2004-2005 Chrysler Crossfire

Pros :
- Funky styling.
- Fairly stiff and capable chassis.
- Tons of Mercedes parts - including the chassis.
- Porsche-style retractable rear wing - a nice gimmick.
- Impressive stopping power, thanks to big brakes and huge tires.

Cons :
- Funky styling.
- Noisy retractable rear wing - gimmick soon gets tiring.
- Less powerful than most of its competitors.
- It's actually an import, thus upsetting hardcore domestic fans.
- Somewhat pricey for a Chrysler.

Interior :

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Press Coverage :
When Daimler-Benz acquired the Chrysler Corp., many automotive analysts said the "best case" scenario would be a merger of Chrysler design with Mercedes-Benz engineering and production capabilities. The first true fruit of that scenario will be the Chrysler Crossfire, a stylish new sports coupe due on the market by the summer of 2003. Crossfire will share many of its components with the new Mercedes CLK.
The Chrysler Crossfire is powered by a 3.2-liter 18-valve V6 engine tuned to provide 215 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque. That power reaches the rear wheels through either a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmission. The car will have four-wheel antilock disc brakes. It also will be equipped with Mercedes' anti-spin electronic stability program and all-speed traction control. The front suspension will be double wishbones with an independent five-link setup in the rear. The car rides on 18-inch front and 19-inch rear low-profile tires mounted on alloy wheels that are 7.5 inches wide in front and 9 inches wide in back.
The Crossfire has a long hood and a rounded, fastback roofline Chrysler calls a "boat tail." The name Crossfire comes from a character line that runs from front to rear. Chrysler designers say the line "crosses" to a negative formation from a positive formation as it travels quickly from the front of the car through the rear fender. The car also has a center spine that runs the length of the car, from the grille in front to between the dual, center-mounted rear exhausts. The spine contributes to the car's chiseled look. There also are six grooves that run the length of its hood and strakes behind the front wheels. The Crossfire's athletic stance is enhanced by rear tires that are larger than those in front, and by its broad shoulders, tall body sides and minimal glass surface. Chrysler calls it "a carved, sculptured appearance."
The car's center spine reappears as an element in the car's interior design. The car's two bucket seats are trimmed in two-tone leather. Gauges have white-on-black faces with metallic bezels and chrome trim rings. The center console has metal-faced controls set into a metallic background. Metallic accents also highlight the interior door panels and the steering wheel. Other features for the two-seat coupe include a speed-activated (at 50 mph) rear spoiler, six-speaker audio system with dual subwoofers and a manually telescoping steering wheel.
The new 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster is low-slung with a sculpted appearance. To remove the top, simply release and pull down the center-mounted handle located on the windshield header, turn the handle which releases the convertible fabric top and lowers the side glass, and lift the front of the top approximately eight inches. Press the button on the center console and the hard tonneau opens up, the soft fabric top folds in, and the hard tonneau closes again. Top up or down, this is a great-looking sports car. Sunshine and fresh air are just 22 seconds away.
DaimlerChrysler.com

With well-proven Mercedes mechanicals and systems, there should be few reliability worries. Quality doesn't match the latest Mercedes standards, either, nor Audi's, but accurate assembly and, in the main, upmarket materials such as leather for the seats and plenty of soft-touch surfaces all lift it well above previous Chryslers. The whole structure is taut and rattle-free, too. The only downsides are the silver paint-blitz over the centre console and all its switches - the idea was to evoke aluminium, but it doesn't work. Even cheaper-looking are the exposed screwheads revealed when you open the glovebox, and the whine of the rear spoiler extending and retracting gets irritating after a while.
You sit low and snug, but it's easy to gauge where the long bonnet ends. Reversing is trickier because the rear window is small and narrow and you have to remember the broad, sight-blocking haunches either side when lane-changing. Switchgear is logical and easy to use, but the Mercedes-sourced steering-column stalk is overburdened with both lighting and screen-cleansing functions.
Channel4.com

We found the Crossfire accelerates with strength and force even though the output of 215 horsepower is ordinary these days. The three-valve engine sounds mildly sporty, and feels smooth as a luxury car's. It sounds louder and more purposeful than the same engine in the Mercedes E320 sedan. We particularly like the quick throttle response, which gives the impression that the engine is stronger than its 215 horsepower would suggest. Chrysler claims the Crossfire will get to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, and our test car felt like that would not be a problem. But that's significantly slower than sports cars such as the similarly affordable Nissan 350Z and pricier Boxster S. The Crossfire does not overpower its chassis, in fact it feels just the opposite. The A-arm front and multilink rear suspension and the monster tires feel like they can cope with more speed than the engine is capable of providing. We drove the Crossfire over winding mountain roads east of San Diego, smoothly paved with lots of combinations of tight bends and fast sweeping curves. The chassis of our Crossfire felt stiffer than the Mercedes SLK roadsters, likely because the coupe body of the Chrysler has a structural advantage. At the limits of its cornering ability, the Crossfire will begin plowing sooner than a 350Z or BMW Z4. Chrysler says this is a function of the car being tuned for more relaxed cruising than all-out sport driving. The Crossfire sports huge 225/40 by 18-inch front and 255/35 by 19-inch rear tires. Two tire designs are available, a Michelin Pilot Sport 2 and a new Continental Z-rated (high-speed) all-season. The tires are relatively large for a car that is not intended to be an uncompromised sports car, such as Nissan's 350Z, but we suspect the Crossfire's large tires were specified for styling appeal. The six-speed manual gearbox, a Mercedes unit, somehow didn't seem to feel as direct and quick shifting as we remember from previous Mercedes roadsters. We actually preferred the Crossfire with the five-speed automatic, which worked flawlessly and felt perfectly matched to the 3.2-liter engine. This automatic has an adaptive function, which learns how you like to drive by measuring how quickly you apply the accelerator in each gear. It has a manually shifting gate, too, which Chrysler calls AutoStick on its cars. Manual shifting automatics are not something we take great pride in learning to shift smoothly, but we felt we could warm up to this unit given the time an owner would have with it. The brakes are sensitive and responsive. The Crossfire can stop like a sports car, a result of its large 11.8-inch vented front and 10.9-inch solid rear rotors matched with massive tires. Like the SLK, the Crossfire makes use of a comprehensive stability and traction control system. It's the first time the Mercedes system has been used on a Chrysler. When engaged, this system makes the Crossfire nearly impossible to upset in tricky conditions. At 60 mph a rear spoiler pops up just under the rear window, and it cuts slightly into rear vision, but at least the noise from the spoiler's motor was not intrusive. What we did notice was that the sporty exhaust note was still audible while we cruised on the highway. It sounded distant and came from the rear of the car, which tells us there's very little noise from the rest of the car on the highway.
Nctd.com

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History:
1992-1993 Chrysler Dodge Daytona IROC
2,973 cc / 141 hp / 171 lb-ft / 2918-2966 lbs / 0-60 mph 8.0 sec.