Missing The Mark: 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Review 

I'd like to rectify that I might have been a bit too harsh. The better the weather, the more I started to enjoy and have fun with it! But, as others point out, maybe this isn't the best of choiche for daily driving, and a better choiche for weekend cruising. Simply because the car doesn't fully meet my wishes and demands doesn't automatically mean it's a bad car.

When the Crossfire came out, I went to test drive a manual transmission one. It wouldn't go into 2nd gear. This was a brand new car. Dealer tried, and he couldn't either. That told me everything I needed to know about this quality merger of two automotive giants...

I briefly dated a girl that owned a Crossfire. I drove it a few times, and it was fun to drive. And she pointed out to me that it was a Mercedes more than a few times. I enjoyed driving the car, definitely, but I would not say that I was very impressed with it. But, needless to say, I never let her drive my sw20 MR2 in turn.

Yo Diggity Dog. I owned a 2005 Xfire Roadster from 2019 until this year, so for 4 years. Bought it at 33K miles & sold it at 45K miles and made $4,000 in the process. Gotta love our crazy car prices! Anywho, I did ALL my own maintenance so I'll throw you a couple bones. 1) The interior door pulls are wrapped (not plated) in a shiny metallic "tape", for lack of a better word. The seam runs North to South in the center of the pull facing the door, where you can't see it. Every time "you" grab the door-pull your fingers run across that seam and that gradually starts to pull it up and it begins flaking off with the ragged bits happy to give you a bleeding cut. You can remove the door-pull by prying off the front cover and removing 2 screws leaving the door-panel undisturbed. Take the pull to a plating company. Have them remove the wrap-coating and chrome-plate the entire part like they should have done in the first place. 2) Almost *EVERY mechanical part* is 100% the same as from a 2004 Mercedes-Benz SLK320. I advise right now to forget that the car says 'CHRYSLER' on it as they stopped carrying most of the parts in 2020 and the 1 mechanic who was trained to work on it at each dealership is long gone. Any 'Indy' German car repair shop will work on it. 3) If the ride is truly unacceptable to you there is an easy fix. Buy the 17" wheels that came on the SLK320 and sell your 19" Xfire wheels. The 17" tires have much more sidewall on them giving much more flex going over bumps.

Great review, I used to be a technician at a Dodge Chrysler Jeep dealer and we would always call them "Cross-dressers." Your assessment of it is spot on, lukewarm attempt that was really forced on them by Daimler management.

I don't think I've ever been in a car where the digital thermostat was anything more than a red/blue dial in disguise. Love your show, Ed!

I'd been eyeing the Crossfire for years. Then again, I've got a stupid infatuation with some of the Daimler-Chrysler offerings; the Crossfire and Magnum (and by extension, the 300 by default) are two of my favorite vehicles. After that, everything is all about how quirky / cool something looks. Solid review. Keep it up, Ed; you're quickly becoming one of my favorite creators on YT.

I think it was Jeremy Clarkson that described the rear of the Crossfire like a dog taking a dump! I could never unsee that since 😂

I have a convertible manual Crossfire. I've had it 15 years. It's done about 50,ooo miles. It has never let me down ever. The fuel consumption is very good. On a run taking it easy I've had 49mpg at 50mph. Town driving 28-30. Normal motorway driving about 4ompg. It will go 0-60 in under 6 seconds and goes off the clock flat out. The engine is bullet-proof. And still everywhere it gets parked in the summer when it's polished people take a picture as they don't know what it is. I bought it when it was two almost three years old for £9500. The car has been dynamite. Bought it for my wife. Was going to the showroom to buy a Mercedes SLK at more than twice the price with higher mileage. My wife seen this in the Chrysler showroom opposite and that was it. Changed from continental tyres to Avons on advice of some guy I spoke with in Las Vegas. Transformed the ride and handling on UK roads. All my other cars are Mercedes and which I don't recommend. 15 years trouble free motoring. Just an alternative point of view. 😊

I've had mine for a long time and I love it. It's a head-turner for sure and it's SUPER fun to drive. However, all if the issues you mentioned are definitely true. Another drawback is that it is extremely difficult to find parts and mechanics that are willing/able to work on them. Repairs can get very expensive very quickly. It's a unique car though, and definitely has a cult following. It's best suited as a back-up fun car rather than your main vehicle.

That legendary chrysler+Mercedes-Benz build quality after the warranty is gone is something to behold

My sister in California, USA daily drives her Crossfire since she bought it new. This year the computer went out and the car was dead. Chrysler wouldn't fix it and Mercedes wouldn't fix it. She finally found an independent mechanic that specializes in European cars that put a junkyard computer into it to get it running again. She still loves it.

