jonnyb

theres a show called Test Drive on speed channel that i am watching right now. guess what they are testing...thats right, the crossfire. so far they were in the convertible and right now the new srt. these guys have been giving the crossfire great reviews and these guys are real racecar drivers...not some uk journalist :D.

mysql101

Maybe I'm slow today, but how the hell does that mean I'm in trouble?

Elara

since everyone else has given it crappy reviews, I'd find it hard to believe real "car guys" like it, if they aren't being paid by Chrysler. And why would we be in trouble? It's not a threat to the RX-8- they can barely GIVE the stupid things away- just go look at the discounts on the car.

jtimbck2

Test Drive, while it can be fun and interesting to watch, is nothing more than a thinly disguised half-hour long paid advertisement for the car being "test driven".

It reminds me of the old days of television when the advertisers (especially the tobacco companies) created the programming for the networks.

northern-8

Yup, the shows a total infomerical.

Of course, if the crossfire is like any Chrysler i've ever been in, then just drive one after 3 years. Creaks, squeeks and rattles like a baby's toy!

Hanzo

I saw some of the show, they said it understeers just about everywhere on the track. Besides, that thing is basically a Mercedes SLK but a lot uglier.

PaulieWalnuts

I saw it and it seemed like an infomercial. Usually when a factory rep is involved that definitely is a "product showcase" more than it is an unbiased review. However, like with magazine reviews and commercials, isn't there supposed to be something that indicates a paid advertisement?

This is the overview on the speedtv.com web site.
http://www.speedtv.com/features/569/

So, jonnyb, why is anybody here in trouble because the Crossfire got a good review?

Tinkerer

I really liked the Crossfire, and if the cockpit were just a little bit bigger that's what I would have bought. Don't get me wrong, I love the RX-8, but it's the Crossfire that I was after. I just can't fathom why they didn't see the interior needed to be a little bit bigger in that car. In order to recline the seat a couple of notches, you had to move the seat forward. Move the seat forward and your knee is in the dashboard. That was the death nail.

On the positive side, I'm always traveling with too much stuff. Boy am I glad I got a car with a real backseat to put things on when I'm on the road!

jonnyb

not because it got a good review but because the srt6 will blow the 8's doors off. all you guys will be able to do is call it ugly the way you do with the evo and sti :D.

Yanje

it is so much more uglier than the evo and sti. but thats not the main reason why i say its 'crap', yes i am using the word crap.

haven't read any article (respected articles) that actually says anything good about it. but ofc, u can't judge a car based on other ppl's reviews. went to a showroom to have a look. from the front and front/side it actually looks ok. but from the side and especially from the rear.... it looks like a car that i'd be ashamed of to have in my garage. the interior could be done abit better, and the engine don't sound as good as the 8/350z. i didn't get a chance to test drive it... guess they realised i wasn't too interested.

heres a part of the review from Autozine http://autozine.kyul.net (quite like their reviews, unbiased and informational)

"the Mercedes 3-valve V6 (used by the crossfire) starts showing age now by the way it respond to throttle input. It is still smooth and delivers plenty of torque, but BMW and Audi build better 6-cylinder engines. Besides, brake feel is numb. However, the biggest flaw is the 6-speed manual gearbox. Like that in the Mercedes applications, shift action is rubbery. The 5-speed automatic is a much better choice. "

TownDrunk

The nice thing about "Test Drive" is that TK will often tell it like it is. The other day I was watching the GTO review and he made sure he mentioned brake fade... In the new 5 Series review he mentioned how the steering was a bit funky feeling at slow speeds, etc...

I do agree with one thing though, it's an advertisement. I'm sure Chrysler paid for part of their segment, just like Mazda probably paid for part of theirs when TK, and Jay Leno (and someone else, I don't remember... Brian Herta maybe?) test drove the '8.

KC_Prelude

I think the main thing that would bother me about that car besides being overpriced and underpowered and ugly in the back and having no back seat would be that the shifter is a piece of crap.

Elara

um...wouldn't you compare the Mazdaspeed 8 to the SRT6? Just like instead of comparing the STI and the EVO to the 8, you should be comparing the Lancer and the WRX, since they're the "base" versions, not the souped up ones?

