osnabrück, Germany by longtime Mercedes partner, Karmann.
Despite its Teutonic influences, the Crossfire's styling is 100 per cent North American. Reminiscent of vintage Chris-Craft wooden speedboats of the '20s and '30s, the car features a grooved, plank-like hood and a pronounced boat tail rear end. A "centre spine," as Chrysler describes it, runs from the company's winged badge at the front of the car all the way to the back, finishing over the centre-mounted dual exhaust. As with other Crossfire styling cues, observant eyes will notice the "spine" theme repeating inside on the centre console, as well as the roof liner.
Just below the rear window is an electric spoiler, which deploys automatically at 96 km/h, supposedly creating needed downforce. The standard 7-spoke alloy wheels are 18-inches in the front and an impressive 19-inches in the rear (note: they take a long time to wash). The only cheesy bit we found on the Crossfire's exterior was the metallic air louvers in the front fenders. From a distance they're attractive, but up close they look cheap and out of place on an otherwise well-decorated vehicle.
The sexy, low roofline of the Crossfire does make ingress and egress difficult, even for sub-six-footers. Nonetheless, once inside, the driver is rewarded with surprisingly luxurious surroundings.
Standard equipment includes dual zone climate control with cool rolling dials for temperature selection, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel and a 6-disc, in-dash, 240-watt stereo. On the safety front there's dual front and side airbags, not to mention traction control and an electronic stability programme. Mercedes-Benz influences are seen throughout the cockpit. The Crossfire uses the same cruise control stalk as M-B products and yes, it's also located foolishly next to the turn signal stalk and easily confused. Many of the buttons and logos are reminiscent of Chrysler's German cousin and one drooling observer from a local Benz dealer said the seats are the same as the SLK's, but I can't verify. Our tester featured a standard 6-speed manual transmission (a 5-speed automatic with Autostick is optional), finished in silver like the rest of the centre console. Most controls were easy to use, though the radio preset buttons are on the small side. Audio (and even cruise) controls on the steering wheel were sorely missed.
What truly surprises inside the Crossfire is the fit and finish. Besides the handbrake (a personal quibble), we could find no unusually large panel gaps or Fisher Price-like plastic surfaces. It seems Mercedes set the tone here, a trait I hope continues on all future Chrysler products. At a base price of $47,745, Crossfire meets competition like the Porsche Boxster, Honda S2000 and even the Mercedes-Benz SLK in materials and refinements while remaining $5,000 to $10,000 cheaper.
If the Crossfire wasn't being chamoised down, it was hightailing it down the open road. Visiting my folks in the Niagara region means lots of opportunity to blast down vineyard-lined country roads.
Under the Crossfire's stylish hood is a 3.2-litre V6 engine plucked out of the SLK (again, Chrysler hasn't made much of an effort to hide the three-pointed star on its plumbing). Driving the rear wheels, it puts out 215 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 229 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 revs.
These aren't huge numbers, but after driving the Crossfire it's understood that it's not intended to be a white-knuckle sports car. Instead, the car is designed as a long distance, well-balanced sports tourer. The PT Cruiser started life the same way and suffered the same "underpowered" criticism from some reviewers that the Crossfire now receives. Let's remember there's now a turbo under the Cruiser's hood and enough room under the Crossfire's for a Hemi V8.
Despite what its critics say, I found the Crossfire more than adequate in underhood grunt, especially with the 6-speed manual gearbox. Shifter throws are short and the motor revs freely with a decidedly European growl out the tailpipe. From a standing start, Chrysler says the Crossfire will reach 100 km/h in a respectable 6.5 seconds.
Whether we were touring through the upper-class splendor of Niagara-on-the-Lake or blasting down deserted blacktop, road warts were dampened nicely by the double wishbone front and multi-link rear independent suspension. Chrysler claims the Crossfire's body is twice as stiff as the Porsche Boxster's, translating into a hushed, rattle-free ride.
Handing the Crossfire's keys back was difficult. Over the week I drove it, not only did the Crossfire turn heads, but it also changed my perception of what the DaimlerChrysler merger can mean for the Chrysler brand.
If the Crossfire is a firm example of what we can expect from Chrysler as it moves upmarket, then the competition best beware. And as Chrysler pushes forward, it will continue to raid the Mercedes-Benz parts bins and could very well dilute the exclusivity and refinement of the three-pointed star.
Immediate competition:
Audi TT, Infiniti G35 Coupe,
Mazda RX-8, Nissan 350Z
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