Before I was seriously considering buying a Crossfire, I reviewed all the Crossfire reviews in Magazines such as Top Gear, What Car, CAR Choice. All the reviews in the magazines were not consistent with other magazines, some mags would say its a good coupe, with plenty performance and handles well, then next day I would pick up a magazine which would portray the opposite. Going with my instinct and having loved the car, I am pleased to say that any person thinking of buying the Crossfire please go with your instinct and do not believe any poor reviews. Over the last 24 months owned BMW 330 CI, Mercedes CLK 230 Kompressor, Audi A4 Cabriolet, Saab 9-3 SE Convertible and I can honestly say this car is well worth the money and the looks.

I brought a 54 plate in Sapphire Silver with 8000 miles on the clock for £22k from dealer, previously I paid £30k for a BMW 330 and it was crap, not saying it was bad but for what I spent on the Crossfire and the attention alone the car is in a league of its own.

TOP Gear only praise cars above 100k!!! Buy this car, you will not be disappointed...

As a matter of interest, what have reviews been like in other countries on the Crossfire?

 

Got to agree with Luvxfire on this one. Reviews don't tell the whole story and do not always relate to actually owning the car.

I was looking to replace my Mr2 Roadster and drove several cars including Audi TT's Celica t-sports and coincidentally a BMW 330ci.

The most disappointing was the BMW. It just felt soul less and did not feel anywhere near as quick or responsive as the crossfire (although it probably is).

I was actually on my way to buy an audi TT roadster (225) when I decided to call in at the Chrysler dealer in Manchester.

First drove an auto coupe and was impressed as soon as I drove it off the forecourt. It was as refined as the BMW but with some character. It got looks from every one and felt special to drive.

Combined with all the standard equipment, the looks, performance, refinement etc it seemed unbeatable for the price and it was the only car to put a smile on my face.

I then asked for a drive of the manual version and that was it - the car burst into life compared to the auto and felt much quicker to me, taking on a new sporting edge.

After a bit of thought I went back and decided to go for the roadster and after some spirited negotiation bought a brand new 05 roadster for £24000.00 which, for the UK, is a good price. The cheapest second hand roadsters I could find on Autotrader were asking £22000.00.

As some will know from my post 'Gearbox Noise' I had a little trouble with the car and the dealer has been very good and we expecting to pick up a brand new replacement car this weekend. Due to the problem I had another drive of a another auto and another manual but again preferred the manual by quite a margin but i can understand people choosing the auto.

Despite this little problem I absolutely love the crossfire. The midrange torque of the engine is perfect in the real world and it is silky smooth with a glorious exhaust note.

The handling, although not as sharp as the Mr2 Roadster is far more secure and has better grip levels meaning that corner speeds are equal if not better.

I followed a porsche boxster home last night through town (both roof down) and I had to feel sorry for the porsche driver as every group of people we passed only had eyes for the crossfire (even pointing).

I could go on and on but suffice to say I agree with luvxfire that you should go drive for yourself and take the reviews with a pinch of salt.

Not to say the reviews aren't useful but trust in your own judgment.

My dad has had this problem (poor reviews of american cars) for years because he likes american cars and currently has a Cadillac Seville STS which Jeremy Clarkson and Co slagged completely.

Total rubbish - the STS is a superb car with a fantastic Northstar V8 and incredible value for money in the UK second hand due to the poor reviews. His previous car was a BMW 735i SE which doesn't compare in my opinion.

Great car, great value and I cant wait to pick up our new one this weekend.

Its a shame these reviewers put some people off even test driving one because they are missing out.

