2005 Chrysler Crossfire Preview

Stepping into the Cross Fire

Chrysler has its first sports car in ages and, thank heaven, this isn't your great uncle Ed's 300M.

From The Driver's Seat

Standard features on the Crossfire include a leather, eight-way powered driver's seat, seat heaters for both front perches, a meaty, leather-wrapped wheel, Infinity sound system, and dual-zone temperature controls.

Then again, those dual zones aren't digitally controlled, but rather, you get a set of thumb wheels on the dash, one for each passenger, that roll from cold to hot. The competition almost universally features digital temperature functions.

Still, those electric seats are very supportive and comfortable, and a six-foot-three friend managed to squeeze his lanky bones into the cabin without painful contortions. Good thing Chrysler doesn't offer a sunroof, however, because said tall man would have to stick his head out the roof, given how such devices eat away at headroom.

We would like a tilting steering wheel (it only telescopes), and while we're at it, we'd also suggest a call to the Mercedes materials police immediately -- the Crossfire has five times the plastic than in a Benz ML320 SUV. C'mon, Chrysler, the Pacifica is the right direction if you want to go upscale. Instead, the metal "look" center console on the Crossfire is silver-painted plastic and feels that way. BMW, by contrast, uses such stuff in places your arms and fingers don't constantly touch (dash, discreetly on door panels), so you aren't vividly reminded that it's plastic, and not wood, or at least rubber.

Chrysler isn't alone in this regard; the Nissan 350Z also suffers in the materials department, but at least that car can be had for less dough. Further, have a look at the Audi TT; unique thumbwheels, clever pop-up switches and real metal door levers are in play. You feel like you bought Harry Winston, not Zales. Yes, by Detroit standards, the Crossfire has an excellent interior. Unfortunately for Chrysler the competition isn't from Dearborn.

Last beef before we get to the good stuff: lack of cargo space. Actually, it's hard to fault Chrysler here. The problem is with the donated platform, which requires a piece of suspension to bridge the two rear strut towers for structural integrity. This splits the cabin in two, dividing the trunk area and creating a deep well where you can put. . .well, we're not sure what, exactly. You can put a case of wine in there, no sweat; but extracting it, since it sits so far down, is hard on the lumbar. And watch those pant legs on the center channel exhaust, which is right about shin height and a splendidly hot bit of metal after a half-hour drive.

We did say good stuff, right? Moving right along then.

See, at the end of the day the Crossfire is a lot of fun to drive fast and hard. Its 215 hp V-6 could use a bit more mid-range grunt, and the five-speed "manumatic" transmission (you can toggle the gearshift side to side to shift in a manual mode), is not as facile as a true paddle shift manual gearbox. Still, the Crossfire will get up and run to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds, and the exhaust is plumbed to make noises like an American (not German) sports car, with lots of low-down snarl.

But this is no soft American mid-life crisis machine. The Crossfire's massive, meaty rubber (18-inch tires, 225/40 ZR series at the front; 19-inch tires, 255/35 ZR series at the rear) hang on well, but hardly have to work because the donated Benz suspension allows no evident body roll unless you push insanely hard. Making this car break a sweat isn't likely -- unless you own a race track -- but trying sure is a pleasure.

Yes, there are nannies to keep you from misbehaving too much. Electronic stability and traction control will slap down an errant wheelspin, just to make sure you stay on course. And these systems will also allow safe driving on slippery roads (further safety devices include tire-pressure monitors, driver and passenger front airbags, plus side-mounted thorax-side airbags).

Not that you'll really think about all that. The joy of the Crossfire is that at 2/10ths or 8/10ths it's fun, fast, and superbly comfortable. There aren't a lot of two-seat sports cars that fit that description.