Chrysler got stuck with so many of these they offered them to employees on a very cheap lease to get them on the streets. I was the beneficiary of one of those leases - I was glad to experience it and was glad when it went away...

I had a first-generation SLK for 9 years and let's just say its interior quality wasn't much better than the Crossfire. By the time I totaled it last year, all the paint had flaked off the center console, the metal "gate" surrounding the automatic shift lever had popped out and was only being held in by friction, the headliner sagged to the point where I had to just rip it out, both the glove compartment and the center console storage lid wouldn't stay shut, and the roof leaked all over the passenger seat when it rained. If anything, the cupholder situation in the Crossfire, however janky, was vastly preferable to that in the SLK whose placement at the top of the dash would cause condensation to leak all over the stereo on hot days (I got into the habit of keeping paper towels in the car at all times). Oh, and that cupholder broke too. Funny thing is, I still miss that car. I didn't find the suspension harsh at all and had no problems taking it on 8+ hour road trips (when it didn't break down, mind you). I cried like I'd lost a pet after I cleaned it out for the last time and took the plates off it. Still, I never saw the point of the Crossfire in general. Like, why buy an SLK without the SLK's main party trick?

Ed, your next car after this has to be a 2005 Thunderbird. A comparison between those two would make for a great video.

I loved mine, same spec as yours. What I liked most was that they depreciated very fast and I got it at a reasonable price.

I had a 2004 coupe with the Manual Transmission, was really fun to drive and sounded great. But as you said in the outro, I got tired of driving it daily, it rode so stiff and rough… and the Manual was NOT geared for heavy traffic either. So I had it 12 months and got rid of it. I don’t regret owning it though, it was fun, unlike any car I’ve ever owned, and I miss it sometimes. It’s on odd one, but I’m glad they made it.

I always liked the look of the Crossfire and credit to Chrysler in these years for putting out some interesting cars like this and the Prowler.

Nearly bought one of these back in 2019. Passed up on it for a Mazda 3 6 speed. 120K miles later I think I made the right choice. Really enjoy your videos!

It's a shame the Crossfire is such a piece of junk. It's a sharp looking car.

As a 308cc owner for 10 years (and a printer), my impression is: “LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO DO NOT HAVE A CONVERTIBLE IF YOU CAN AFFORD ONE”! XD Nice ride, Ed!! Cheers from Brazil!

The plastics on the DaimlerChrysler-era cars were... woof. The sun visors could draw blood if you weren't careful when moving them. This entry from Edmunds' Inside Line blog (I miss them!) about their long-term 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan says a lot: The interior quality of our long term 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan is so disappointing, it's difficult for me to put it into words. But I'm going to give it a shot. This van feels like it was designed and assembled by apes. Apes that were pounded mercilessly by bean counters to get more cost out of the poor resulting van's interior... Apes that have never been in a Honda Odyssey. Apes that have no respect for their customers. Apes that have no problem sleeping at night after selling people a plasticy, poorly put together crapmobile for the ridiculous sum of $40,200. If I spent that much of my hard earned dollars on this van, the first thing I would do is drive it head long into a bridge abutment. Sure, I'd probably be dead. But at least I wouldn't have to drive it anymore. Or pay for it. And remember, I haven't once complained about the Caravan's nonexistent brakes, or its apparently missing rear suspension, or its 4.0-liter V6 which feels and sounds like it's full of rocks. No, I'm only talking about its interior, which is seemingly without a soft surface, a properly aligned panel or a single switchgear that delivers a pleasing tactile sensation. Hey, what do you want for $40K? Quality? Instead the Grand Caravan feels like Dodge just doesn't care. Like the company has given up. Take the Caravan's shifter for instance. You must use it every time you drive the car, so it should feel good right? Common sense. But the Caravan's shifter doesn't feel good. It feels like one of my five year old's art projects. It crashes into Drive with such a junky clatter you'd swear Dodge forgot to install some bushing or some little piece of something that's supposed to make it not feel that lame. But Dodge didn't forget. Instead the company left it out to save money. Even the little + sign on the shifter has already jettisoned itself. It seems our Detroit Editor Dan Pund wiped it off with the tip of his index finger by accident when he was doing a bit of cookie crumb removal. Pathetic. Guess somebody at Dodge realized the permanent ink would have cost extra.

Well Ed, I say that as long as you keep making videos as good as this one, it will not be long before you can upgrade to a car that will impress you more. I am anxious to see what that car will be. Keep up the good work bro !

