Curves, anyone?
Am I alone in missing curves in Chrysler products? It seems with each new release lately I’m more underwhelmed. The Nitro is the latest example; all of the hard, cold edges inside and, especially, out, just do nothing for me. There’s no warmth in the vehicle. I’m so incredibly glad that our PT’s are of the original design (even though the ‘06 refresh is far ahead of most of what I’ve seen come out since). The warmth and the character of the lines and curves and design elements of that car, and the LHS (later Concorde) and 300M have just disappeared from the newer designs. Even the original Neon…that car had personality sitting still. And it was a welcoming personality; not one that encouraged giving it a wide berth. Sure, the ‘in your face’ stance of the Magnum and 300 struck a chord, but…it’s too much now. Worse, the interiors have followed suit, and all seem to have that faux aluminum center stack that I so dislike. At least in the Caliber it’s optional to have that piece body color, bringing some much needed life into the interior.
Oddy enough (and it’s really amazing I’m saying this), probably the best execution I’ve seen recently is in the Aspen. It’s remarkably how much of the ugly they’ve taken out of the Durango.
But otherwise, boy, the pickings have been slim. I sure hope we get the expected 8-10 years out of our PTs and avoid this particular design ‘phase’.
Rich it is just you :)
I agree with some of your statements…but Dodge is heavily going after the male consumer.
Charger, Ram, Durango, Caliber, and Nitro are dripping with testosterone.
Curves don’t sell…straight lines and hard edges do.
Actually, they both sell - either that or Nissan is a figment of my imagination. But Dodge is clearly doing the square look, just like Chrysler. Plymouth would be picking up the slack…but you heard me say that before.
Ah, yes, now that would be something. A real alternative for the ‘I’m a mopar guy but don’t relate to these square beasts’ person.
I dunno. I saw the Lebaron Coupe and wanted one. I saw the first Neon and wanted one. I saw the PT and wanted one. I look at the current crop and go ‘well, that’s…interesting’. A lot of the interior features they’ve come with are neat. Doesn’t make me want one though.
Despite whatever it did to the brand image, my all time favorite is still the original Cordoba. They later botched the refresh, and the second gen was just hideous (especially the tail), but that first one is just a beautiful piece of automotive art.
I don’t know Rich. I agree with you about the Aspen. That is truly a terrific looking rendition. I sorta like the square jawed look with the hard edges. However, for true styling leadership, we would have to go back to Virgil Exner and some of his 1957 through 1960 work for knock your socks off stuff. I still reserve judgement on how the looks of the 300 will hold up over the years. The Charger? Well, wrong name for this blocky looking car. However, the new Challenger and the proposed Imperial are over the top. Again, just subjective on my part, or anyone’s for that matter. Where the votes count is when the tires cross the curb from the dealer.
Out of the current vehicles, I think I like the Pacifica best from an interior standpoint. That’s a really nice, flowing dash. I don’t know about the Imperial…the exterior really needs some refinement. The interior is gorgeous. It’s a good start and I think they should definitely pursue it. All of the LX cars just look awesome in black.
In what is hopefully a good sign, there’s at least an attempt to differentiate Dodges and Chryslers more than in the past (no New Yorker/Dynasty carbon copies). I’m just not in love with the direction.
I really like the interior of the Aspen. I’ve never liked the Exner work (sorry! I know I’m unusual) and I actually liked a bunch fo the Formal Look cars including the ‘Doba and, yes, all of the second-gen Valiants. Interior-wise, the Pacifica really is quite nice, as was the 300M. The new PT just seems, well, disjointed and out of character, though maybe I’d get used to it after a while. The Nitro is SO gray… I guess that’s intentional.
Externally I reserve judgement on anything I haven’t seen in person.
‘Course if we were on the forums, we’d be getting clobbered. “Get with the times! Grow up! Globalize! Live with it! The old Chyrslers all stunk! Only the cars that they haven’t built yet are any good!”
Oh yes! The flame throwers would have you bracketed for your heresey! How dare you, etc:. Well, I am surprised that you didn’t care for the Exner era. I thought the 1957 cars were so far ahead of everything else that I could hardly contain myself, just forget the quality for the moment and drink in the total designs. Of course, Ex went too far by 1961, sticking with the fins, even to reverse foolishness on the 1961s. Then again, the 1960 300 F is just my all out all time favorite design. I was stunned when one of those arrived at the store. I could sit and look at it for hours. The 1964 Plymouth Fury 2 door hardtop runs a very close second. That car was a sensation when it came into the showroom, even if the total sales didn’t show it. That also marked the year of my regret, when Dad sold the store. I generally liked the Engel styling period. Of course, I had come of age with them. I did like the first generation Valiant, skip the second, and go to the third in 1967. I still find that square jawed look appealling. The remake on the Barracuda was nicely done as well. In the current crop, the new Aspen is really a nice design. The interior is a good start on where the rest of the CG vehicles need to go. I don’t particularly find the Pacifica offensive in any way. It just looks… well tubby! I am still out on my opinion of the 300. I still can’t seem to get the total impact of all it’s lines set in my mind whether it is going to be a classic or just another car. The Charger? Phoofee. Forget it! I believe the Imperial is going to make it. There may be some refinement to be done on the exterior, but there isn’t any denial of that interior. It is also set far enough away in design that it doesn’t scream “badge engineered!”
Design curves and cues should follow functionality. In this Gas-conscious market, curves work for aerodynamic purposes. I agree with Rich though. The muscular up-front approach is so utilitarian that it can detract from the look and function of the car. I disagree though that the Aspen is still aesthetically ugly because underneath the sheet metal it’s a bloated Durango. Ever since the Airflow, Chryslers have had this sleekness about them. This sleekness purveyed function from a drag coefficient standpoint. I owned a Cirrus, probably one of the most underrated Chryslers made. The Concorde and LHS were beautiful cars (still are). The sad part of it is that engineering marvels like Cab Forward design that predicated curves were abandoned. However, GM (Pontiac & Buick), Nissan/Infiniti cars (350Z, FX, etc.), and others have picked up the curves where Chrysler left off. Sure, Nissan trucks, Honda, and Cadillac designs are more planar and vertical, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that that should be the only design available.
Im glad to see that Im not the only one that is not satisfied with the new Chrysler products. I think the LX cars are pretty ugly and living in the north east there is no way I am going back to RWD. All of the new Dodge cars look like trucks. I will stick with my LHS thanks. Chrysler is relying to much on trucks and they are going to pay for it if we see gas prices at $3.50 per gallon again. It seems like every other week we are looking at a new truck and the cars are being ignored. As a long time Chrysler fan it kills me to say this but look at Honda. They are building cars that people want to buy. This is the first time in my life that I am actually looking at foreign cars. As for the Challenger its too retro.
A funny thing is that a comment I got after saying the Nitro could use some curves and ‘grace’ was that young buyers don’t want curves and grace. If that’s the case then Honda’s new Civic is in big, big trouble.