The cloth seats are nicely constructed of durable looking, sporty fabric, offering an improvement in grip over smooth leather surfaces. The center stack is still finished in a bright metal surface treatment, giving the interior an upscale appearance.
 |
| The de-contented Crossfire Coupe retains all of the top-tier performance characteristics found on the more expensive Limited version. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Most importantly, the de-contented Crossfire Coupe features the same 18-inch front and 19-inch rear alloy wheel and tire package, as well as all the performance tuning that comes as stock in the more expensive version.
Chrysler is taking an aggressive stance, dropping the price of the premium coupe close to $8,000 below the current 2004 model's $47,745 entry price - the current car will continue forward into 2005 at the same price with the new Limited Coupe designation.
 |
| By dropping the price, Chrysler has made the Crossfire more affordable than the Nissan 350Z coupe and Audi TT coupe. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
The new price point makes the Chrysler sports car much less expensive to purchase than the $45,400 Nissan 350Z coupe, as well as the $49,975 Audi TT coupe, the Crossfire Coupe's two closest rivals.
While the 350Z offers the performance benefits of a 287-hp 3.5-L V6, the Crossfire delivers superior levels of refinement near equal to the Audi TT. But where the base TT only offers a 180-hp turbocharged 4-cylinder engine driving the front wheels through a manual-mode automatic transmission, the Crossfire delivers 215-hp and 229 lb-ft of torque through either a standard 6-speed manual or 5-speed automatic with manual mode, driving the rear wheels.