Did anyone else get the distinct feeling we were watching a new version of Top Gear? Seriously... Bang-up job, Ed! Also... Answer your damned emails. Lol.

Great video Ed! Fascinating to see your honest review of this car. I remember this car being launched and thought it looked great at the time…. 😂 looking forward to seeing your next one!

I like the crazy crossfire, makes me smile whenever I see one. I went the 350z route in 2003, and later the TT route - awesome review as always - cheers from Brisbane

It was so funny when you spoke about the interior I could easily hear all kind of cracking noises from the interior when you even slightly moved🤣

And the 1st gen SLK is still one of my dream cars. Great looks that harkens back to pony cars, but with a modern touch.

Oh, Ed. 😔 You're the only person I know (sorta) who actually traded down. That Hyundai was a much better car. Oh well, at least you have a convertible for the summer, and this was again, another great video! 👍

I love your reviews. Glad you are starting to go into some live action reviews 👍🏼

Living in Michigan, I’ve seen a few of these around. But almost none in recent years. Glad to see a review to see what I was missing as a kid. Thanks, Ed!

Ed I have followed you for some time now and it's been fun watching you develop, This was your funniest with a euro-demuro flavour! keep it up homie!

Great job. Ed, please do more of these!

Thank you Ed. You were honest and I hope you will get the car you want for your next car. It is interesting how they took out content for Chrysler and left it in for Mercedes Benz. They I guess were not going to be upstaged. It was not a merger of equals. You were to the point and entertaining as usual.

"A friggin Crossfire..". Yep. Says it all. As my uncle, who worked for Chrysler's for 40+ years put it..."How do you say Daimler-Chrysler? Daimler.".

I always thought the strakes in the hood hearken back to the 1930-whatever Chrysler Airflow. There is an air of Art Deco about the aesthetic...particularly the font of the "Crossfire" badge. And after all, they DID build The Chrysler Building.

CONGRATS ED!!!

You are propably only one person on Earth who could made me watch a review of this car

The Crossfire is the kind of car everybody tells me not to buy, and I still want to buy

Holy crap I'm early! Hello ed, I'm glad you also like that car as much as I do!

Great review. Very observational impressions. Good luck! I hope you enjoy it… for what it is. Cheers.

That clip from Arthur Brown Fire… I saw Arthur Brown in concert 4 yrs ago with Emerson Lake and Palmer. I totally forgot I’d seen that show until your video😂😂 Man, I was hammered! Also, interesting video.

Thanks for the video. Really entertained me. Hope you didn't hurt yourself in that crash.

Looked at this car in Australia back in 2005. The price was so out of touch with the competition the cars rotted away on the forecourt until they were trucked back to Brisbane. Kias interiors looked more upmarket.

"finds potholes in the road you couldnt even find with a magnifying glass" sounds like my '10 volvo v50 . thanks for your car content ! always awesome

In two words - stinky Backfire. They say the deepest emotion is a combination of love & hate. :D

Finally a review about one of my favourite cars, the SLK roadster !

0:51 what happened with Mercedes and Chrysler was NOT a “partnership” or “Merger of Equals”, it was a hostile takeover in all but name because DaimlerBenz was floundering in the late 90s and they saw all of the success that Chrysler was having (they launched 6 completely redesigned or all new platforms in the span of 4 years ranging from minivans to halo sports cars) and saw the 1 billion dollars in profits that Chrysler was saving for a rainy day and immediately started talks with Chrysler’s CEO at the time Bob Eaton. Once the deal was done, the German engineers and management started to treat Chrysler engineers as “inferior” and proceeded to decontent Chrysler’s products and funnel large amounts of cash into the German half of the company. Once the damage was complete in 2008, Daimler proceeded to dump Chrysler’s hollowed out husk where it was bought by hedge fund Cerberus Group. Then after the bankruptcy proceedings in 2009, Fiat bought Chrysler from Cerberus Group nursed it back to profitability with the redesigned lineup in 2011.

Hell yeah! Ed's gonna tell us about ALL the quirks and features up in here!

I had a 2004 Crossfire, and that " satin nickel finish " or whatever they called it was HORRIBLE. It was so bad in fact that, it was peeling on my driver door pull, and I had sliced my fingers open a couple times before I finally gave up and used electrical tape around the doorpull. That being said, it was a super fun, unique interesting car, and I really enjoyed it. Mostly because it was rare to see another one.

Really enjoyed it. Keep them coming

I love this channel and man because it is rad to see a non USA opinion/view of our US car market

🎉congratulations Ed that’s a nice car !

Hello Ed. I really like the very short clip of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown song. Good job.

