The new for 2005 Chrysler Crossfire Roadster looks good coming or going, and it’s especially nice if you’re in this wildly fun car when it’s in motion. After a one week/575 mile test drive, there’s no qualms here about lavishing unending praise on the Crossfire Roadster. It’s a fantastic two-door with strong, immediate acting brakes, a powerful engine (3.2-liter V6 with 215 horsepower and 229 pounds-feet torque at 300 rpm), and perfectly responsive steering all mated to a vehicle with a sexy tapered look that accents the 19-inch rear wheels. For those who want to feel the rush of the air, putting the top down is a snap. Just turn a handle and push the up/down button for automatic deployment. Although there’s only a smidge of stow space in the trunk with the top down (the soft-top fits), this is a sports car for people who don’t pack a heavy load.

Crossfire Roadster has an impressive body torsional stiffness (29.2 Hz), which was undoubtedly assisted by the fact that the roadster and coupe were developed in parallel. Much like the coupe version, the roadster has a retractable rear spoiler that activates when the car reaches 60 mph, which happens pretty often. (As a side note, the car has Continental SportContact 2 tires, which are certified to 168 mph.) The seats are comfortable, but the ride was a bit cramped in the legroom and headroom categories for a 6-foot-4 passenger. The sound system is good, but the audio buttons are far too tiny. The roadster has a 53/47 front-to-rear weight distribution. Mile per gallon fuel estimates are 17 city/25 highway for the 6-speed manual transmission fitted car. MSRP is $38,045.