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Chrysler shoots into sport coupe scene
Sleek and unique, Crossfire turns heads
By Richard Russell
Thursday, January 29, 2004
The Chrysler Crossfire exemplifies what people had in mind when Mercedes bought Chrysler: the best of both worlds. The supposed merger created a lot of negative press and red ink, but also the best-handling and best-looking vehicle to ever wear a Chrysler badge.
The Crossfire is pure Mercedes beneath the skin. The platform, including engine, transmission, suspension and brakes, are all straight from the previous-generation Mercedes SLK320. But the sleek and unique skin and interior are pure Chrysler. Production takes place at a Kharmann facility in Osnabruck, Germany.
The 2-seat sports coupe is a head-turner. People of all ages stop, stare and go out of their way to get up close and personal. The truly unique shape gathers momentum and mass from its chiselled front to the extremely truncated rear.
Inside, considerable effort was spent on combining retro and modern. A major theme is the character line that starts at the grille and runs the length of the vehicle, culminating at the twin centre exhaust outlets. That same line can be found inside from the top of the instrument panel through the shift knob. The instruments themselves, for example, are reminiscent of days past, but are highly legible. The instrument panel is strongly similar to the SLK in layout and some of the switchgear will be familiar to Mercedes owners.
This is a low-slung sports car, so getting in and out requires a certain degree of athleticism - a situation made more difficult by the low roofline. That same roofline yields tiny mail-slot side and rear windows and large rear quarter panels, inhibiting vision to the sides and back. The seats aren't very large, but are supportive and comfortable for the long haul for those under six feet in height.
Here is where we have some gripes about the Crossfire. Larger and/or taller individuals will have problems getting comfortable. The cockpit is pretty small and cramped by any standard, and you have to be a contortionist to reach many areas. A tall and aptly named bulkhead spans the vehicle aft of the seats, preventing them from going back far enough for tall folks, and you can forget about reclining the seatbacks.
There are also some ergonomic issues like fussy buttons and tiny knobs on the sound system, a tiny and poorly placed cup holder and no provision for coins, tokens, sunglasses and other small items.
The Crossfire is well equipped with a very short option list. All the necessary and expected goodies and gadgets are standard, including air conditioning, power everything and a good sound system.
Cargo space is decent in light of the cramped quarters. A large, tapered hatch lifts up to reveal a deep, but oddly shaped cargo area. Back there you'll also notice a small spoiler that automatically raises when speeds reach 100 km/h. You might wonder about the strange noise it makes as you slow down, however, as the spoiler gracefully lowers into a flush position atop the deck lid.
The Crossfire's chassis was designed as a convertible (the SLK), so with the addition of a solid top it becomes one of the most structurally solid vehicles on the road at any size or price. The same massive bulkhead that restricts seat travel plays its designed role to a tee, connecting the rear suspension towers with a spanning.
The Crossfire is powered by a normally aspirated version of Mercedes' corporate V6. Displacing 3.2-litres and producing 215 horsepower in this application, it is a smooth, flexible, quiet and reasonably powerful unit. The exhaust tuning deserves special mention for being aurally rewarding under acceleration, but not intrusive at speed. Our tester had the standard 6-speed manual gearbox with nicely spaced ratios, a smooth progressive clutch take-up and a slightly notchy gate.
Suspension is independent all-around with upper and lower A-arms in front, a five-link setup in back and coil springs at each corner. The Crossfire is in its element on secondary roads where it is a delight to drive quickly. The steering is well weighted and sharp, but there is a little delay between ask and answer. The gigantic, low profile tires - 40-series 18-inchers in front and 35-series 19-inch rubber in the rear - provide stupendous grip, but do little for ride quality. The rear-drive chassis is nimble and remains composed up to very high limits. There is a fair degree of lean, but transient response is impressive thanks to all that rubber and relatively light weight. The Crossfire exhibits decent ride quality over broken and uneven surfaces.
Crossfire drivers enjoy the benefits of some goodies from the Mercedes technology department like electronic stability control, automatic brake assist and anti-lock brakes.
Brakes are a significant part of any German vehicle designed for sustained high speeds on the Autobahn. Those on the Crossfire live up to that reputation, providing strong, stable retardation from any speed. During instrumented testing I recorded a series of full-on stops from 100 km/h, averaging an impressive 123 feet with no fade evident.
The Crossfire would not have been possible for Chrysler without the significant donation of its new parent. The advantage is value - a lot of style and impressive engineering for a very competitive price.
Immediate competition:
Audi TT,
BMW Z4,
Mercedes 320SLK,
Nissan 350Z
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