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Chrysler Crossfire
by Peter Bleakney
It's January, the snow is blowing, the Sorrels are soaked, the Christmas tree lies forlornly in the ditch, and our thoughts turn to... convertibles?
 Well, why not? It's time for a little escapism.
The 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster in Classic Yellow is just the sort of automotive bangle needed to distract us from the winter blahs. Toss the toque, scrap the scarf, and let's go.
Built on the last generation Mercedes SLK platform, most of the Crossfire's mechanicals are pure Stuttgart. The Mercedes 3.2 litre, SOHC V6 puts out 215 horses and 229 lb/ft of torque at 3000 rpm. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, although my tester was equipped with the smooth shifting five-speed automatic featuring AutoStick manual override.
Electronic Stability Control (ESP) is included, along with brake assist and all-speed traction control.
Power meets the pavement at the rear courtesy of 19 inch 255/35ZR Continental SportContacts on seven spoke alloys. The fronts are 225/40ZR x18 inches.
Visually, Chrysler has whacked one out of the park with the Crossfire Roadster. Its wedgy profile mixes classic art deco cues with a show-car edginess, and to these eyes, the roadster looks more resolved than the hump-backed Crossfire coupe. Even with the top up it's a looker. The yellow hue of my tester perfectly set off the sculpted flanks, making the little drop-top a rolling ray of sunshine.
The dual rectangular exhaust tips emerging from the centre of the rear valance are a neat touch.
The tester's two-tone Vanilla interior treatment was a perfect complement to the exterior, rounding out the car's sunny disposition. There is a trio of chromed-ringed, black-on-white gauges under the hooded binnacle and the centre stack and console are swathed in faux aluminum. Metallic accents on the doors and steering wheel add to the classy ambiance. Behind the driver and passenger are brushed alloy roll hoops.
Spend a bit of time in the interior, however, and Billy Crystal's famous line, "It's better to look good than to feel good." comes to mind. Stylistically it's wonderful, but ultimately is compromised by an underlying cheapness. The plastics are hard and nasty, the fake aluminum looks... well fake, and the fit isn't quite up to industry standards. Plus it's tight in there. Anyone over six feet will be lacking leg room.
The powered heated leather seats are comfortable and supportive, however, and the chunky steering wheel feels good in the hands. Standard with the Roadster is a premium 240-watt sound system with sub-woofer, heated mirrors, dual-zone temperature control, cruise control, universal garage door opener and a tire pressure monitoring system.
Lowering the top requires a bit of inelegant futzing tha t you won't have to deal with in the Crossfire's competitors. A latch at the header releases the front lip of the roof, which must then be pushed up about 20 centimeters before the electric servos take over, after which it disappears under a way-cool sculpted tonneau cover.
Similarly, when putting the lid back on, said lip requires a surprisingly hearty pull, resulting in a not-way-cool crash as it reunites with the header. Watch your nails when you snap the latch shut.
Yeah, I know. Cue the violins. Poor car tester had to expend some energy to work on his tan. Boo hoo.
Out on the road, the Crossfire Roadster is commendably rigid for a convertible. But don't call it a sports car. Sure, it's quick enough and it'll stick in the corners, but it doesn't feel particularly playful and no amount encouragement will get the old SLK platform with recirculating-ball steering to grab you by the cojones and urge you on. On the plus side, Chrysler has loosened the reigns on the ESP for 2005, allowing for a little more oversteer before it kicks in.
 But really, the Crossfire Roadster is happiest doing duty as a stylish, sporty cruiser. Which it does very well. This car got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from just about everyone who laid eyes on it.
The list on the six-speed 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Limited Roadster is $51,595. Add another $1600 for the automatic. This could be considered a serious bargain for a German-built roadster (they are assembled by Karmann), when you start looking at the offerings from Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche.
Granted, dynamically the Crossfire won't match those cars, but all you need to do is look at the photo of this stunner gleaming under the summer sun to see where it's talents lie.
Now go shovel the driveway.
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