Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 : CHRY WOLF

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Chryslers Crossfire metamorphoses from a boutique Coupe to a real road ripper in SRT-6 guise. Andy Enright reports

If one could dream up a model designation more incendiary to blimpish Daily Mail readers, it would be tough to top Street and Racing Technology. Chryslers Crossfire SRT-6 is not only American (boo, hiss), but also sports a 330bhp engine with serious thirst and catastrophic emissions. Slap a set of bull bars on the front and it would be just about perfect.

Leaving the hysteria aside, the 158mph Crossfire SRT-6 seems a far more respectable proposition. We never heard anybody up in arms about the Mercedes SLK32 AMG, and given that this car forms the basis of this Crossfire, it's time to put the outrage back in the box. Street and Racing Technology is in fact a tie-up between the Mopar Performance Parts division (the team that developed the awesome Chrysler Viper) and Chryslers own motorsports engineering department. With SRT versions of the Dodge Ram and 230bhp Neon already doing the rounds in the US, the name is well established. Here in the UK its getting its first airing but some legal wrangling may well increase its visibility still further.

To avoid infringing trademarks owned by third parties in the UK, Chrysler have been unable to use the Viper name for their latest version of their iconic V10 roadster, so instead its been dubbed the Dodge SRT-10. Those of you who have followed the occasionally less than harmonious merger between Mercedes Benz and Chrysler will know that Stuttgart calls the shots and Detroit has for the time being at least to tug its forelock in deference. Therefore, the Crossfire runs on the chassis and engine used in the last generation SLK rather than the current car. Even this perceived disadvantage is not enough and the engine is throttled back from the 349bhp form in which it graced the SLK32 AMG to the 330bhp version we see here.

Perhaps Mercedes should be a little less precious as despite its rather dated underpinnings, the Crossfire SRT-6 shows a whole heap of promise. Anyone whos driven a standard Crossfire will know that this car is no slouch in a straight line. With another 50bhp it could be a real scorcher. Throw another 115bhp at it and you get a car that will accelerate to 60mph in 5.

1 seconds, with a hefty 310lb/ft of torque to boot. The supercharged power delivery means that theres no time wasted waiting for a turbocharger to spool up. The suspension has been thoroughly beefed up to cope with the additional velocities, the spring rates going up by around 50 per cent up front and 42 per cent astern. The front brake discs are bigger too, and the rears are vented.

"The Crossfire has been given some serious firepower"

The styling has been made a little more butch, although the fixed rear wing wont be to everyones taste. The front end looks a little squarer thanks to a revised front bumper and spoiler assembly. Eighteen inch wheels up front and nineteens at the back are shod in grippier Michelin Pilot Sport rubber. So far so predictable.

The ability to take a corner at speed has long been the stumbling block of many an American sportsters but the Crossfire SRT-6 isnt bad. Obviously theres plenty of power on tap and the big brakes offer a lot of retardation as you come howling towards a chicane but pedal feel is slightly vague and the rather dated recirculating ball steering system doesnt offer a great deal of feel at turn-in. 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 coupe 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 and the bold tailgate design 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 or the centreline rib that runs down the roof massively removed from the Vipers double bubble design. The constraints dictated by the compact SLK chassis mean the Crossfire isnt the most spacious coupe around. Smaller drivers may well find the high window line claustrophobic whilst taller drivers may bemoan the fact that the steering column doesnt adjust for height.

Having said that, the front seats have a huge Range of adjustment. The boot can most charitably be described as token, the meagre 215-litre capacity being accompanied by a stratospheric loading lip, a sliver of an opening aperture and the added problem of heat being transmitted via the exhaust system. The soft-top version (which costs £1,000 more than the £34,385 Coupe variant) is well worth a look too. 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. The Crossfire then takes over, dropping the side windows, opening the hard tonneau cover, stowing the roof out of sight and returning the tonneau to its original position. With the roof down, the Crossfire Roadster looks for all the world as if it had been designed from the outset as a drop top, the muscular sweep of the hip line giving it a tension lacking from so many other convertibles.

This is one car that can never stand accused of looking skip-like in any way, shape or form. There are some flaws in The Crossfire SRT-6s makeup. The ride is extremely firm on scabby British roads and the interior plastics have no place in a car that retails at around £35,000. There are some ample compensations, however, including a fruity engine note, a genuine air of exclusivity and the ability to put a huge smile on a drivers face.

Sophisticated, no, but huge fun nevertheless.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6
PRICES: £34,385 - £35,385 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 295g/km [est]
PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph 5.1s/ Max Speed 158mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: 19mpg (combined)
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twinfront and side airbags, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height, 4069/1766/1296mm