Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 a "Misfire" ?
04-03-2004, 06:09 PM
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Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 a "Misfire" ?
Monday, March 29, 2004
How much is Chrysler 'Misfire' worth with an AMG engine?
By Paul Lienert / Special to Autos Insider
I’d say Chrysler and Cadillac were in roughly the same boat, with the Crossfire SRT-6 and the CTS-V, except for one critical item.
Cadillac has about a century of luxury-car credentials under its belt.
Both these new American models are aimed primarily at European performance-car buyers, and both, I believe, are overpriced against the competition. Which is not to say they aren’t good cars. But it’s hard to justify the exorbitant price tags — including a hefty premium over the base models — in light of what you can buy from the competition for the same money.
In the case of the SRT-6, I must also hedge on that term “American” because the Crossfire is so influenced by its German parent, DaimlerChrysler, and is so heavily dependent on hardware from Mercedes-Benz and AMG. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
I must also confess right here that I have driven neither the SRT-6 nor the CTS-V, but have heard rave reviews from Chrysler insiders about the former and from fellow journalists about the latter.
Let’s start with the Cadillac.
The standard CTS is the brand’s entry-level model. The mid-size sedan is built on Cadillac’s so-called Sigma platform, which originated at Opel in Germany and was heavily modified by Holden in Australia before migrating to North America, where it was essentially re-engineered for American tastes.
The standard CTS starts at $31,345 and is powered by a 220hp DOHC 3.2-liter V-6. The fire-breathing CTS-V gets many, many modifications from GM’s Performance Division under Mark Reuss, and has the Corvette’s high-output 400hp 5.7-liter V-8 shoehorned into the engine compartment.
The extra performance mods carry a stiff price tag: At $49,995, the CTS-V costs a staggering $18,650 more than a garden-variety CTS. The V-series Caddy is also more expensive than an all-wheel-drive Audi S4 sedan ($48,070) and a BMW M3 coupe ($48,795), two pedigreed German performance cars that are well-respected by enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic.
As I mentioned earlier, at least Cadillac has some luxury heritage of its own, although it’s been many years since buyers have mentioned the Cadillac name and the word performance in the same sentence. Hopefully, the arrival of the CTS-V and subsequent V-series editions will do much to restore that earlier halo — even if the division doesn’t sell many copies at those nosebleed prices.
Chrysler is in a different boat altogether.
I went out to southern California last week to drive the new 2005 Crossfire Roadster, which is a lovely vehicle that still may be overpriced, despite the company’s very smart decision recently to drastically chop the MSRP on the Crossfire Coupe — a move that shouldn’t have taken nearly a year to figure out.
Under the new pricing scheme, the “entry level” Crossfire Coupe starts at just a whisker under $30,000, an effective price cut of $5,000. That’s a brilliant move that could breathe some life into this moribund nameplate that wags have labeled the “Misfire.” If you want leather upholstery and a few more amenities, the uplevel Crossfire Limited carries a sticker of $34,620 — just about where the old base model started.
The Roadster is a different story. It starts at just under $35,000, but again that’s with manual seats and a cloth interior. That also represents a $5,000 spread between the base coupe and the base convertible. Leather upholstery, a fancy audio system and a few additional items bump the price up another $4,000, to $38,920 on the Limited Roadster.
In comparison, Audi prices its base TT coupe at $33,970 and its base TT roadster only $2,000 higher at $35,970.
So Chrysler’s pricing strategy is still a bit incomprehensible — and we haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet.
With the SRT-6 versions of the Crossfire Coupe and Roadster, which arrive later this spring, Chrysler further strengthens the family ties with Mercedes and, now, with AMG, which is supplying the new supercharged 330-hp SOHC 3.2-liter V-6 — essentially the same engine, in slightly modified form, that powers the 2004 Mercedes- Benz SLK32 AMG, the sister car to the SRT-6.
Here’s where the pricing scheme begins to get positively silly.
The Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe is priced at $45,695 —nearly $16,000 above the base Crossfire Coupe. The sticker on the SRT-6 Roadster is $49,995, which is $15,000 higher than the base soft-top.
