That big "dent" was engineered specifically to exhaust heat and reduce lift, it's not just a styling decision.MoparJoe said:please loose the big downward dent in the hood. Leave room for the supercharger ....
I don't think you fully understand the condition of Chrysler at the time of the Fiat deal. Chrysler has made tremendous strides since then. This can not happen overnight.willy said:If the rumors about the delayed updates are in fact true, they are really beginning to annoy me. This philosophy of Fiat is hurting badly so Chrysler Corp has to suffer, is beginning to wear very thin.
The Ram has had a major overhaul 4 times. The '94 BR Ram was a complete redesign. The '03 Ram was a complete departure from the previous model (exterior and interior update in the mid 2000s). The '09 Ram was a complete overhaul, and the '13 Ram is very different from the '09.willy said:How many times has the "Ram" undgergone a significant refresh? Then they could also afford to refresh the LX sooner as well. It may not be true, but if they can afford an SRT for the Durango...there are a lot of things more important than an SRT Durango, that's for sure. I just read GM is introducing 20 new vehicle models this year, and GM also was in bankruptcy, and maybe even worse financial condition at that time than Chrysler.
On '09 vs '13, that seems like a lesser change to me, more like the '81 D/W Ram versus '80 D/W, or possibly more akin to when the Magnums and overdrives were put into the D/W Ram.AutoTechnician said:The Ram has had a major overhaul 4 times. The '94 BR Ram was a complete redesign. The '03 Ram was a complete departure from the previous model (exterior and interior update in the mid 2000s). The '09 Ram was a complete overhaul, and the '13 Ram is very different from the '09.
The first gen "Ram" was introduced in 1988, and was itself a refresh of the D/W Series Dodge trucks that had been mostly unchanged since the early 70's. The 1994 Ram was a total redesign. The 2002 Ram 1500 (and '03 HD) was also a total redesign. There was a mild refresh (mostly interior) in 2006, and then another complete redesign in 2009.....although the '09 redesign was perhaps not as extensive because under the skin, the trucks were still pretty similar. Another refresh just took place this year.AutoTechnician said:The Ram has had a major overhaul 4 times. The '94 BR Ram was a complete redesign. The '03 Ram was a complete departure from the previous model (exterior and interior update in the mid 2000s). The '09 Ram was a complete overhaul, and the '13 Ram is very different from the '09.
Technically, there was a minor refresh for '08 MY (Much needed, they put some soft touch materials over some of the nasty hard plastic in high contact areas). And the tail lamp assembly of the 300 was also revised. In 2009 they revised the taillamp assembly of the Charger. Also, in 2009, the LX cars got a rather quiet bump in fuel economy on the hemi, going from 23 MPG highway to 25 MPG under the new EPA numbers - which amusingly enough are the same numbers the car was released to under the old EPA regs. But an improvement in reality. But uh, ultimately, nothing most people ever noticed. Couple materials and a tail lamp assembly here and there.FreeLantz said:The first gen "Ram" was introduced in 1988, and was itself a refresh of the D/W Series Dodge trucks that had been mostly unchanged since the early 70's. The 1994 Ram was a total redesign. The 2002 Ram 1500 (and '03 HD) was also a total redesign. There was a mild refresh (mostly interior) in 2006, and then another complete redesign in 2009.....although the '09 redesign was perhaps not as extensive because under the skin, the trucks were still pretty similar. Another refresh just took place this year.
LX was introduced in 2004 as a 2005 model. The 300 went mostly unchanged all the way to 2011. Magnum got a refresh in '08 and was then killed. Charger went on sale for '06 and was unchanged until '11. Challenger of course is still mostly unchanged from it's 2008 form - with the major exception of the 6.4-liter engine in the SRT model.
I suppose I can see Willy's argument that the L-cars could be updated more often, but the ones that have been allowed to go unchanged the longest - 300 and Challenger - have also been the most consistent in sales. Magnum only got a refresh because it was floundering. The truck segment is also a heck of a lot more competitive than the large RWD sedan segment. I still think the current 300 and Charger look fresh, inside and out. The Challenger's interior has not aged well but the exterior is timeless. Since the Challenger is setting sales records month after month, I can see why Chrysler isn't in too big of a hurry to mess with it. As for the 300 and Charger, right now a few package realignments, special editions, new colors, and other relatively cheap things to develop would boost sales IMHO. That would hold them over for another calendar year when the 2015 models are ready.
I agree! I was only pointing out the truck market is more competitive so while they've been strapped for resources, it made sense to refresh trucks more often. I am eagerly anticipating the next generation Challenger myself.bumonbox said:Technically, there was a minor refresh for '08 MY (Much needed, they put some soft touch materials over some of the nasty hard plastic in high contact areas). And the tail lamp assembly of the 300 was also revised. In 2009 they revised the taillamp assembly of the Charger. Also, in 2009, the LX cars got a rather quiet bump in fuel economy on the hemi, going from 23 MPG highway to 25 MPG under the new EPA numbers - which amusingly enough are the same numbers the car was released to under the old EPA regs. But an improvement in reality. But uh, ultimately, nothing most people ever noticed. Couple materials and a tail lamp assembly here and there.
Chrysler's bigger concern may be simply that GM, Ford, and Toyota have all released updated versions of their large cars since Chrysler brought out the 2011s. It'd be good to keep Chrysler in the spotlight. Even if the large car market isn't all that big of a deal - it's a market Chrysler has excelled in for quite some time. And the LX cars are fantastic vehicles. The 2011s were such fantastic overhauls. They got to keep that momentum though.
They used a large mouth Bass as a styling cue.... :runaway:MoparJoe said:Reduce heat / lift , I'll buy another Challenger for everyday or a srt 300, that charger is gross
E-Evo would be very important but it hasn't been mentioned lately and I think it's just not practical as it was originally pitched, that is, to encompass FWD cars, RWD cars, minivans, trucks, SUVs, etc.Why are we thinking that E-Evo work has been pushed back, or even abandoned? That's the first I've heard of it. Wouldn't E-Evo be a pretty important platform, since it would cover the current L* cars, a Maserati, and maybe even the future minivan or lifestyle pickup and has been mentioned here in the past? And if the platform would serve that many vehicles, why would they abandon work on it?