First, the good...

Because my sales staff keeps selling my demos out from under me, in my first 5 weeks here I've had an '06 300C, an '05 SRT-4, and now I have an '04 Crossfire coupe While I keep going backwards in model years, each car seems to get more fun as I go along. The 300 got the most attention, and three "has that thing got a Hemi in it?" at stoplights The SRT-4 annoyed every Civic, RSX and Jetta around, and was laughed at by my fellow F body and Mustang brethren...but man that car was fun

Last night, I started using this Crossfire...a 25k mile '04 grey coupe with an A5. Wow. This car is significantly better than I gave it credit for at first glance. To appreciate this car is to drive it. The ride, even with 18s and 19s on it, is stellar. The chassis, while not Corvette or F body communicative in terms of what the tires are doing, seems very competent. I haven't hit my favorite switchbacks with it yet, but so far it seems very stable. Speaking of stable, I cannot get over how quick this car is over 70 MPH. 70 MPH on the tach is 2,500...I did a brief run to 100 this morning on the way to work, never leaving 5th gear...and the pickup was phenomenal. You can tell this car was designed for Autobahn-type driving in that while it does not feel quick around town, in the proper element it has the gearing to completely exceed expectations. With an EPA rating of 21/28, it gets the same MPG as a V6 Sebring, so I guess this will be my demo for a long time (so long as they don't sell it on me!!!) seeing as how I drive nearly 600 miles a week now, mostly highway.

What has surprised me the most is how comfortable it is on the highway. While its very small and has wheels that make you assume every expansion joint will rattle your teeth, it is smooth, compliant, and QUIET. Its a great GT car...

So why did this car fail? Two reasons, IMO: 1) The interior simply is not elegant enough to qualify for the $$ they were asking for it. At $35k as an '04 (dropped to $30k as an '05), you're asking premium money for a small car, and it is Teutonic drab inside. The upper dash looks like the same plastic found in my father's '75 MGB The silver facing on the center console looks like it belongs in my Neons, and is about as durable. This one already has a few scratches in it. 2) Domestic manufacturers do not cater well to those who want Autobahn-like performance. People who buy Domestic sports cars want power. Handling. Torque. Value. Features for the dollar. This car doesn't deliver on any of that, save the handling. Around town, it accelerates like a V6 Grand Am or Sebring. It has no torque. It was pretty damn expensive for what you got. There's no tilt steering wheel...only 2 speakers in the base model I have (albeit Infinitys, but the clarity is iffy...)...no DIC...nothing to really jazz up this $35k interior. Add in the original dealer markups (I remember seeing one like mine at a Boston dealer with a $5k MSRP addendum), and no wonder this car dissappeared in 2 years...

Now, for the dissappointing Chrysler product...

I had a Pacifica Touring AWD for one night, and hated it. With a passion. I sat in it before I took it home for the evening...it seemed nice enough, as its a silver '04 with black leather, chrome wheels, sunroof, 6 CD, heated first and second row seats, Xenon headlights, etc. But what a wretched car to drive. Its painfully slow. It got 18 MPG doing 90% highway at 70 MPH. It handled like the minivan its based on. The interior quality is beautiful, and it gives a ton of features for the $$$, which is why I originally thought "gee, no wonder it sells so much better than the SRX...more features for less $$$."

Instead, what it really is is a really fancy minivan. I know I am not the target audience for a Pacifica, but I think I'm pretty good at being objective. The inside is gorgeous and the outside is fine IMO, and the features per dollar are pretty good (plus, the resale sucks so used they're cheap!!!!). But the drive really, really leaves you cold...which is the best thing about the SRX.

 

I see the Pacifica as a fancy minivan, and I don't see any surprizes to your assesments of it.

I kind of like the Crossfire. I like the neo-deco exterior design, and the interior reminds me alot of my old Chevy Monza. But I think the car runs $10K too much of where a car like that should be. It's pretty small inside (which I don't mind), the materials are good, but not $35K good, and you're making do with a 6, not a V8. I know it's essentially a reskinned Mercedes, and it's great running/handling car, but I think a 350Z is a better buy, and I'm not really a fan of the car.

The bad thing is I don't see any way of changing anything with Crossfire that wouldn't change the good things about the car. The LX chassis would make the car heavier and wider. A V8 doesn't belong in the car IMO. Putting it on a FWD chassis is the worse you can do to the thing.

Still, a $25K Crossfire with a $30-32K SRT6 version would be dead on.