Sharp eyes will have noticed, too, that the $50,000 sticker is identical to that of the Cadillac CTS-V. Do you suppose Chrysler and Cadillac are using the same dizzy pricing analysts?
Without having driven the high-performance edition of the Crossfire Roadster, I suspect the SRT-6 will be a tough sell to the Euro performance crowd. Why? Because of its own German relative.
The current SLK32 AMG costs $56,170. So for $6,000 more than the price of a Crossfire SRT-6 Roadster, you get another 20 horsepower or so, plus a retractable hardtop and the status of the three-pointed star on the hood. Certainly the Mercedes brand name is worth a substantial premium over the Chrysler brand name — even if the hardware under the sheet metal doesn’t look or feel much different.
It will be interesting to see how Mercedes prices the redesigned 2005 SLK, especially the new SLK55 AMG, which gets a naturally aspirated 365-hp 5.5-liter V-8 with gobs of torque. I suspect the sticker will creep up, but will remain under $60,000.
The next logical step in Auburn Hills would be to stuff the AMG V-8 into the Crossfire and jack up the MSRP again — unless the poor old thing has finally died by then of natural causes.
How much is Chrysler 'Misfire' worth with an AMG engine?
By Paul Lienert / Special to Autos Insider
I’d say Chrysler and Cadillac were in roughly the same boat, with the Crossfire SRT-6 and the CTS-V, except for one critical item.
Cadillac has about a century of luxury-car credentials under its belt.
Both these new American models are aimed primarily at European performance-car buyers, and both, I believe, are overpriced against the competition. Which is not to say they aren’t good cars. But it’s hard to justify the exorbitant price tags — including a hefty premium over the base models — in light of what you can buy from the competition for the same money.
In the case of the SRT-6, I must also hedge on that term “American” because the Crossfire is so influenced by its German parent, DaimlerChrysler, and is so heavily dependent on hardware from Mercedes-Benz and AMG. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
I must also confess right here that I have driven neither the SRT-6 nor the CTS-V, but have heard rave reviews from Chrysler insiders about the former and from fellow journalists about the latter.
Let’s start with the Cadillac.
The standard CTS is the brand’s entry-level model. The mid-size sedan is built on Cadillac’s so-called Sigma platform, which originated at Opel in Germany and was heavily modified by Holden in Australia before migrating to North America, where it was essentially re-engineered for American tastes.
The standard CTS starts at $31,345 and is powered by a 220hp DOHC 3.2-liter V-6. The fire-breathing CTS-V gets many, many modifications from GM’s Performance Division under Mark Reuss, and has the Corvette’s high-output 400hp 5.7-liter V-8 shoehorned into the engine compartment.
The extra performance mods carry a stiff price tag: At $49,995, the CTS-V costs a staggering $18,650 more than a garden-variety CTS. The V-series Caddy is also more expensive than an all-wheel-drive Audi S4 sedan ($48,070) and a BMW M3 coupe ($48,795), two pedigreed German performance cars that are well-respected by enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic.
As I mentioned earlier, at least Cadillac has some luxury heritage of its own, although it’s been many years since buyers have mentioned the Cadillac name and the word performance in the same sentence. Hopefully, the arrival of the CTS-V and subsequent V-series editions will do much to restore that earlier halo — even if the division doesn’t sell many copies at those nosebleed prices.
Chrysler is in a different boat altogether.
I went out to southern California last week to drive the new 2005 Crossfire Roadster, which is a lovely vehicle that still may be overpriced, despite the company’s very smart decision recently to drastically chop the MSRP on the Crossfire Coupe — a move that shouldn’t have taken nearly a year to figure out.
Under the new pricing scheme, the “entry level” Crossfire Coupe starts at just a whisker under $30,000, an effective price cut of $5,000. That’s a brilliant move that could breathe some life into this moribund nameplate that wags have labeled the “Misfire.” If you want leather upholstery and a few more amenities, the uplevel Crossfire Limited carries a sticker of $34,620 — just about where the old base model started.
