Chrysler Crossfire

The first glance provides a bag of mixed emotions: you know under that very appealing and sensuously clothed body lays a platform that is past its prime. Those who experienced the old Mercedes-Benz SLK would feel well at home in the Crossfire, in terms of driving and especially the old style recirculating ball steering.

The production version of the Crossfire stays quite true to its original concept form that was first shown at the 2001 Detroit Motor Show. There is quite a hint of retro styling that was in vogue in the beginning of this century.

Thankfully though, the designers have not really gone the whole hog and instead have concentrated on drawing inspiration from some very evocative models from the pre-war period of avant-garde styling.

Classic automotive design

These styling cues are most evident in the sculpted wheel arches and the short stubby rounded tail. What the stylists have done is a thorough job in incorporating classic automotive design in an absolute modern art form to present the Crossfire as a fusion art form.

One of the most striking features of the styling for me are the six ribs running across the bonnet flanking the central spine three abreast. They look like the claw marks made by a predator or maybe the designer was inspired by a bout of passion. Whatever, this element of the styling really marks the Crossfire out.

Being a two-seater of compact proportions, there will be a distinctive lack of space inside and while the seating is not really compromised, there is not much space for anything else. And luggage space drops to a premium when the soft-top is recessed into its hidey-hole in the already smallish boot. The soft top can be pulled down in a mere 22 seconds, according to Chrysler. Chrysler says that the roof can be deployed or retracted at speeds upto 15 kph.

Chrysler has adopted the traditional longitudinal front engine/rear-wheel-drive layout for the Crossfire. This provides a more even front to rear weight balance for the sports car. A six-speed manual transmission is standard while our test car came with a five-speed auto box with manual shift mode dubbed AutoStick.

Cranking up the 3.2-litre V6 conjures up a treat. The notes emanating from those stylish dual exhausts are raucous, providing a symphony that is music to a true car aficionado. And as the power is fed in during hard acceleration the exhaust note becomes more gratifying. Though not as hard hitting as a rumble from a V8, the V6's whine is like music from a trombone with its bellow closed.

Stomp the gas pedal and the six cylinders in the vee configuration fire to life with a growl. The 3.2-litre engine responds with an urgency that does seem to suggest that all the 218 horses that the engine produces are raring to be let out of those massive rear tyres.

Flicking through the gears in manual mode is maybe the best way to drive this car, the revs rising and dropping with every shift, giving a more engaging drive. Just for the record, the V6 engine produces 310 Nm of torque at 3000 rpm. What is good about the torque is that it is quite well distributed throughout the rev range, making for a smooth transition of power right till its red line.

Sporty handling

One of the best driving attributes of the Crossfire is its sporty handling. The chassis feels very composed and seems able to handle much more speed than the engine can provide. Another important cog in the handling department are the huge tyres that seem to stick like leeches to the tarmac. The biggish steering wheel, while not communicating much feedback to the driver, is nevertheless pretty direct, smooth and well weighted. And this is inspite the Crossfire still having to do with an old-fashioned recirculating ball setup.

The Crossfire's best features are undoubtedly it's handling and firm ride that goes well with its persona. For a clinically inclined car such as this, not changing many of the donor parts from the SLK can be a good and a bad thing. On one hand there is a pedigree that comes attached and on the other, all the foibles associated with the original remind you that the technology employed is dated.

Nonetheless, the Crossfire has a charm of its own and its radical styling - again here, it is modern with just the right doses of the classic; the blend is absolute spot on.