Crossfire benefits from engineering by Mercedes-Benz

Crossfire benefits from engineering by Mercedes-Benz at

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Reply to
Mike
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Crossfire is nothing else than a differently clothed first-generation MB SLK, the R170.

Crossfire sales are _very_ low so production most likely will be stopped still this summer.

Chrysle itself will be sold soon as Chrysler and MB management failed to keep the brand alive - as of today it seems as if Cerberus, a private equity firm, will buy them.

Chrysler, another traditional US carmaker's name to disappear?

Juergen

Reply to
Juergen .

"...the only real caveat is its requirement for high-grade gasoline. "

I found this a curious comment in the review.

That would be 91 US octane presumably. A US buyer of such a car would complain about a fairly standard grade of fuel? Or is this octane rating 'high' in the US?

DAS

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Reply to
Dori A Schmetterling

91 is consiered "premium" grade, thus about 30 cents a gallon higher.
Reply to
robrjt

Medium high. The standard is 87. Their higher octane requirements is a hidden additional cost of driving many imports.

Reply to
Just Facts

hardly hidden

Reply to
robrjt

Yea, like why bother with it.

Why would they do that?

Reply to
edward ohare

Really?

Does it typcially say "premium required" anyplace other than inside the gas filler door? Does the gas mileage sticker say "premium required"?

(Don't know, but I don't recall this information being displayed in a place conspicuous to a potential buyer.)

Reply to
edward ohare

Well not usually spelled out in the sales blurb. Toyota is particularly sneaky in that their 3.5L V6 in the Camry is specified as a regular fuel requirement, but Toyota HO admitted to me it requires premium fuel to deliver the full specs.

Reply to
Just Facts

I'll bet not. It's probably going to be good for Chrysler. MB (DC) used Chrysler for high volume lower cost parts which they shared. D didn't get along with C. DC tried taking Chrysler into large expensive high horsepower RWD cars, which did well for a few years, but higher gas prices caught up with them and they lost many of their traditional customers.

Reply to
Spam away

You are correct, they don't advertise a premium fuel requirement, the same for the lack of a matching size spare.

Reply to
Some O

Most peculiar, since this 91 US, 95 elsewhere is the standard fuel in probably all of Europe (haven't been everywhere so can't say). hard to find lower grade, non-existent in UK.

97/98 octane 9 (c. 93/94 US) is available in many places.

I am speculating that Japan and Middle East not much different.

DAS

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Reply to
Dori A Schmetterling

There are different scales for measuring octane level of fuel

- (=Research Octane Number) used in most of the world (Europe, Australia)

- MON (=Motor Octane Number) average of Ron & MON (used in the US + Canada + few others)

to compare the numbers with each other one can add 3-5 points to the AKI (=Anti Knock Index) number used in the US. so US Regular 87 would be RON 91-92 In Europe this can as far as I know only be obtained in Germany. Eastern Europe and the (former) Soviet Union had/has quite low numbers as wel. In most European countries 95RON (=90-91 US) is considered regular. 98 RON is considered premium (with or without lead(replacement) 102-103 AKI/US value.

Hope this helps

R> Most peculiar, since this 91 US, 95 elsewhere is the standard fuel in

Reply to
none

Thanks for underlining my point: 95 (91 US) is standard where as it seems to be "premium" in the US.

DAS

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Reply to
Dori A Schmetterling

Not really. The 300 and Charger are about the only bright spots for Chrysler. Certainly the mid-sized fwd cars -- Sebring and Avenger -- aren't selling well. Calibers are doing OK, but because they're really being discounted.

Reply to
Lloyd

I was quite impressed by the Sebring convertible as a 4-seater convertible value-for-money proposition. It is not quite up to the standard of its CLK Cab brother, but it costs a lot less.

But Chrysler sales don't stans or fall by my opinion... :-)

DAS

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Reply to
Dori A Schmetterling

Something to keep in mind is that the lower the octane the more easily and completely it burns. Higher octane fuel is marketed as something wonderful, but is only needed if you have a high compression ratio or aggressive timing. Putting higher octane in than needed is a waste of money, and you'll likely wind up with worse gas mileage-although insignificantly worse. Before you all complain, note that I said "higher octane THAN NEEDED." If you put in too low an octane, you will also get poor mileage since the engine will knock, then sense that it is knocking, then change the mapping to prevent knock, and this mapping will be less than optimal for efficiency or power. Higher octane gas doesn't have more energy, it simply combusts slower and less easily, which is what is needed in a high compression ratio or forced induction engine where you can get knock fairly easily. If you don't have that type of engine, then you don't need it.

So don't think that America is peddling inferior gas because it is a lower octane. It is probably more suited to about 98% of the world's cars than the higher octane stuff sold elsewhere. It may be true that Europe sees some hotter more tuned cars, but I have trouble believing that a car company would sell a car so radically tuned that it would require 103 octane. I could be wrong, and tell me if I am. However, I felt compelled to defend any implication that American is selling inferior which is threatening the drivers that buy it.

And there is one important difference between the crossfire and the mercedes that it was based on. The Crossfire is much more stylish-some love it, some hate it-but it is definitely different. The Mercedes was just not all that exciting.

Reply to
weelliott

That is exactly the point. Engines elsewhere in the world (outside the US) are tuned such that they need 95 octane fuel. Lots of hp in relatively small engines. Also, very few cars need anything higher. The claims for 98 octane fuel are very carefully phrased....

DAS

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Reply to
Dori A Schmetterling

It wasn't all of that well made, either, and the Chrysler is a faithful copy.

Reply to
Rob

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