Therefore the civilized manners don't impinge on its cornering capabilities, making each bend and every undulation a rush of adrenaline. Chrysler drove this point home during a brief stint on an autocross course set up out of orange cones on the parking lot of a deserted fairground. They
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| The Roadster's ride is a happy compromise; it offers impressive capabilities without beating up its occupants. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
gave us a coupe and convertible for the back to back test, to help us compare differences in body flex and drivability at extreme tolerances. With instructions not to worry about tearing up the sidewalls of the tires, I set out to improve my time with each lap. I did, but more importantly I was able to detect the differences between both cars. The Roadster is set up a little softer, making up for its reduction in torsional rigidity compared to the Coupe. To be fair the Coupe is probably the most rigid car available anywhere, a good basis for setting up a performance-oriented convertible. On the open road I felt the Roadster's ride, handling compromise was ideal for its target market. Some of its competitors deliver punishing ride quality in order to
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| Chrysler has managed to allow a decent amount of road feel to seep through the steering wheel of the Roadster. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
maximize road-holding capability, but not so for the Crossfire. It still maintains stunning capabilities without beating up its occupants, and like I said does a better job with this than the majority of its rivals. The Crossfire also breaks with convention by using recirculating ball steering rather than rack-and-pinion, a system that often results in vague on-center feel and slower response to input. My experience with the Crossfire is just the opposite. The steering is direct without being nervous, and Chrysler has managed to allow a decent amount of road feel to seep through to the steering wheel. While I can't comment on how much better the Crossfire would feel with a rack, as no such animal exists, I don't have a problem with the car's unorthodox approach to turning corners.
