Born out of a trans-Atlantic marriage between Daimler-Benz and Chrysler, this coupe blends German engineering and bold American styling into a package that’s as dynamic as it was overlooked. That’s too bad for the Crossfire SRT6, as it was up against some stiff competition in the segment, but look at the car in isolation and its charms quickly become obvious. First of all, there’s a supercharged V6 (courtesy of AMG via the Mercedes SLK 32 AMG) that provides silky power with just enough supercharger whine to remind you that you’re not forced to rely on plain old atmospheric pressure. Output is a healthy 330 horses in all, enough to scoot to 60 mph in just a tick over five seconds on a wave of torque that’s available way down low. The Crossfire is the first vehicle in the Chrysler’s lineup to wear a SRT badge—previously only Dodges were graced with SRT modifications—and be thankful Dodge hasn’t been selfish about keeping it all to themselves. Among other tweaks, the suspension was stiffened, the seats receive alcantara inserts with SRT-6 embroidery, and the wheels are a new design with a polished finish. What’s missing is the base model’s automatically actuated spoiler, and in its place is a signature fixed spoiler for optimal stability at high speed. At the end of the day, SRT’s engineers have injected a healthy dose of fun into the Crossfire, now not only a looker but also a strong performer.
