The tradition stretches all the way back to the original
Dodge Viper, and has been reinforced by more affordable offerings such as the
Plymouth Prowler and Chrysler PT Cruiser. So it was no surprise when the Crossfire,
first shown as a concept at the Detroit Show in January 2001, began rolling
off the assembly lines.
What was surprising, however, was the production site: coachbuilder Karmann’s
facility in Osnabrück. Actually, the Crossfire, the first Chrysler to be
produced in Germany, could hardly have been built anywhere else. You see, Chrysler
design wizard Eric Stoddard’s original concept was not based on any existing
homegrown Yankee hardware. Instead, the show car piggy-backed to a large extent
on a product produced by new partner Mercedes-Benz – the current SLK.
So the step into production was no foregone conclusion. Not, that is, until
Stuttgart’s Dieter Zetsche took over the helm of the struggling US arm
of the DaimlerChrysler combine. Seeing the Crossfire as a vital image-builder
for the marque, he gave the go-ahead.
The production version uses even more SLK componentry than the show car did.
The entire drivetrain, front and rear suspension, platform and lower front and
rear firewalls are all taken from the Mercedes product. But, with its dramatic
retro-modern bodywork, the vehicle could hardly look more different from the
German donor car.
From its bold Chrysler grille through the long, fluted bonnet and dramatic
side gills, to the rounded tail with its twin rectan-gular tailpipes, the Crossfire
is a striking machine that makes onlookers do a double take. They either love
the brash combination of retro and modern styling cues, or they hate it. And
the reactions become more extreme when people see it with the mini rear wing
extended. Big satin silver-finished alloy wheels shod with beefy Michelin Pilot
Sports – 7,5J 18-inchers shod with 225/40s in front, with 9,0Jx19s fitted
with 255/35s at the rear – fill the wheel-arches, giving the car (in the
opinion of some) an “overtyred” look.
Suspension is by the SLK’s double wishbones and coils in front, with
the familiar five-link/coil spring system at the rear. A pressed steel subframe
serves as the mounting for the rear suspension and final drive unit. Steering
is by the SLK’s recirculating ball system, which has a ratio of 16,7
:1 and takes 3,1 turns from lock to lock. Brakes are ventilated discs in front,
with solid units at the rear, and ABS, BAS and ESP come with the package.
For starters, at least, only one of the SLK engine range, the 3,2-litre 18-valve
V6, is offered in the Crossfire, though rumour has it that 3,5-litre and 3,7-litre
versions may be offered in coming years. Outputs of the present engine, which
weighs in at a light 140 kg, are 160 kW at 5 700 r/min and 310 N.m at 3 000,
with 90 per cent of the torque figure generated across the range between 2 600
and 5 300 r/min. It drives the rear wheels through a six-speed manual ‘box,
with the shift action fettled to provide a Chrysler feel.
Access to the cabin, through wide, frameless doors, is easy by sports car standards.
Inside, it’s a snug two-seater, with comfy electrically adjustable seats.
Support is good, but the rear bulkhead limits rearward travel, which could be
a problem for more lanky drivers. The test car’s steering adjuster didn’t
work, but all of the team managed to get comfy at the controls nonetheless.
Instrumentation is clear and easy to read, and controls, like so many other
features, are from the Mercedes- Benz parts bin. The facia is an elegant unit
in soft-feel laminate, but the shiny centre console looks cheap and nasty. Standard
features include air-con, alarm/immobiliser, electric windows, electric, heated
door mirrors, a classy radio/CD, and automatic “drive off” central
locking. To protect against injury in an accident there are front and side airbags
for driver and passenger, pre-tensioners/ load limiters on the three-point seatbelts,
a knee bolster for the driver, and special deformable padding in the headlining.
The interior features a number of handy stash compartments, and the deep, narrow
luggage bay took 304 dm3 of CAR’s test luggage. Access to the luggage
area through the rear hatch is compromised by the beetle-back rear styling,
which dictates a high sill and narrow opening. There’s also no inside
cover, so luggage, purchases or what-have-you are exposed to prying eyes and
the hot sun.
The view forward from the cabin is good, despite the low, upright windscreen.
But rear three-quarter vision is problematic due to the wide C-pillars, and
the exterior mirrors don’t cover all the blind spots.
Fire her up, and the six-pot idles with a very un-Merc-like burble. Feed in
some revs, and you’ll get a symphonic roar from the twin central tailpipes
that signals plenty of excitement to come. First is a bit difficult to select
when cold but, once the cogs warm up, the six-speed gearbox becomes a delight,
with the kind of precise, nicely-weighted changes we’ve never experienced
in a manual- shift Mercedes.
Despite the fat tyres, ride quality is excellent for a two-seater sportster.
And there’s no trade-off for the absorbency in handling and grip, either.
The old recirculating ball steering feels better than some of the more modern
Mercedes systems, the wide tackies don’t tramline, and the chassis has
good adjustability. In fact, the Crossfire absolutely relishes a thrash along
your favourite twisty road…
At first you might be disconcerted by a whirring noise from the rear as an
electric motor raises the odd-looking spoiler automatically at around 90 km/h.
However, the device definitely has its uses, generating some 356 Newtons of
downforce at 129 km/h. It retracts automatically at low speeds, but can be raised
and lowered manually by the driver below the bogey speed.
Out on the test strip we found the big rear tyres, which play such an important
role in providing excellent grip in the twisty bits, were a limiting factor
in go-for-broke acceleration runs. With just 160 kW on tap, the rear tends to
bog down for an instant in wheelspinning starts (with the traction control switched
off). This, together with the need for a quick change into third at 85 km/h,
left us around 0,7 seconds off the manufacturer’s claimed 6,5-second
zero to 100 time. As few owners would want to manhandle their machines off the
line in this way, it’s all purely academic. And, as the overtaking acceleration
results show, pick-up is brisk in the lower five gears, with sixth serving as
a cruising ratio. The standing kilometre time was a competitive 28,34 seconds,
and top speed was measured at a round 240 km/h at 5 375 r/min in sixth. With
the grippy tyres and ABS, braking times were impressive, the test car averaging
2,77 seconds in our 10-stop 100-to-0 emergency braking sequence, without the
slightest hint of discomfort.
The high sixth ratio also makes for good economy, the Crossfire turning in
a fuel index of 10,14 litres/100 km, our estimate of the kind of overall consumption
one would achieve in enthusiastic driving. That would allow a range of just
under 600 km on the 60-litre tank.