In the newest issue of Consumer Reports, titled New Car Preview 2007, they have a small paragraph and description of the Crossfire. This is what they say:

"This German-built, two-seat, rear-drive coupe is based on the previous-generation Mercedes Benz SLK. The Crossfire is powered by a punchy 3.2-liter V6. The six-speed manual is clunky. With an outdated steering system, the handling feels neither precise nor sporty. Tenacious tire grip adds security. The ride is stiff, and there's too much wind noise. The interior is cramped and visibility is poor. A convertible and a supercharged SRT6 are available. Reliability has dropped to below average. The Crossfire will go on hiatus for the 2007 model year."

How can they say that the Crossfire's handling is not precise or sporty? Mine handles excellent!!

 

I bet none of the writers have even driven the car!

 

They don't like anything unless it is a Toyota. I never trust consumer reports on anything, they absolutely have a bias. Plus, because their subscribers buy whatever they tell them, they then have a skewed sample. The Toyota is deemed more reliable because people then don't report problems back to them, because it is supposed to be reliable. Truth be told, most cars today are within 1% of each other when it comes to total quality.

 

It's no secret that CR is Japanese biased and have been since the 70's. I agree with Scraper I don't believe that today's cars in general vary that greatly statically in reliability whole. I have and still own some of the cars on CR don't buy list and have never had a problem with them and I a have had some that were highly recommended and were the biggest pile I have ever owned. I have come to believe a lot of it is just in the luck of the draw as to whether the car is going to be reliable or not.

 

On the wind noise thing ... I have the coupe and have had to LOWER the CD volume while driving because it's SO quiet. Sheesh!

 

Blacklimitedcoupe, I know just what your talking about, and I fully agree with ya.
Every magazine and TV roadtester inevitably bad-mouthed the archaic recirculating ball steering of the Crossfire. Yet according to a roadtest review published in Road & Track's Oct. 05 issue, the XF went thru a slalom course faster than alot of other pretty good handling & high priced "sporting" machinery. (All with "rack & pinion" steering I might add) just to mention a few:

MPH
69.6 --------------------- '04 Crossfire
69.6 --------------------- Mercedes SLR McLaren
69.5 --------------------- Ford GT
69.5 --------------------- Mini Cooper S
68.6 --------------------- Lamborghini Gallardo
68.6 --------------------- Porsche Boxter
68.4 --------------------- RX-8
67.9 --------------------- Miata
67.8 --------------------- Porsche 911 Turbo
67.4 --------------------- BMW Z4 3.0i
67.3 --------------------- BMW M3 Comp Cpe
67.3--------------------- 350Z
66.7 --------------------- Audi TT 3.2 Quattro DSG

Alot of testers like to say it's just not as "tossable" as it would be with a rack & pinion steering. Well if going thru a bunch of closely spaced pylons at nearly 70 mph without knocking any of them over doesn't mean a car is tossable and precise, then I don't know what does. But personally I feel that for 99% of the Crossfire owners out there that will never see the "business" end of a race track, I think it's steering works fine.
Plus I feel this is one of the "quietest" cars I've had the pleasure to own.

 

i had a new toyota tacoma in 2002 and it left me walking 2 times with less then 1,000 miles on it. i traded that in when it was 6 months old. the toyotas aren't any better then most cars anymore. when ever demand is high they send then out the door, quality goes south. also toyota dealers are the worst people to deal with. i will buy chevy and chrysler all day long...(sorry ford, not a fan)...

 

LOL. F all these morons. Bash bash bash, kiss my azz already. This car is better than 99% of the cars out there. Its human nature when you have something that is different, very few appreciate it and it’s easy for the knuckle draggers to bash. F em.

 

How is the Consumer Reports review any different than any of the reviews in the major car magazines? Every review I've read complains about the steering and the manual transmission. And cars from the Big 3 are doing better in reliability, which is reflected in Consumer Reports studies. They are actually doing better in overall reliability than European cars. Here's a nice little article on the subject from 2 years ago:
http://www.edmunds.com/news/column/c...6/article.html

 

I like having a unique car, that is fun as hell to drive, turns heads, and handles like a dream. I could care less what CR thinks of my car...chances are they're just jealous...

