Chrysler Crossfire, Brand New Mid Range Sports Coupe Car

Just like the original concept car, the Chrysler Crossfire is something new to Chrysler a compact sports coupe; now you can buy one, and you get the same looks, with a gutsy V-6 engine and good suspension.

Boat tail and automatic spoiler

Striking it is with that new wide, slightly retro corporate chrome grille, big headlamps, and smooth lines running back into the boat tail an up-to-date version of a favorite of yesteryear. And under the hood? A proven 3.2 liter V-6 engine pushing out 215 bhp, which is enough to give a top speed of 150 mph, and a 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds; a pocket rocket with a difference.

SLK under body gives the car its character

But what exactly is beneath the smooth lines? Well, say "Mercedes SLK" and you'd be spot on the original SLK that is. So for the time being, at any rate, the Crossfire doesn’t get the hot new 3.5 liter of the new SLK or the seven-speed automatic. The new SLK moves into more sporty territory than the old one, but is the Crossfire aimed more people wanting the sporty, pocket rocket cars, or those looking more for a smart boulevard cruiser? We'll have to wait and see.

The use of the SLK under body gives a classic sports car layout, with plenty of performance and good handling. The combination of front engine and rear-wheel drive is a much better layout than front-wheel drive for a sports car, so the handling should be good and predictable.

Chrysler's own style and aerodynamic tweaks

Chrysler came up with some ideas of their own apart from the styling of the body. There are diffusers on the undersides of the twin exhausts to reduce wind resistance diffusers are also found on Grand Prix cars and a spoiler below the rear window which comes up at speed. It rises automatically at 60 mph, but posing drivers may raise it at lower speeds. It is designed to work with the diffusers.

This generates quite a bit of down force, but the drag of the body is quite high for a car that looks slippery the drag coefficient is 0.37.

Compact engine is an all-round performer

Crossfire is powered by an all-aluminum V-6 engine, with three valves per cylinder, which gives good all-round performance power, economy and emissions. It is also a lightweight unit, as the cylinder liners are made of silicon-aluminum alloy instead of the normal cast iron. Maximum torque is developed at the relatively low speed of 3,000 rpm, and there is hardly any drop in torque up to 4,500 rpm. A useful power unit anywhere, and to make it really smooth, a balance shaft is built in. Chrysler reckons the engine weighs up to 60 lb less than competing sixes.

Six-speed manual or five-speed automatic

Crossfire is available with either a six-speed manual getting common, aren't they? or a five-speed automatic with lock-up converter. Again, as with the latest automatics out there, this one allows sequential manual shifting.

The double wishbone front suspension, and multi-link rear suspension is similar to that of the SLK. The front suspension geometry is arranged to prevent the nose of the car diving on hard braking, something done on the best cars, but almost impossible to arrange with MacPherson struts.

At the rear, the linkage prevents squat on acceleration, a useful feature, and also helps prevent brake dive. Pretty cool, as this gives the driver a flatter ride, and reduces the work done by the dampers.

Bigger wheels and tires at the rear

Another innovation for this size of car is the use of larger wheels at the rear than the front with good, wide tires of course to give plenty of cornering power. They are 18 x 7.5 in at the front, with 225/40 section tires; at the rear you get 19 x 9.0 in and 255/35 tires that's a lot of rubber.

And what about the steering? This is a recirculating ball system. In fact, because the engine is quite far forward in the body, it wasn't practical to use rack and pinion steering, which is what you'd expect on a car of this type.

The interior is pretty standard, but not opulent, with simple instrumentation and a few Crossfire trade marks such as the central line running along the fascia to divide the cockpit into left and right sides.

So there it is: Chrysler has an eye-catching new sporty two-seater coupe, which has style and good performance. Nothing earth-shattering, but enough to keep a lot of people happy all at a realistic price.