Chrysler Crossfire test drive since 2007

Heavy artillery

Beautiful names are given by Chryslerovites to their cars, beautiful. Subber, meaningful, memorable. Concord, Intrepid, Weiper. Sharp, energetic. Stealth, Saratoga, Voyager. Or Daithon, Stratus, Anger there are a lot of them, one is more successful than the other. And now here is the crossfire, which means cross -fire. Great!
  
The only name only increases the pulse, promising injection into the blood of a fair dose of adrenaline. What can we say about the car itself! Shock! The apparatus emitting predatory aggression is half the inhabited capsule with narrow glasses, half of the engine compartment. The machine flaunts all the attributes of a serious sports car: ventilation slots in the front wings, a double muffler in the center of the body, huge front wheels and even more impressive rear. There is a mandatory spoiler that extends automatically (after reaching 100 km/h) or forcibly, button from the driver's seat. The design of the car is not just causing, it is epo -tank: rolling the back of a persistent reminder of the long -past days of the American auto industry, and the monumental front of the latest corporate identity, already tested on the Chrysler Pacifica multi -purpose. Similar bizarre combinations of technology and retro will determine the appearance of the Kraisler models of the next decade.

  

The interior of the crossfire does not allow him to doubt the sincerity of his sports orientation. The salon is clearly divided into driver and passenger zones, the landing is very low. The rear places are completely absent, and the modest purely formal trunk is best suited for installing a set of amplifiers and subwoofers. And, of course, in the cabin there is a lot of silver plastic. The central console, the gearbox lever, the steering knitting needles, the door handrails literally pour a characteristic matte light from everywhere.
 
Meanwhile, you can’t call the comfort to Spartan. Armchairs with electric drives and heating, an electric riveting adjustable along the length of the steering column. Ergonomics is at a very decent level, and the identified problems are due to the specifics of the compartment genre: visibility back and on the sides leaves much to be desired, tall drivers are difficult to find the perfect pose. Either the elbows and knees are greatly bent, or the ceiling is propping your head. Inevitable evil? Most likely.

  
Who will we shoot at, Crossfire? Our arsenal seems to be quite decent as a selection, all the Mercedes: the front suspension from SLK, the rear from the previous E-class, the engine and the sequental machine also carry the Made in Germany. However, this weapons impose its restrictions on the tactical and technical characteristics of the machine. It seems to me that it is the comfort of the ride that will be a cornerstone.
 
And the truth. If the mention of a sports car is associated with you with a merciless shaking, Crossfire will present a pleasant surprise. Chrysler has really good smoothness, its suspension copes with any road defects. Of course, according to this parameter, Crossfire can hardly be put in one row with representative machines, but his behavior is worthy of respect. On major irregularities, the car only bounces with restraint and elastic, and does not kick, likening to an unheard of horse. And the legendary tram crossings do not bring him out of balance. Which, given the ultra -low tire profile and a short base, should be recognized as an achievement. True, these tires make the car sensitive to the rut of the coating, even road markings causes light screening.
 
But at high (for 120 km/h) speeds, exchange rate stability is magnificent. Getting into the pit, Crossfire holds the trajectory straight, in a bend. And on the steering wheel, the road relief is transmitted filtered, smooth. And how the car goes along the highway! Inexorably flying to the goal, as if following a given direction. No steering to you, a minimum of noise, the lack of swing. This is what is called psychological comfort. Without experiencing special stress, you can drive the speedometer arrow far beyond the administratively punished threshold. A three -beam breed is felt!
 
The same breed knows how to conceal sensations from sharp acceleration. The gone gas pedal (of course, floor) and not a very quick automatic machine deprive Crossfire a fair part of the explosive energy that you expect from such machines. Moreover, in the sports and manual switching modes, the car remains just as smooth. As a result, the intensity of acceleration has to be judged mainly by sound. The sound is completely special. Have you ever heard how the Chevrolet Tahoe takes a low start? Have you heard this uterine roar that terrifying others? Is very similar.

  

The undoubted advantages of the car need to be ranked by the elasticity of the engine and the manual mode of the machine, which allows to control the process of switching. The valuable function is, after all, when the machine switches in a bend, it violates the dynamic balance of the machine. And, which is especially important for the athlete, the brakes are excellent. The effectiveness of their work after a series of hard braking, if it decreases, is slight.
What about the most important controllability? And Crossfire is not the most important thing. In this regard, the car is very similar to business sedan: soft, almost insinuating reactions, unobtrusive, but reliable feedback. Most of all, the low sensitivity of the steering is annoyed. Imagine: you turn off the ESP in order to grab on a winding road with drifts (in hairpins they can even be caused by gas discharge), but to straighten the car each time you have to perform a decent volume of corrective actions. That is, wound on the steering wheel. But the maneuverability of the car is beyond praise Crossfire can turn around almost around the rear wheels.

  

It turns out that Chrysler Crossfire is not a quick-fire submachine gun, but a heavy howitzer to work on distant purposes. His elements are long distances of intercity tracks, the insidious bends of mountain serpentines are alien to him. To shoot from the city to the city is the purpose of this car, in which he has little equal among competitors.
 
Autography
Chrysler Crossfire
Predecessor
Laser (1983)
Prototype
Crossfire (2001)
Premiere
july 1999
Body
compartment
Engine power
218 hp


The car is provided by Aurore Auto.
During the test, the car is insured by LLC Nation Center.
 
Text: Leonid Klyuyev
Photo: Roman Ostanin
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 

Source: Wheel magazine [No. 75/2004]