Test drive Chrysler Crossfire 2003 - 2006 compartment

There is no light?

You have to look at things with a fresh look. Having studied America, a real American coupe was built in Europe - Chrysler Crossfire.
 
The most Chrysler Crossfire is similar to the character of a Hollywood film, based on a comic book. Batman, Spider-Man, or some other Power, will very organically fit into the landscape surrounding the new compartment. First of all, narrow lateral glasses of the cab, and a long, predatory hood with notch, work on a fantastic image. Add to this huge rear wheel arches and a peculiar shape of the back of the car-as a result, we get a slightly hypertrophied style of the 50s of the last century. This is the whole modern Chrysler. At first there was a nostalgic pt Cruiser, now - Crossfire. But what is noteworthy: European designers worked on the last model and produce it in Europe and Europeans. And besides, from the Mercedes components: the suspension from E-Klasse, the box and the engine-from Mercedes Slk, as if the original body had been lowered onto the German cart.
 
DEEP DIVE. Sitting in Crossfire is not so inconvenient, but, let's say, a little unusual. You don’t just sit in it - you fall into it and tightly cut yourself off from the fuss of the street with a rather massive door, devoid of the upper metal frame. The body hugs a profiled sports seat, the hands almost themselves drop on the steering wheel and the automatic transmission lever. There are no surprises in the auxiliary governing bodies either - they are all well familiar with various Mercedes models. The classic Mercedes steering wheel switch is especially striking - you need to get used to the fact that the wipers turn on on the left, and on the right under the wheel - just free space.
But there is still a sense of discomfort. Perhaps it is not associated with the presence of a Mercedes filling in a car with the Chrysler emblem, but with a driver’s landing. The seat is located quite low, and narrow glass starts almost from the shoulder. A huge long hood is visible through the windshield and quite a bit of asphalt - all my attempts to get a higher good do not lead to anything: the seat goes not only up, but also forward. If you have long legs, then this is not a way out. In addition, the steering wheel is regulated only by departure, and I constantly wanted to lower it. In general, it did not work out immediately, like in Mercedes, and the whole first day I tossed turning like a dung beetle in my hole. The last thing that annoyed during the entire test drive was an intra-sulfate mirror. A mah-a-alent piece of heaven behind the stern and the posterior anti-wing in the raised state are visible into it. Cars catching up you appear there only when they are in the area of \u200b\u200bdirect damage to the rear bumper.

Teutonic character. However, the power of the Chrysler Crossfire engine is more than enough to always be clean on the tail. Naturally, if there is an operational spaciousness ahead.
 
A well-chained steam is installed on the car-a 3.2 liter engine and a 5-speed machine from Mercedes SLK. It is quite enough for Crossfire - despite the fact that the car looks much more massive than its German donor, Chrysler is only 50 kg heavier. And a swift start from a place will deliver a mass of pleasure to fans of an aggressive style. If you confidently tap the accelerator pedal, then the car is a few meters, as it were, rolls out unexpectedly slowly, and then rapidly rushes to the horizon. Powerful acceleration is not accompanied by either tangible overloads inherent in many sportsmen, nor the indignant roar of the engine - soundproofing is beyond praise. The only extraneous sound is the muffled growl of the mood, which echoes from behind. The fact is that the trunk is, as it were, a continuation of the cabin and acts in this case as a sound resonator.
 
In a machine gun, the Crossfire box can operate in two detackers: standard and winter. Switching is carried out typically a Mercedes slider next to the automatic transmission selector. In the standard version, the transmission algorithm is adapted for aggressive driving in a sports style and is controlled by a computer that adapts to the individual driving style.
 
In winter mode, the car not only touches in second gear, but all switching to higher gear occur at lower speed. So the risk of losing wheel clutch with slippery roads is minimized. And one more useful feature. God forbid us to use it, but its presence is pleasing. If a breakdown of the complex electronic automatic transmission system in D mode D, then the box automatically switches to the Limp Home mode (die home) - only the second gear operates, which allows slowly to get to the house or to the maintenance station.
Legs or arms? We often argue in the editorial office, but why, in fact, sequential boxes are needed? After all, modern machines are so good that they guarantee confident acceleration in almost any road environment. The engine is braking like it is also not very relevant in most situations: smart electronic electronic systems for stabilizing the course of the car take care of the safety of the driver and passengers.
 
Sentences of debaters are generally true, if we talk about most cars. But Crossfire is a special case, and we first used a manual mode with pleasure. The fact is that the behavior of an automatic box does not always correspond to the image of this car. The Chrysler is not enough for real sports swiftness in a sharp acceleration mode, say from 60 to 100 km/h. And it is not very pleasant to catch the condescending views of the owners of powerful cars with mechanics. Like, this is all sports, even the spoiler stands on end, and it goes to overtaking in pioneer, in a way. It was here that the soaked reputation saves the manual regime, which allows us to more quickly use the reduced transmission when performing quick overtaking and rebuilding. One but: you need to get used to the Mercedes transmission algorithm. The push of the handle to the left (to yourself) - the transition to a low gear, to the right (from yourself) - to increased. Purely psychologically convenient to change such a horizontal scheme to a vertical one, when the lowered is turned on the handle down, and the increased - up. At the same time, this would avoid involuntary return to the automatic mode - for this it is enough to push the handle from yourself too much.

But frankly pleased the presence of protection from a fool, when electronics vigilantly make sure that too gambling did not twist the motor. If the tachometer arrow hangs for too long in the red zone, then the box itself switches to increased or reduced gear in accordance with the one, accelerates the car or inhibits.
On the curve track. The driver in Crossfire sits on the rear wheels. It would seem that this should be achieved by perfect weighting on the axes. But no - the front of the car at high speeds begins to significantly scour on an uneven road. This was especially noticeable on the Moscow Ring Road: in the left row, heavy trucks pierced a rather noticeable track, and at a speed of more than 110 km/h the rectilinear trajectory of Chrysler has to constantly be adjusted by the steering wheel. Approximately the same sensations when moving along the tram tracks - in Moscow you often have to overtake a column of gazelle in this way. We categorically do not recommend you disconnecting the ESP stabilization system - a rather careless steering wheel on a decent move and the car will easily break into the skid. But do we remember how to deal with him on the classic in the age of a general passion for front or all -wheel drive?
 
But the devil is not as terrible as he is painted. With a working ESP, Chrysler behaves more than predictably and even makes you forget what this machine has a drive. The magnificent, even too soft for a sports coupe, the suspension perfectly works out the irregularities of the road, and the brakes are configured with true Mercedes nobility. Even in the case of emergency braking, Crossfire stops not like a mad cat, clinging with a screech to the asphalt with all its claws, but softly and confidently.
In conclusion, I want to dot I over I. Despite the fact that the adjective Mercedesovsky was quite common, the share of German components does not exceed 40 percent in Chrysler Crossfire. It is like a stream of fresh blood, reviving the breed.
Text Nikolay Kachurin, photo Alexey Ilyin

Chrysler Crossfire
Gasoline engine V6
Working volume (cubic cub) 3199
Power (L.S. at rpm) 215 at 5700
Moment (Nm at rpm) 310 at 3000 - 4600
The rear drive
Gearbox 5-speed automatic sectral type
Length/width/height (mm) 4059/1766/1305
Wheel base (mm) 2400
The volume of the fuel tank (L) 97
Mass weight (kg) 1399
Maximum speed (km/h) 241
Acceleration to 100 km/h (c) 7.3
Fuel consumption (city/highway, l/100 km) 11.2/8.1
The price in Moscow from $ 51 thousand.
 

Source: "Autopilot"