Andy

 

luvxfire,

I purchased a Crossfire two weeks ago in the United States. I had a similar reaction to the reviews I read in magazines. Most reviews were, on the whole, positive but always seemed critical of the cup holder and the interior trim. Some mention of under steer in hard cornering. A few reviewers asked for more power. There were also comparisons made to other cars and a judgment that the Crossfire did not match up well with the competition. The competition being cars such as Corvette, Boxter, SLK, Z4, Audi TT, and 350Z.
My reaction to the articles and my buying decision was easy. The cost of the first four cars is well above what you can purchase a Crossfire for in US. The only fair comparison is with the Nissan 350Z.
The Nissan 350Z is about the same MRSP (Crossfire seems to get a better discount), but it is a quite different car that I think is aimed at a different driver. I test drove one. It is a purer performance sports car and alot of fun to drive. But it does not have the manners or the ride of the Crossfire. A few reviews picked up on this and noted that it is as much a cruiser as a sports car. I think that is a fair statement. The car does have excellent performance but I also bought the car to take on longer trips. I don't think I could ever talk my wife into riding in a 350Z for more than an hour.
To answer your question the press in the US hasn't been that great for the Crossfire but it isn't bad either and look at the cars that the Crossfire is compared to they are all great cars.
I did most of my research on the internet so I also read reviews from UK and AUS/NZ. I did I sense a trace of anti-Americanism? I guess the recent history hasn't raised US popularity worldwide.

Johnnie

 

Thanks for your replies everyone, Glad to see most people on the same wave length as me on this one. It just sort of annoys me when reviewers and columnists in car magazines start commenting on how big the front grill is, cup holder, not easy to get in and out of the car, it really makes me laugh! Any car in this world will have a good and bad review I could spend 100k on a car tomorrow and criticize some points, I am so glad I ignored negative reviews in Top Gear and Autocar and went with my instinct.

The 3 series BMW in the UK is now outselling the Ford Mondeo, It is simply a mass produced vehicle not like the Crossfire.. In future when deciding my next car I will never read a car magazine again to base my decision upon, have you noticed in the magazines they even copy the same sentences or paragraphs when reviewing the car, makes you wonder whether they actually drove them or simply copied another magazines review.

 

I actually find American magazine reviews to be quite helpful. The good American car mags can be trusted for their facts and figures. Acceleration and handling results can be used for comparison with other cars from the same magazine on the same track. I take any subjective comments drawn from these results with a grain of salt. You have to keep in mind the biases of the reporter. While the car reviews have given fairly good results for braking and handling and decent results for acceleration the reviewers do make the point that this is not a hard-core track car. I took this as good news since I did not want a hard-core track car. I was looking for a competent, fairly well behaved country cruiser. Lucky for me I found one. The fact that it happens to be the best looking car on the road is just icing on the cake.

 

I often watch Top Gear on BBC. It's really good fun but as you wrote their ratings are sometimes a bit strange. I missed the episode with the xfire. A friend saw it and told me about but with a lot of humor (as usual when we talk about Top Gear).
For all those who don't know weather to buy a crossfire or not -> drive one and decide upon your personal impression. Don't believe all those mags. They seldom are really objective.

 

On Speedchannel here in the states we get a show called "5th gear" (from the makers of Top Gear) and the older guy who used to drive for Porsche in the 80's said the suspension was a bit soft, but liked how the car looked. I guess its all about perspective, I mean if your used to driving an M3, then yes, the Crossfire would be a bit soft, but its all relative. On a recent trip to WV this past weekend I can say w/o a doubt that this car will out handle my previous car, a 2000 Contour SVT and that one had a modded suspension (Bilsteins and BAT springs). Now I can't wait to go down to the Dragon www.tailofthedragon.com and see how the Crossfire REALLY stacks up against my old car because I've been down there 2 years in a row and it performed very well.

 

All reviewers/writers from any Auto-mag (especially automobile test reviews) are bias and I never take them seriously. The Crossfire will always be a (domestic) Chrysler no matter if it does out perform it's contemporaries, i.e. it's cousin SLK 320 and others. DC could put Maybach components under the classic skin of the CF and still it will be under appreciated and dogged...

2004 SSB/duo slate/6sp #1115 (2 years old and still running like new!)