A Wolf in Executive Clothing |
| 2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT6 Roadster (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
When the first
Crossfire arrived in my town I immediately went to the dealership to check it out. That's because the only thing better than European luxury in a quiet, handsomely styled sedan is European luxury in a quiet, handsomely styled coupe or convertible. Backseat? Rear doors? Trunk space? Bah!
The Crossfire Coupe starts at $42,000 and has a 215 horsepower 3.2 liter V6 from Mercedes-Benz up front, spinning the rear wheels via a choice of automatic or manual gearboxes. Not too bad a start, if you ask me. When I heard that the people at SRT would be doing their thing to a Crossfire, I started to salivate.
That's because the Crossfire is already one of the best looking roadsters around, and the SRT treatment could only stand to make it better. It's sculpted, daring lines are fitted to a slim, sleek exterior, resulting in a look of elegance, power and capability. It's got a long, groovy hood, 18- and 19-inch wheels, (front and rear, respectively), dual projector headlamps,
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| 2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT6 Roadster (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
and the "SRT6" badge embroidered on the seats. The rear of the car is all business, with a splitter underneath to increase aerodynamics, a large spoiler and Viper-inspired dual exhaust outlets mounted in the center. There are some aviation styling cues--the wheels look like the turbines on a jet engine, there are vents on the fenders, and the spoiler wouldn't look out of place on an aircraft either. The overall shape of the car looks as though it was sculpted by the very wind that it so effortlessly slices through. You know that feeling you get in your stomach when crest a sharp hill in the road? That's what this car looks like.
The styling has an interesting effect on children. They always stop, drop their jaws and point, following with their heads until you've passed out of sight. Adults love it too--every time you wind up at an intersection, you get a lot of attention. People stare and lean out of their seats. Unlike a
Corvette or
350Z which are gorgeous looking performance cars, the SRT6 is far rarer and as such, far more gawk-inspiring. If you don't like so much attention, you can put a quarter miles distance between you and the intersection in about 13.5 seconds when the light turns green.
Stunning looks carry on once you get settled in too. There is luxury all around you- aluminum trim, metallic accents, and more controls and buttons than in the cockpit of a fighter jet. The metallic center stack and center console instantly become the focus of attention--standing out beautifully against the generally dark colors found elsewhere in the interior. There is plenty of storage as far as roadsters go, with mesh compartments to store your things in on each door, behind each seat, on
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| 2005 Chrysler Crossfire SRT6 Roadster (Photo: Justin Pritchard, Auto123.com) |
the side of the transmission tunnel, and even a large storage pouch behind the seats which is ideal for a briefcase or some folders. Everything feels solid, heavy, and put together with great attention to detail. My only complaint as far as the interior goes is the awkward layout of the ventilation controls. Instead of using a digital display or a simple knob to choose a temperature, you turn a dial which is covered in colored dots which turn from blue to red. While interesting to look at, you can't see the upper and lower limits of the temperature selection, meaning you may wind up fiddling with the controls more than you want to.