Hornet

If there were a higher model 8 with increased hp and it blew the doors off of that then maybe more of us would be concerned. Since there isn't and the SRT-6 costs $45k and up nobody is hurt. As far as that show goes, I saw the end of the one with the Crossfires and most of another with them testing the new 300. I don't usually claim a show has some favoritism but what cars outside of Daimler-Chrysler's have they tested on this show?

Hanzo

I don't see anything in common between the 8 and the crossfire. Why are you comparing them anyway?

Shouldn't the crossfire be compared with MB SLK, S2K, Z4, you know compact roadster types that's expensive?

PaulieWalnuts

Good point. If you're going to compare the $34K RX-8 to a $47K SRT6, two cars that differ in just about every way including number of doors, seats, price point, HP, etc., then I think it would be totally fair to compare an SRT6 to a Porsche 911 Turbo or a Viper, both of which will crush an SRT6.

EVO & WRX = similar cars
Crossfire & Audi TT = similar cars
RX-8 has nothing that is similar to compare it to. The closest IMO are the G35 Coupe (but it doesn't four doors) or the G35 Sedan (but it's a sedan and doesn't look like a sport coupe).

Mazda has done a good job of creating a new category that makes it difficult to compare the 8 to anything else. I'm sure there will be followers though.

jtimbck2

Chevy SSR, Cadillac SRX, BMW 5 series, to name a few.

Gord96BRG

Yup - whoever pays them to "test" their cars. It's well known to be a half hour infomercial. Interesting, but not objective!

Re the Crossfire, SRT6, whatever - once again, someone shows up claiming that something faster in a straight line is problem competition for the RX-8. That person obviously lives by magazine numbers, without any perception for the real characteristics of a vehicle that contribute to it's desirability - and those include so much more than just 1/4 mile times. Again, go read the Car and Driver, Motor Trend, whoever, comparison tests - the RX-8, up against faster competition, gets picked in first place as the best car.

FWIW - the Crossfire is based on the OLD Mercedes SLK, which was always considered more of a cruiser than a sports car, because of it's inferior steering, handling, and drivetrain characteristics. The NEW SLK is much better - but the Crossfire is just a dressed up OLD SLK.

Regards,
Gordon

MTLbroker

I had an Intrepid.... junk. I gave US manufacturers another chance..... bought a 'stang GT convertible. The 'stang starting to come apart after only 3 years and 65000 km. Would not buy another domestic product. They just can't match the QC of foreign makers.

Cam

iTrader: (1)

The SRT 6 and the RX 8 are not in the same class of vehicles.

The RX 8 sells for around $35K, the SRT 6 is supposed to have an MSRP for around $55K.

You cant compare these two cars.

And who in their right minds would pay $55k for a Chrysler?

It is basically an SLK, just go buy the real thing.

m477

The RX-8 has gotten literally dozens of glowing reviews, as well as winning two major magazine comparos. The Crossfire gets ONE decent review in an *infomercial* and now the 8 is "in trouble"? LOL, you're either a troll or a complete idiot. Actually, it's probably both.

As far as the SRT-6 thing, there will be a Mazdaspeed RX-8. And just like comparing base models, the Mazda will probably perform better for less money.

Actually, the SRT-6 is irrelevant since for $50k+ they won't sell any of them anyway. For that price, buyers will just take one look at it and go get a Z06 instead.

loco4rx8

*loco slinks away, preparing to slit wrists*

klegg

You knowm he is right...I have been having anxiety attacks since he posted this....just an overwhelming feeling of dread...and now I can not get a stiffy! All because someone said they maty have seen a review that might have said that another car could have some nice performance


And I get heat for my thread about Ztrolls.....This guy is so sad and pathetic I swear I just want to cry...

RX8-TX

Many current cars blow us...I mean our doors. That there is one more down for the game (north of $40K) is no big surprise. But I watched the show....the shape is starting to grow on me. But I can't get over the big, lousy shifter.

Yanje

seen the review where it was said the crossfire look like a dog having a sh*t? (from the rear that is, the more i look at it, the more it fits that picture)