2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster Test Drive

Just as we thought would happen, the quickie marriage of Daimler-Benz and Chrysler has produced a little offspring. It's called the Crossfire and its physical characteristics are all Mercedes-Benz, while its undeniable good looks are from Mother Chrysler. It needs a bit of maturing, but its DNA is sound. Prices: US $38,045 base; as tested, $39,995. Warranty :7 years/70,000 miles.

First Glance

Few vehicles in recent years have elicited the excited reactions I received while driving the 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster. "If I were a cop," one man next to me at a stoplight said, "I'd have to give you a ticket 'cause I know you've been speeding in that beauty." Well, not really. To tell the truth, the striking Crossfire Roadster leans more toward cruising than all-out performance. That's not a bad thing. It makes the Crossfire more competitive with rivals such as the Audi TT roadster and Ford Thunderbird. There's a lot of retro in this design, hearkening back to the late 20s. Last year's Crossfire coupe had fastback styling, definitely old-school with modern touches added. Rip off the roof for 2005 and this roadster is even better looking, with a sloping rear somewhat reminiscent of the dearly-departed Prowler. On each side front fender is a bear-claw rip. In front is the egg-crate grille enjoying renewed popularity. And on the trunk lid is a retractable wing that pops up at 62 miles an hour. The 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster has a definite rake to it, thanks in part to rear tires larger than those in front. Inside is a striking two-tone leather motif with an aluminum center console and easy to use switches and buttons.

In the Driver's Seat

Pop open a door and note CROSSFIRE embossed on the door sill plate. The interior is divided into two pods, with deep, embracing bucket seats for driver and a single passenger. There's a storage net behind the seats, a glovebox and a pop-up drink holder. The leather-wrapped steering wheel is the desirable four-spoke design and extremely comfortable to grip for long trips. Alas, the window sill is high and it's difficult to rest a left elbow there. Raise the seat to a more comfortable level and you can't see an overhead stoplight. It's blocked by the top of the windshield. There's no compromising this problem. The tester had a five-speed automatic transmission mated to a 3.2-liter V6 that produced 215 horsepower at 5,700 rpm. This is the same engine and chassis used in the Mercedes-Benz SLK series, due for model refreshing this year. There's even the old recirculating-ball steering setup, instead of the more modern rack-and-pinion. But who cares? This is a cruiser, like the T-Bird. You want fast? There's an SRT Crossfire coming before long. Still, this little base number does 0 to 60 in 6.5 seconds. That's plenty quick for today's congested roads. And fuel mileage is not all that bad: 21 in the city and 28 on the highway.

On the Road

Top up or down, the 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster looks great. But the top needs improvements. It's not fully automatic, takes a longish 22 seconds to lower or raise – and the one on the tester had a problem. Once lowered, it would not raise into position due to misalignment of a rear flap. Manual intervention is not possible, so I was stuck with an open car. Good thing I enjoyed a week of sunny skies. This problem was no doubt unique to the tester but proves the "more things to go wrong with complicated cars" rule. Not unique to the tester is a thin canvas top that lets in too much noise and a design that creates a tornado inside a Crossfire at interstate speeds. Only the late Cadillac Allante convertible had such interior turbulence. I regularly wore ear plugs when driving this at highway speeds, to avoid earache from wind buffeting. Handling is sure and the suspension doesn't punish. The retractable rear deck wing proved a problem until I learned how to kill it. It popped up, caught the overhead sun and kicked a powerful sun glint into the rear view mirror, then my eyes. Ugh. A button on the dash kills this toy, useless at legal speeds in the U.S.

Journey's End

The 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster must play on a crowded field. To some eyes, it's better looking than any competitor. But it doesn't outperform them all and isn't the cheapest either. In fact, expect the performance SRT Crossfire to hit $50,000. Anyone considering this needs to test the new Nissan 350Z, Porsche Boxster, Audi TT, Ford Thunderbird, BMW Z4 and, of course, the Mercedes-Benz SLK on which this is based. The choice here is not an obvious one. But, at the moment this review is written, the 2005 Crossfire Roadster will turn more heads than any competitor. Admiration for its design was across-the-board – men and women, young and old. Only the New Beetle and PT Cruiser got this kind of welcome. When the initial design impact wears down, the owner of a Crossfire will be left with a decent cruiser, beautiful to look at and fun-to-drive. The only option on our tester was the automatic transmission at $1,075 – and diehard sports car enthusiasts will want the six-speed manual anyhow.