It didn't help that Jeremy Clarkson made fun of the design on Top Gear, but in reality, the car was just a rebodied previous generation SLK320, the R170 Benz was current from 1996 - 2004. So for the Crossfire to come out as an all-new car, but actually based on a recently replaced SLK320 platform, suspension & drivetrain didn't help when compared to the competition at the time within it's price point.

Add to the fact that small coupes with 2-seats already had limited appeal meant that the car wasn't going to be a huge seller.