A quick word association game: what’s the first thing to enter your brain when you read the name Chrysler? Visions as diverse as a 500bhp supercar and Petula Clark are likely to swim through the heads of the average group of drivers. And there, in a nutshell, is the biggest problem faced by the company’s new Crossfire coupé.

In Britain at least, Chrysler is a brand without identity. Until the Crossfire goes on sale this October, the company’s model lines comprise one small saloon that hardly anyone is buying (Neon), one funky mid-sized retro hatchback (PT Cruiser) and one gargantuan people mover (Voyager).

Adding a two-seater coupé might seem only to splinter further this already split personality, but it is in fact the Crossfire’s job to provide a focal point with which the marque can acquire the brand values upon which its future depends.

It goes like this: the Neon is likely to die in the next 18 months, leaving the Crossfire and PT Cruiser to appeal to fashionistas with and without families. Meanwhile, the Voyager MPV will survive.

But the key to all of this is the Crossfire, and from where I’m sitting it has a colossal task ahead of it. However good it is, the bald fact is that it will have to persuade people in their thousands to abandon marques such as BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Porsche. And buy a Chrysler instead.

Visually the Crossfire is clearly more than a match for its new European rivals. Even its weakest angle — head-on — is splendid, and the further around the car you go the better it gets. The detailing, like the spine that runs from bumper to bumper and continues even inside, is exquisite, while the proportions are perfect. It’s more attractive than the Audi TT, and that makes it one of the five best looking cars on sale.

Which is why it may come as a bit of a shock to learn that the Crossfire is nothing like as new as it appears. Underneath that youthful skin beats the heart and lie the bones of an altogether older animal, known as the Mercedes-Benz SLK 320.

Chrysler may protest that there’s only 39% commonality but the truth is that most major mechanical parts in the engine and transmission, suspension, steering and brakes are pure SLK. And the SLK is based on the previous generation C-class saloon, which means the platform upon which this new car is based is already a decade old.

Surprisingly, given these antediluvian underpinnings, the Crossfire feels pretty fresh on the open road. The 215bhp 3.2 litre V6 engine is no match for the 280bhp unit Nissan offers in its new 350Z, nor even the 250bhp Audi TT 3.2, but what it lacks in outright punch it makes up for in mid-range poke. It sounds pleasantly rorty and works well with the optional five-speed automatic gearbox which two-thirds of Crossfires will have.

Vast rubber ensures genuinely outstanding levels of dry-road grip, and the steering is fairly precise, if not flooded with feel. Drive it at 150mph on the autobahn and there’s a slight vagueness at the helm, although in all normal conditions the Crossfire goes, stops and steers perfectly proficiently.

Drive a BMW Z4 or Porsche Boxster and you’ll understand the Crossfire is no driver’s car. There’s nothing remotely thrilling about it — it just does the job efficiently and effectively. Chrysler knows this, and for almost all its customers, more than half of whom will buy it for its looks, that’s just fine.

What should be a rather greater worry is the quality of its interior. Silver-painted plastic pretending to be steel or aluminium may be forgivable in a Citroën C3, but in a coupé costing from £27,260, which aims to steal sales from the cream of Europe’s premium car manufacturers, it simply looks silly. Compared with any German rival — even its SLK cousin — the Crossfire cabin appears insubstantial at best, and at worst downright flimsy. There’s also inadequate space for anyone above 6ft in height, either as a driver or a passenger, although the boot is impressively wide and deep. I also developed backache in less than three hours on board — I don’t usually suffer.

It’s enough to take the shine off an otherwise very welcome new coupé. Chrysler may not have much of an image yet in the UK but the Crossfire should do much to rectify this. It’s not a sports car and it will disappoint those expecting as much, but if you want an effective alternative to the Audi TT that’s at least as gorgeous and also better to drive, it’s definitely worth a look. Whether its margin of superiority is enough to make you want to give up an Audi for a Chrysler, however, is something that only you can decide.

VITAL STATISTICS
Model Chrysler Crossfire
Engine type V6, 3,199cc
Power/Torque 215bhp @ 5700rpm / 229 lb ft @ 3000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual or automatic
Suspension (front) Double wishbones, coil springs (rear) multi-link
Tyres (front) 225/40 ZR 18, (rear) 255/35 ZR 19
Fuel/CO2 22.7mpg combined / 256g/km
Acceleration 0 to 62mph: 6.5sec
Top speed 150mph
Price £27,260 approx
Verdict Very pleasant but not nearly as good as it looks