I was just wondering if there is a major difference between the two. And yes I know one goes up and down the other doesn't, but I mean other than that. Is there a lot of road noise in the cabin of the convertibles? Because mine is basically silent aside from my amazing sounding Borlas. ( ) Also, does it make much difference in speed? I much prefer the Roadster but I also plan on taking it to a drag track near by and I didn't know if the soft top would kill the 1/4 time or not. Let me know the pros and cons. Thanks!

 

I've driven both and several members of the forum have both coupe and roadster. In my opinion the roaster has more road noise but I expected that out of a rag top. It's just a matter of what you like!

 

There's many pros and cons to both cars, you just need to figure out what you're willing to live with.


Ragtops suck when it comes to safety/security. There's plenty of jerks that like to slash ragtops with their knives.

Coups suck when it comes to seeing anything behind you due to the HUGE blind spot.

 

More headroom in the roadster but a serious lack of trunk space.

I liked the coupe for the styling and it was a little quieter ride, but not by much. I was surprised about how quiet the ride was

 

Ours is just a summer car for us so it was a no brainer.We didnt even look at the coupes.The top is down on our car 99% of the time it is on the road.Ya just cant replace that feeling.You will get more road noise but thats something i dont even think about when im in the srt.

 

The road noise in the roadster with the top up is not as bad as you would think and with the top down it's not too bad but you get noise from trucks etc. but hey, it's a convertible. There's less trunk space in the roadster with the top down. I would think that the extra weight in the roadster would affect the performance but not very noticeable. The roadster & coupe both have blind spot problems. The roadster has a stiffer ( more stable) chassis.

I am always aware of where I park my roadster because of the problem of vandalism. It's easy to slit the top because of theft or someone just being a jerk. Of course you could "key" any car.

There's potential for more problems and maintainance in the roadster because of all of the motors switches etc to run the top up & down. As a side note I would rather have a top like the Miata, one handed manual operation from the drivers seat up & down.

I personally chose the roadster because it's a fun hobby car for me. I garage it all winter. If I used the car as a year around every day car I might chose the coupe. As for resale, I think the roadster will eventually be worth more than the coupe because there are less of them and the history of resale of other cars. As they say " If the top goes down, the price goes up."

I envy our forum members that own both a coupe and a roadster.

You should also ask yourself "What would Rickey Bobby drive."

 

My wife has a NA roadster. I have an SRT6 coupe. For daily driving I prefer the coupe, but for fun in the sun the roadster is hard too beat. Raod noise is much greater i the convert.

 

Get ready for the roadster owners to jump all over me for stating what has been known in the Auto world for years but...
Coupes handle better than drop tops.
Generally they look better in overall design due to the FACT that the original designs were generally drafted as hard tops.
Coupes are generally lighter.
Coupes generally transfer less sound.
Coupes are faster top end.
As much as I would love a convertable fun car I am always internally forced to purchase hard tops...
Go ahead jump me but if you do, realize this is NOT a personal attack on your Roadsters.
It is all FACT.
Enjoy the Ride...
Mike

 

From one who has both, I like each for different reason. I really dislike driving the roadster with the top up. It is very noisey. But, it is easier to get in and out of than the coupe because it has more headroom. The coupe has more blind spots. The roadster gets more looks when the top is down.

Both are fun as hell.

 

Mike, I think you would agree that the conversion from coupe to convertible on the Crossfire was a good transition in design unlike some like the PT Cruiser conversion. Sometimes the trade off going from coupe to convertible just doesn't work.

Ironically the Solstice conversion went from roadster (with an awful top) to a better looking coupe.

Like I said I envy the members who have both.

 

I think the wing on the SRT6's help the looks of the roadster. It seems to visually complete the rearend and gives the car better balance.

 

The profile of the roadster is very pleasing, for a convertible. I find the exterior noise to be a little louder in the roadster than my SRT6. The extra weight in the roadster is due to gusset and stiffen the frame, so there is not a difference in everyday performance but I've never driven them hard at a track (and don't plan to).

Rear visibility with the top up is horrible. But why buy a conv and keep it's top up - mine is down 99% of the year and is only driven during the summer and garaged. So no problemo.

Visibility on the coupe is a little better, but I still always park where I can "pull through" rather than back up. And the rear hatch does have an annoying little squeak that I cannot completely eliminate, even after trying all the forum suggestions.

Finally, if your lifestyle involves a lot of luggage, golf clubs, or a hockey bag consider the coupe. Whenever I take my daughter to hockey, she has to unpack her hockey bag and distribute around the roadster trunk and then repack when we arrive at the rink. But since we live 180 miles from the rink, it's worth it to drive with the top down.

 

So why do you guys think DC chose to put a softtop on it instead of a hardtop like it's SLK brethren? I've wondered about that for a while because a hardtop convertible SRT would look amazing.

 

Cheaper. And it would, I think, infringe on the "Mercedes Only" air. Daimler didn't like to give anything to the Crossfire that was too new or cool in mechanicals. Only proven but non-elite stuff.

JMHO

 

Talking SRT6:

Coupe vs. Roadster

bigger trunk COuPE
slightly softer ride CONV
quieter COUPE
only 950ish convertibles CONV
.2 sec faster in 1/4 COUPE
Top-down down = Priceless CONV

( with top up wind noise isn't really noticeable untill 80 mph)

The stares, compliments, and experience driving with the top down CONV

 

I saw a Saturn Sky getting on the entrance ramp of the freeway in front of me. I noticed it was the turbo because of the double exhaust so I didn't try him but you could really tell when he opened it up and there was no way I would have been able to catch him. That was a humbling experience and I didn't even race him and that's a 4 cyl car.

 

It was not until I freaked out and started to get ready to reply to your thread that I realized that you weren't an SRT owner. When you said you wouldn't even try him I thought WHAT??????
Still think you should give anything and everything a try.
Don't run from a fight.
Plus even when one brings a knife to a gun fight he can get lucky.
I dought you bought your Crossfire so you could drive away with your tail pipe between your legs, did you? Get an SRT and take a bite out of everything on the road.
Enjoy the Ride...
Mike

 

I had quite the opposite experience. I was on the freeway and a turbo sky was behind me and did a few full throttle sprints - each time I'd let him get even with me or a little ahead and then I'd put the pedal down and leave him behind.

 

In my experience when the car is red and the top goes down the price goes up...

 

Alright...Montana Crossfire...consider yourself "jumped on". I'd put my roadster up against any equally moded coupe...just isn't that much difference...you like air and sunshine...roadster...you like the style of the chopped top, low look of a hard top...coupe...they both will put the "permagrin" on your face...Montana, knock it off....