Chrysler Crossfire Roadster
Most 150mph roadsters impose themselves upon the driver. Be it through a rock hard performance suspension set up, deafening wind noise at speed or a low slung body thats impossible to exit with any dignity. Not so Chryslers Crossfire Roadster. This is an open top car that mixes style and road presence with a bigger serving of decorum than youd perhaps imagine.
A lot of work has gone into making the Roadster look as good as it does. Right from the outset, Chrysler were not interested in making the usual wobbly soft top conversion, adding a full 80lbs of strengthening to the chassis in order to prevent body flex. "The ultimate measure of a roadsters engineering is how noisy the vehicle is with the top up and the Crossfire Roadster is remarkably quiet at speed," a Chrysler engineered remarked to us when we collected the car. "We designed this vehicle to be a high-speed roadster, and the result is a stunning convertible that is tight, solid and well engineered and one which also looks great with the top raised." He had a point. Many roadsters look as if theyre wearing an ill-fitting toupee with the top up but the Crossfire looks stubby and purposeful. Some will find it even better looking than the coupe original. With a conventional electric-folding fabric roof, top up to top down takes 22 seconds after the driver has pulled the ripcord shaped handle in the windscreen header and pressed the button on the centre console.
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With 104 litres of room available, theres just about enough room for a couple of small, squashy holdalls. Front legroom isnt great as a consequence of the air conditioning systems positioning but other than that, the Roadster is a surprisingly practical proposition. All round visibility is fairly good, helped in no small part by the heated glass rear window. Dont forget that this is a sporting car, though, and when pressed into action, the 3.
2-litre Mercedes-sourced V6 makes some encouraging noises, the howls and barks from the exhaust giving it a more exciting feel than many allegedly more sporting rivals.
"Many roadsters look as if theyre wearing an ill-fitting toupee with the top up but the Crossfire looks stubby and purposeful"
Powered by that 217bhp six, the £27,285 3.2V6 Crossfire Roadster boasts a respectable turn of speed, making 60mph in 6.3 seconds and running straight and true at an indicated maximum of 150mph. If thats not enough, theres a 330bhp SRT-6 model on offer but youve to find over £35,000 for it.
Buyers get to choose between a six-speed manual transmission or a five-speed automatic with tiptronic style control. Of the two, the automatic is the preferable option, largely due to the fact that the manual is a disappointment. The long, vague throw of the gearchange coupled with a flabby clutch action takes much of the enjoyment out of winding the Crossfire up through the gears. Chrysler made a deliberate decision to put the biggest rubberwear they could get away with on the Crossfire and the massive 19-inch 255/35 series rear tyres generate enormous grip.
Couple that with fat anti-roll bars, a multilink rear suspension and a body with massive torsional rigidity and you have a recipe for a car that corners flat and true. And so it proves. Although the steering isnt class leading - the turning circle may well be visible from space - but the Crossfire just grips and goes through corners that would have many rivals raggedly probing the edges of the handling envelopes. Deactivate the stability control system and youll need some determined buffoonery to relinquish grip.
Whats perhaps more surprising is that the Crossfire rides so well. Although it tends to follow lateral ridges in the road so called tramlining the Michelin Pilot Sport tyres that Chrysler specified for the Crossfire were specially selected due to their relatively compliant sidewalls and as a result the ride quality is commendable. The Roadsters suspension set up is that little bit more compliant than the Coupes although youd probably need to drive the cars back to back in order to feel it. The Crossfire signature design feature is the ridge on its flank that starts at the front wheelarch as an overhang and then twists Mobius-like into a shoulder, finally constituting the rear wing.
The car is unusually proportioned, with a long bonnet, a surprisingly upright windscreen and a turret of a glasshouse perched atop that muscular body. The front and rear could only be American, the bluff egg-crate grille being a bit OTT for traditionally understated Euro tastes, although some of the detailing is undeniably Germanic. Take, for example, the side strakes that are reminiscent of the Mercedes SL55 AMG. The fascia is well executed with three chrome-ringed dials straight ahead of the driver and an attractive steering wheel, although the materials quality of the fascia isnt of the highest quality.
Standard equipment includes four airbags, heated and power operated leather seats, electric windows and mirrors, central locking and a 240 watt Infinity CD stereo with two subwoofers and six tweeters. Although with its Teutonic basis its about as American as bratwurst and weissbier, the Crossfire Roadster is an engaging character.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: Chrysler Crossfire Roadster
PRICES: £27,285 - £35,385- on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 19-20
CO2 EMISSIONS: [3.2V6] 256g/km
PERFORMANCE: [3.2 V6] 0-60mph 6.3s/ Max Speed 150mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 24mpg (combined)
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ABS, ESP
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4058/1766/1315mm
