Considering a Crossfire, but have yet to sit in one. I had an Alfa Spider until a year ago, and it was starting to get tough to get out of her(getting Olde sucks). How is the Cross fire as far as getting in and out?

Thank you in advance

 

It's ok for me and I'm 75.

 

Easier than my Fiero. Best way to start is to have the door able to open to fullest. Less contortions that way. I place my left hand on the door sill for support and a push off when exiting. You can listen to all the comments and advice from others but it is you who has to feel comfortable. Find a Crossfire and try it out for entering, sitting position, and exiting. This is the only true way to know.

 

I am only 5'10" but I am tall from the waist up (short legs) so I must 'bow down" to get my head past the Roadster's top frame. I also sit high and tend to stare at the windshield frame, not look thru the window. The Crossfire is not the only vehicle this bothers me in, but it's the worst of those I have sat in.

I owned two Limited Roadsters and this was a small issue. I then sat in a Base model (and my current car, an SE is a base model). The base seats are cloth and do not have heaters or motors below them, they are manual seats -this means they can be adjusted to sit considerably lower. I find the cloth seats very comfortable as well.

But having said all this, there are taller guys who have no issue with the seats - the only way to know what YOU think, is to sit in one. But again, know that seats vary between Limited and Base models. SRT models are another topic, while they are powered and heated like the limited seats, I do believe they sit a bit lower than limited seats.

Go try the car on for size - and see what you think.

 

I haven't sat in an Alfa Spider so I don't know the comparison to a Crossfire. I sat in a few Saturn Sky and Pontiac Solstice roadsters before buying a Crossfire, but they sat so low I thought I was in a go-kart.

The Crossfire was beginning to be a pain to me before my total knee replacement (right knee) two years ago. But then everything was a pain before I got the knee replaced. No problem now.

Send me a Private Message if you want to and tell me how far from Austin you are. Maybe I can let you sit in my '05 limited roadster, manual transmission. Also, there are currently two junked Crossfires at the Lubbock Wrench-a-part yard...if you're close to Lubbock!

 

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...ow-you-do.html

This may give additional insight. From CarProUsa: "Many sports cars do not make good daily drivers. Often they are hard to get in and out of, visibility can be poor, often they have a harsher ride."

This supports my belief that ALL sports cars have certain common traits: not easy to get in/out and quality of ride issues, but never the less fun/fast.

These issues have been discussed over & over for generations: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...-a-sports-car/

If you want something bad enough you find a way to make it work.

 

I'm a tall gal, 6'3" and in my Crossfire Limited Roadster if I sit bolt upright all I see is the window frame. If I settle into the seat, I see just fine. My height's mostly in my legs. It's taken a bit of adjusting to get the seat just right, but I can enjoy a good hour or so before I might start feeling a bit stiff.
To add to the mix, I have spinal stenosis and neuropathy.
Getting into the car is not bad. Door open wide and sit down. Pull the door a bit closed after swinging very long legs into the cabin. I have not yet had a flareup or back spasms so I cannot know whether I will be able to get in as easily as I do now.
The legroom is great.
I am glad the car's an automatic. I wouldn't have leg room at all with three pedals.
Getting out of the car is a reverse of the process, adding having my cane handy as I steadily stand upright.
All is easier if the top's down as I don't have to fold a bit as I sit down.

 

The limited models have a 6 way power seat for the driver so the height is fully adjustable. I'm 77 and 5' 11" 180 lbs You do have to get up out of the car, it's not as bad as some sports cars I've owned and worth it to own and drive a great car.

Here's a link on this forum to some tips for what to look for when buying a Crossfire

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...crossfire.html

 

Us 'older' guys will always have some kind of an issue getting into & out of a sports car. For me, I tend to sit in the seat and then swing my legs around under the steering wheel. Getting out, I usually get my left leg out & then using my left hand push off the door sill to get up & out. That way, I don't slide across the side bolster which can be a major wear point in the Crossfire. I'm 5'9" and weigh probably 220 lbs. I don't have any issues getting into, riding or out of the Crossfire. And I don't have the seat all the way back, but there isn't much room left as the bulkhead between the passenger compartment & rear hatch is behind the seats. There is probably 3 inches or less before the seat back bumps up against the bulkhead. And I don't like moving the seat all the way back to get out or in; just hate having to get the seat back where I like it. Wish the Crossfire had seat memory function - life would be so much better!

 

As others have mentioned, any sportscar this low to the ground (I mean that ya can't even fit your head and torso under) is gonna be one you "fall into and climb out of". Small price to pay because once in that seat it is pretty cool. My XF is an '04 and that first model year came fully loaded with everything as they wanted to push it... full leather seats and full power seats on both the driver and passsanger side. Quite frankly, the concept of putting full power seats in a cabin this small is kinda silly. Despite all the movement options you are always fighting that rear bulkhead... Try this and try that and one movement comes at the expense of another. Let's put it this way, driving down the road in my F150 or my Crown Victoria with their multi-powered seats is like sitting in a recliner that has endless adjustments... The XF is like I have all these ways moving the seat but they are all limited to about 1" and I'm 5'8".

Many of us may remember this thing from the mid-late 1980's in all it's 80's glory and so overdone with fender flares and aero it was insanity. The seats and size of the footwells in this made it perhaps the most uncomfortable car to drive that was ever made but it was the ultimate supercar for the time. A XF is way more comfortable than sitting in one of these as I had the opportunity sit in one as a teenager and was like "where is my left foot supposed to go?" A XF may as well be a Cadillac compared to that thing!

 

There is no way around it, the XF is low to the ground and if you have bad knees or back you will struggle to get in and out comfortably. I do at 71 as does my 57yo GF. However, once in, it is a fantastic vehicle to drive and enjoy and well worth the contortion and momentary pain.