If my car is the "only show in town", that makes me even happier!

 

For CR it's all about the money (subscriptions). Toyota and other Japanese cars have been very reliable over the last 30 years. They know people in general are confident in them. So, it's safe to pick Toyota as an example. They would be going out on a limb if they selected an American car over a Japanese. They are not that objective. So, they play it safe. It's all about the money.

 

Yes...they probably have never been in one. I traded in my '03 SRT4 for my XF limited...and couldn’t be happier. Its not as fast, but it looks amazing, turns more heads than my SRT4 (which was a beast i might add) and MUCH safer. I wish I had the money to SC or TT the car...but that isn’t going to happen. I missed the forced induction feel, and the blow off valve that nearly gave me a hard on, but this car is absolutely amazing.

And having taken off the XF off the back, people ask me all the time what kind of car it is, and can't believe that it is from the Chrysler family. I love it.

 

Consumer Reports needs to stick to Washing machines and toasters. To them the best car is one that will hold the most groceries. I probably like the cars they dislike the most.

 

I agree...the CR people probably have not driven a crossfire... I bet if they find out that this is the same car as the SLK they will retract their review. Anything non-Japanese gets a bad review.

 

Whenever I see someone write stuff like this about my car, you know what I do? I just cover my mouth and go *yawn* and then move on.

These writers would not know a good thing if it nipped them in the butt!

I love my car, its handles like a dream so what do I care about what they have to say about something I own?

 

Yes, it is quite amusing that the McLaren SLR had the same score as an '04 Crossfire ...

Also, when the head instructor for the HPDE groups at the NASA event I went to in November with HDDP took my SRT6 out ... I asked him... 'So, is there anything I need to change to make this thing more race worthy?' His answer 'Better brake pads... beyond that... leave it alone until you plan on stripping it down like your buddy.'

These cars are performers off the showroom floor... even the Base and Limited models... The reviewers of the 'Top Gear' show thought the car was 'rubbish'. I think they've been driving WAY too many super cars and exotics.

I love my Crossfire... and to H-E-double hockey sticks with the reviews.

 

Ok, I'm going out on a limb here and say that they are not totally off base.
My 04' Limited has 51,000 miles on it. It has more then its fair shares of rattles, wind noise, and has had the transmission replaced (under warranty) at around 10,000 miles ago. The engine has an irritating ticking noise that has been described by two different dealerships as 'normal'.
As a comparison, I also have a 97' Volvo 850 with 145,000 miles on it. It has fewer rattles, way less wind noise, and the engine is whisper quiet. It has never had any repairs needed other then routine maintenance.
My wife's 02' BMW 325 is as tight and quiet as the day it left the showroom floor.

Sure the XFire has a 'coolness' factor, but I would trust the old Volvo on a cross country drive more then I would my Crossfire.

 

CR does have a place in this world. But not in auto research. If I was an expert in the auto area, I would be writing my opinions in the well known car magazines.
Pick up any auto magazine. They specialize in the field. There is no crossover to toasters and toothbrushes.
Most household articles can be tested in labs by CR, and they can give us a heads up on possible problems. Toothbrushes Brand X - 9 out of 10 dentists recommended.

Go to the experts in each field.

or

CROSSFIRE - 19 out of 20 owner love'em (based on my readings of this forum).

 

Consumer Reports should stick to toasters and vacuum cleaners, and leave car reviews to Road & Track, Car & Driver, Automobile, etc...

 

I can't believe Top gear was so hard on the XF, those old fuddy dudies are very spoiled, I can't watch that show anymore, it's the personalities of the hosts that just **** you off with their snooty attitude. I found it a bit odd that when they compared the Limited with the 350Z they didn't even show or compare the Z with the SRT6 which is closer comparison HP wise.

There must be a bit of distaste at the Chrysler name from the 70's - 90's that causes such bad reviews, because they never really go into detail or do and apple to apple comparison. I give up...

TG was a little warmer on its review of the SRT6 http://www.topgear.com/drives/F6/B1/...sts/03/01.html but they did knock the automatic and recirc, haha those guys are too serious.