The Roadster is a different story. It starts at just under $35,000, but again that’s with manual seats and a cloth interior. That also represents a $5,000 spread between the base coupe and the base convertible. Leather upholstery, a fancy audio system and a few additional items bump the price up another $4,000, to $38,920 on the Limited Roadster.
In comparison, Audi prices its base TT coupe at $33,970 and its base TT roadster only $2,000 higher at $35,970.
So Chrysler’s pricing strategy is still a bit incomprehensible — and we haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet.
With the SRT-6 versions of the Crossfire Coupe and Roadster, which arrive later this spring, Chrysler further strengthens the family ties with Mercedes and, now, with AMG, which is supplying the new supercharged 330-hp SOHC 3.2-liter V-6 — essentially the same engine, in slightly modified form, that powers the 2004 Mercedes- Benz SLK32 AMG, the sister car to the SRT-6.
Here’s where the pricing scheme begins to get positively silly.
The Crossfire SRT-6 Coupe is priced at $45,695 —nearly $16,000 above the base Crossfire Coupe. The sticker on the SRT-6 Roadster is $49,995, which is $15,000 higher than the base soft-top.
Sharp eyes will have noticed, too, that the $50,000 sticker is identical to that of the Cadillac CTS-V. Do you suppose Chrysler and Cadillac are using the same dizzy pricing analysts?
Without having driven the high-performance edition of the Crossfire Roadster, I suspect the SRT-6 will be a tough sell to the Euro performance crowd. Why? Because of its own German relative.
The current SLK32 AMG costs $56,170. So for $6,000 more than the price of a Crossfire SRT-6 Roadster, you get another 20 horsepower or so, plus a retractable hardtop and the status of the three-pointed star on the hood. Certainly the Mercedes brand name is worth a substantial premium over the Chrysler brand name — even if the hardware under the sheet metal doesn’t look or feel much different.
It will be interesting to see how Mercedes prices the redesigned 2005 SLK, especially the new SLK55 AMG, which gets a naturally aspirated 365-hp 5.5-liter V-8 with gobs of torque. I suspect the sticker will creep up, but will remain under $60,000.
The next logical step in Auburn Hills would be to stuff the AMG V-8 into the Crossfire and jack up the MSRP again — unless the poor old thing has finally died by then of natural causes.
04-03-2004, 09:23 PM
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I disagree with the statement that the CTS-V is overpriced. It isn't cheap, but for a 400hp sport sedan, it isn't a bad deal. They are comparing it against the S4 and M3, but it's size and engine specs put it closer to the older M5 and S-type R
04-04-2004, 05:40 PM
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Fahrvergnügen'd
Paul Lienert is a complete moron. He bases a CTS-V that will probably only have navigation as an option (IIRC) vs. a base model M3 and S4? First of all, where the hell are we to find these base model cars, except by special order? Second, the M3 is a two-door coupe. S4 v. CTS-V is a natural comparison based upon price, but I think we're going to find out that the Audi is $5-7k more than the CTS-V once the car hits the street.
The guy has absolutely no grasp on reality.
The guy has absolutely no grasp on reality.
04-05-2004, 09:55 AM
#4
Fahrvergnügen'd
In addition to my previous comments, C&D is predicting a sub-5 second 0-60 run for the SRT-6 coupe ...
So for $46k (still less than an M3), you have something that will be about as fast as anything in its class. It would just smoke a Z4 3.0i and Porsche Boxster S (if C&D's numbers are right) and be a tick or two slower than an M3 (which is at least $6k more).
Lienert is a dolt.
So for $46k (still less than an M3), you have something that will be about as fast as anything in its class. It would just smoke a Z4 3.0i and Porsche Boxster S (if C&D's numbers are right) and be a tick or two slower than an M3 (which is at least $6k more).
Lienert is a dolt.
04-07-2004, 08:33 AM
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I' m sorry that you think most consumers won't pay over 50K for a Caddy, because most Caddy owners do pay over $50K for their cars. The only car under $40K is the CTS.
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