Filed under: In the Autoblog Garage, Coupes
2005 Chrysler Crossfire: In the Autoblog Garage Day 1
The first day with a new car is always interesting. You spend a lot of time just getting to know each other, and that
is what today was like with the 2005 Chrysler Crossfire.
You might be asking yourself, why is Autoblog reviewing a Crossfire? Well, this is not your ordinary Crossfire. No,
it is not the extreme SRT6, those are a touch on the expensive side. This is the base Crossfire. It comes in only one
color, black, no leather, a manual transmission and a sticker price starting at $30,070. I think our real mission in
this review is to find out, is the Crossfire worth the money? The sport coupe segment is a little crowded, and the
Crossfire is a touch on the expensive side, especially when youre comparing it on paper to its competition.
In all-black, the Crossfire is a little bit like the Maybach Exeleros baby brother. It has a touch of sinister, but
not too much. The hard lines of this little car still turn heads after being on the market for a couple years. One of
the touches that do not make it to the base Crossfire is the bright work on the cars fender vents. Those are not
available until you upgrade to the Limited, and subsequently increase your starting price by $3000+. I dont know about
you, but I tend to enjoy the back to basics appeal of a car like this, especially in the face of more expensive models
that offer little in the way of additional performance enhancements. Chrome on the side vents does not qualify as a
performance enhancement to me.
Like I said, the real question is where this little American/German fits into the grand scheme of things. So far,
fitting into it is my biggest problem. At over six feet, four inches, it is a touch on the cramped side. I encountered
the same problem at the SRT track event, but when youre driving that fast you hardly pay attention to these things.
Outside of the headroom, the interior is comfortable enough for long distances. My head would occasionally touch the
roof, but I have yet to have a problem with it. Entry into the Crossfire poses more of a problem than sitting in it. We
will see how it goes over the next few days. I plan on going over each of the cars various traits over the course of
the week. Hopefully we will be able to answer that ultimate question, How does the Crossfire fare in a such a diverse
sport coupe segment?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Tim UF 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
should be cool to hear the comparison between this and the stang convertible
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WillDaThrill 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
There is no comparison, the sales alone say that this car isn't worth the money you spend on it.
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MAR 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
This car is not very aesthetically appealing. One UK reviewer said that looks of the car were similar to that of a dog doing his business and I'm reminded of this comment every time I see the car's backside. When you look at the price of this car and the 350Z it's a no brainer. For my taste spend the extra money and get an Audi TT, you won't be disappointed.
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Mark 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Clarkson said it best... "looks like a dog doing number 2"
The roadster is pretty good looking though, esp in that blue color
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Scott K 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I'm a very long torsoed 6'0". The one time I tried to sit in a Crossfire I felt like I was in a medieval torture device. I doubt I could have driven it safely, let alone comfortably. If you're not short, try the Crossfire on for size before even thinking about it!
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Shamus 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Well, it may look ugly to a lot but I somehow still feel second class when I'm in my Mazda 3 when I'm next to one.
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Nat 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I can drive a Miata just fine, but I can not fit in a Crossfire. The dash is so tall that it hits my shins, even with the seat all the way back. I think there may be actually less leg room on the driver side. Would hate to see what that arrangement would do to me in any sort of collision.
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starlightmica 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
With Employee Pricing Plus, the Limited comes down to the price of the base Crossfire at $30,426. But if you're really looking to buy, there was a classified in the current issue of Autoweek for two 2004's with 60 miles, going for $25k. Talk about depreciation!
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Matt 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
If you're above 6", just get the convertible and pray it never rains.
The crossfire was such a slick car... but its starting to get dated to me. Chrysler would do great by doing a few touchups to the exterior first... then put the price down.
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Mopar 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I had a Crossfire Roadster, not a bad car, but needed more power badly.
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Doug 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I Recently purchased a 2004 Limited new for $26000.00 out the door. While I agree with some it is a bit cramped inside, you are essentially getting a Mercedes for a bargain. Besides, while the other competition may have higher performance offerings remember this car is made in Osnebrueck Germany by Karmann and not in Hokkaido. This car is very stable at speeds in excess of 140 MPH and I rate the build quality very high with the exception of the use of Silver Plastic everywhere in the cabin. Please drive one for a while and drive the other cars other manufacturers produce for a bout a month before you post. I did and I am glad I bought this car : )
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Mal Fuller 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Quote of the day.
"My head would occasionally touch the roof, but I have yet to have a problem with it."
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b1 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
you guys are buying cars now? this blogging stuff is going crazy.
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JimboNC 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Shamus: Maybe the driver of that Crossfire was wishing he had bought a Mazda3. Never feel second class whatever you drive. A car doesn't make the man, it's who he is that counts. How do you know but what a Crossfire driver is the second or third owner?
For some reason many of the new, or newer, cars turn me off after a while. I like them at first, but the more I study them their styling gets old. The lines and useless doodads seem like overkill on a car that should have been killed rather than put into production.
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JimboNC 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
What I was trying to say is: it's better to buy a car you like, not love, which is a great value and has the right performance and options. A car you grow to love and appreciate. Rather than a car with a lot of WOW!, which in time proves worthless and you hate it.
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dc 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I like how it looks, it sort of has a playboy charm to it. And at the price you can find it online, it's a steal.
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Craig 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
I test drove a Crossfire last week as I'm in the hunt for a sportscar. I left the test feeling like it was missing something - like a backbone.
A few months back I test drove an Audi TT coupe and certainly felt that although it lacked the HP of the Crossfire, it made up for in transcending style and all wheel drive.
Finally today I got out to the Ford dealership, inspired by Autoblog's last review on the Stang. Knowing that my budget is all but nil (I was looking at two year old Crossfires and Audis), I was pleasently suprised to find an enjoyable ride in a V6 Mustang with the pony package.
I know a V6 Mustang may sound pointless, but it had more hp than the Audi and 5 less than the Crossfire which could be rectified with a few relatively cheap mods.
As for the Crossfire, it's still got Mercedes underpinnings - not just unreliable, but expensive to fix once the warranty runs dry...
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Dr. Woo 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
The interior of this car is just so unbelievably cheap. Every surface feels like low-grade, spray-painted hard plastic. No attention to detail. You can really tell Mercedes just said, "Here's the platform...have a ball" and left the interior design and quality to Chrysler. Absolutely horrid.
Though Mercedes' latest interiors are nothing to write home about either...
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Joel A 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
Nice to look at but to drive on a regular basis...?
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Dustin Tarditi 10:45PM (12/18/2005)
My wife looked at one at a dealership and her eyes lit up..."Oooh it's fast looking!" she cooed.
Then she tried to get into the driver's seat... she's 5'11".
Very quickly she asked for help to get out - "I hate that car" she growled as she massaged the bruise on her shins.
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