Congratulations for getting the Crossfire. I always thought the convertible looked cool and especially in that color. Enjoy the summer drives!

I always adored the design of the Crossfire and the Porsche 928, two divine vehicles that seem to have fallen out of favor. I just love the way it looks -- the rear end is very voluptuous. I look forward to your review of this sexy set of wheels.

Awesome review!

Damn I love this channel!!

I was always intrigued by the Crossfire.... an American version of a European roadster. I always wondered - Cool design, but how does it drive? I've seen several reviews on them... all of them were mixed. Ed, nice to see you get some screen time for a change. The camera loves you! 😀

4:23 You Ok Ed? Self confidence issues at all? lmao Great vid, been a sub since you started out with your history series. Keep it up Ed!

Great vid!! 👍👍

great review!

Dude I just want you to know that one day we will come for you and it will be a good thing. YOU ROCK.

Classic Chrysler/Dodge interior of the era; swaths of chintzy grey plastics, electroplated faux metal finishes, creaky squeaky moving components, and panel gaps that make Ford cringe. Though whenever I see the fastback I'm always reminded of Clarkson saying that in profile it looks like a dog parking his breakfast.

Yes, I hope you can make some more car review videos soon!

I like the on-camera style. Enjoyed it.

Reminds me of Hermann Goerings 1937 Mercedes 16 roadster, without the elegance and craft

As somebody who owns more than one FCA product and has a soft spot for older Mopars, I say eff Daimler. The "merger" was a disaster...by the time the Crossfire came to market Daimler had pretty much bled Chrysler dry of money and resources. It showed in their products and there was basically nothing they could realistically do about it. Sergio Marchionne and FIAT saved the company and I'll always be grateful for it.

I've never driven one, but I like the looks. Especially back. Very, very few cars looks good from the back. I also like the looks of most of the Chrysler lineup, though I've heard they are not great cars as such.

I am a new subscriber and found Ed’s evaluation to be spot on. I fell in love with the crossfire back in 2005 when I was a hihh school drafting teacher and coached young aspiring automotive designers in design competitions in Pittsburgh, PA. I was sorrly disappointed when I test drove one and realized how cheaply made they were. The designer of the beautiful body deserves a shout out, though. Eric Stoddard graduated from a school in Pittsburgh’s sister city, Cleveland, Ohio.

I love the Crossfire. It was very different for Chrysler in a good way. Personally, I like the hard top more. Even though Clarkson said that it looks like a dog taking a shit.

Kudos for your explanation of the center crease! I owned a 2001 SLK 320 S1 and I do recognize both the interior and the engine. BTW, also the Merc had those non-numbered climate control wheels. However, the S1 SLK 320 car was striaght from the Malaise-Era of Mercedes and mine had problems from Day 1, including (from new) water pump and electrical issues. Also, the retro- illuminated orange numbers on the white guages were invisible in daylight - whose idea was that? I hope he was fired.

Ah, based on the relatively compact Mercedes SLK, also known as the Trophy Cabinet, as it is usually driven by someone who looks like the definition of a "Trophy Wife"

Ed, love your choice of Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, Fire. No, Carl Palmer was not on the version we all hear on the radio but yes he was on the video version wearing something from the future by Slipknot 😂 and took Arthur Brown's keyboard player Vincent Crane to form Atomic Rooster and Emerson Lake and Palmer arrived sometime later 😅

I quite like the styling of the hardtop version.

This, the first gen Mercedes CLS and the 90s Jag XK8s were my favorite cars growing up. I definitely have a thing for smooth lines

Glad you're ok man hopefully you get get yourself a nice cruiser after this phase lol

I have a 2008 Saturn Sky---so I understand your feelings on the "cruiser". Novelty car--yes!!

Every time I see a Chrysler Crossfire I am forced to sing that song from the commercial for the game Crossfire in the 90's. It was a dumb game but a had catchy commercial where the only lyric was "Crossfire" then a slightly higher pitch "CrossFiiiieeerrrrrrr!!!!"

Yes the crossfire is a footnote in Chrysler but now Chrysler is just a footnote in the automobile industry

The review is good and the discussion of hotness made me laugh

brother what song is that after the first .15sec at the start of your video if u could let me know that would be great thank you

You should look for a 2003-2005 Ford Thunderbird. Jaguar platform (including engine), so parts should not be a problem over there. Certainly will have the boulevard ride you want.

I had a 2005 limited roadster for 16 years. Loved it!!!! So much fun to drive..Fast, beautiful looking, and I never had a mechanical issue with it. It packs a lot of power!!! However, the cup holder is useless, I bought a side cup holder that fixed that problem and yes the interior was Tinfoil looking 😂 but I was the second owner and the price was right…This was my summer car. I finally sold her when I got too old to get in and out of it 😢.

you said EVERYTHING that needed to be said at 1:24 of the video. i had just started my 3rd year in Chrysler Corporation when out of the blue, everyone in the plant (i worked in a tool and die build plant) was herded to the cafeteria and were subjected to a dog and pony show that at first glance looked as if things might be good! part of the daimler benz organization. it didnt take long to realize that our $9 Billion dollar cash reserves were converted into Deutsche Marks and we were left holding the bag of left over parts and designs. the next 9 years were tough. then being dumped off to the venture capitalists at Cerberus. then spun off to 'New Chrysler' or whatever they called it and then bankruptcy where Obama forced us to partner with Fiat. then FCA merged with PSA in France and be part of Stellantis... i wish Bob Eaton had never met Schremp....

My dad is retiring this year and accordingly bought a Crossfire a few months ago. I'm not sure why, but at least he got it for half of what they usually sell for. The first time I sat in it I immediately opened the cup holder by accident. Its also quite a snug fit for tall people.

Hello from France ! Thanks for this video, you really have a specific an very pleasant voice, from a french Guy ear 🤔 I like very much your sens of humor, your passion and knowledge for car industry. I would be delighted by one of your works about Simca in France and his charismatic leader, Enrico Pigozzi ! Anyway thanks for you enthousiasm and energy 🙏👍🌹

I have always liked the styling on these and the colour is lovely. It looks in good condition. I just hope it doesn’t rot away like the Mk1 SLK, I have never seen so many really rotten ones. And the interior is really bad for quality. It’s such a shame. I totally get why you got it for the design. Great review

As always, a very entertaining episode. Soooo, maybe you should have gotten an SLK?

The Crossfire was my attainable dream car as a child

This is definitely one of the cars of all time.

The crossfire is many things, not many of which I would call valuable or worth the price of admission. But I will agree to this, it has four wheels and is classified as a car. But since it's also a Chrysler product, one or two of those wheels may take a surprise vacation on you while you're moving down the road. I agree with the "tin foil" designation for the 'brushed stainless trim'. It's highly likely to be just stainless foil that was wrapped, glued and burnished to conceal the seam. The seam itself is usually the origin point of peeling because of oils and such from the fingers getting into the seam and dissolving the glue bond. Yeah skin oils are that corrosive to things, just fyi. As for the rest of the styling. It's a poor attempt to try to allude to a much romanticized era with the execution falling not just flat but very short and flat. It doesn't have enough power to be a sporty coupe, it rides too roughly to be a comfortable back road cruiser. The size it does have is wasted enough that it doesn't have enough leg, hip and shoulder room to make up for the uncomfortable ride.

To be fair, in 2005 it wasn’t common for a car in that price range to have a digital temperature setting.

Ed weird question: Can I ask what brand your car coat is? It looks great. enjoying the videos as always!

A lot of the things you don’t like are pure Mercedes-Benz of the period. I used to own a 1999 C-Class saloon. It had the red-white-blue climate temperature dials with no numbers. It had the same turn signal and cruise control stalks with the wipers switched by twisting the end of the turn signal stalk. I found them easy to use. I much preferred the cruise control stalk to steering wheel buttons on everything I drive now. The transmission W/S setting is pure Mercedes-Benz. According to the driver’s manual I had, S is ‘Standard’ and uses all five gears. W is ‘Winter’ and deletes 1st gear so you start off in 2nd gear, supposedly to reduce wheel spin on ice and soft snow.

I learned to drive on a dodge magnum, (a chrysler 300 wagon) and every other car I have driven either had the cruise on the wheel, or no cruse at all. I never knew the setup was strange until now. That being said, I think you would like the chrysler 300 as a car. It has slightly less interior shortcomings, rides like a cloud, and has all the power in the world (with the V8) And it was cheap! Great review, look forward to more in the future.

This is a really weird coincidence, I just finished replacing all the brake pipes on a cross fire today. I hated every second of it.

When this car came out in 2005 it was hoped it would be for executives. A billboard in Pasadena, California showed this model with the caption "Have your people call our people."

I really like your videos. And I really woud like to see a video about the last Chryslers models before the Daimler era. Like the Cirrus, the neon and the 300m. They were really interesting and also aheady of their time in many ways. They could also be described as the last eford of the American giant to be competitive againt the Germans... just before being ironically "swallowed" by them!

How they manage to keep the Charger/Challenger/300 for 100 years on prehistoric German bones and not offer another convertible after this still baffles me.