More DeLorenzo rants
Login  | |
|
More DeLorenzo rants - 1/20/2005 6:56:42 AM
|
|
|
TeeWJay426
Posts: 1253
Joined: 9/16/2004
Status: offline
|
Peter Delorenzo reporting on the Detroit Auto show had this to say on the new Not-a-Charger; I have to say he got this one 100% right....
quote:
The Emperor's New Clothes Award, Or, Put On These Magic Goggles and You'll See the Light. The Dodge Magnum Sedan, aka the new Dodge Charger, could have swept a number of awards besides this one, such as Best Display of Stubborness by a Car Company, Best Talking to Ourselves Award, as in, "We Know What We're Doing and Everyone Else is Wrong," Most Overt Manipulation of the Media, Best Attempt at Trying to Make a Connection to its NASCAR "Racertainment" Version - a connection that just wasn't there, no matter how much Chrysler tried to spin it. They even dragged out Richard Petty as if he would somehow impart some level of magic to the Charger that just was nowhere to be found. None of it worked. The bottom line on this Dodge sedan version of the LX platform is that it has none of the brutal muscle car-elegance of the Magnum, and it has none of the road presence of the 300C. And unless you put Chrysler's Magic Goggles on, add the custom Chrysler Kool-Aid IV drip attachment and the Kool-Aid Patch, it is nothing but a chunky, homely, boring sedan desperately trying to be something else.
Thumbnail Image
The full link is here:
http://www.autoextremist.com/page2.shtml#Rant
 Attachment (1)
< Message edited by TeeWJay426 -- 1/20/2005 6:57:20 AM >
_____________________________
'66 Hemi Charger
'67 Coronet R/T ragtop
'03 Hemi Ram 2500 QC 4x4
'99 Durango
'98 Intrepid ES
'93 Caravan (R.I.P.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RE: More DeLorenzo rants - 1/20/2005 12:41:26 PM
|
|
|
Hemi RT
Posts: 172
Joined: 6/30/2004
Status: offline
|
This car seems to be getting the reviews Mustang got when it went to a 4cyl and front wheel drive along with the old Daytona in the 80's.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: More DeLorenzo rants - 1/20/2005 3:10:56 PM
|
|
|
hwystar
Posts: 27
Joined: 1/14/2005
Status: offline
|
I have to agree. There are so many other ways that dodge could have styled this car. I have seen a number of artistis renditions that I would have gone to pocket for tomorrow and plunked down a deposit on. This thing though is sadly not one of them. All we can hope for is that in the next model year or two as is customary with most car companies that they restyle it to be more appealing. Look at how much was changed in the intrepid from the first generation to the second. Hwystar
|
|
|
|
|
RE: More DeLorenzo rants - 1/20/2005 10:10:00 PM
|
|
|
VegasHemi
Posts: 119
Joined: 12/7/2004
Status: offline
|
I think the critics are just that, critical. The Charger which I agree could have been done up with better styling but you have to remember the tooling costs for building a car from scratch are outrageous. The normal payback is three years on average for car manufacturers to re-coup the cost of re-tooling. Keeping similar body styles and interiors keeps not only tooling costs down, but also engineering costs and specialty part costs to a minimum. Looking at it from D/C's point of view, they have a winner with the Magnum and the 300, so what they are offering is another model at minimal costs for production. Stock holders love that kind of talk. I'd of loved to see a two door model, or a model that is set apart from all other present lines, but it's the bottom line that dictates the products that we are offered. And like I said in another post, the look is growing on me and if the Charger is offered in a SRT-8, I just may consider buying one.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: More DeLorenzo rants - 1/21/2005 9:15:28 PM
|
|
|
ptschett
Posts: 196
Joined: 11/29/2004
From: Sargent County, North Dakota
Status: offline
|
Ummm.... which Mustang was that?!? :) 64-73 were RWD. Even in the dark days of the Mustang II (74-78) it was RWD. The first Fox platform from 79-86 was RWD, 87-93 were RWD, and of course 94-98 and 99-04 were RWD as is the 05. They did want to sneak the Probe in as a Mustang but when the enthusiast community got wind of it they gave Ford hell.
_____________________________
ptschett
'05 Dakota Laramie Club Cab 4x4, 4.7L, Patriot Blue, Accessories: Mopar non-skid bedliner, Access tonneau cover
'99 Kawasaki KLR650
'96 Ford Thunderbird 4.6L
|
|
|
|
|
RE: More DeLorenzo rants - 1/21/2005 10:12:38 PM
|
|
|
Hemi RT
Posts: 172
Joined: 6/30/2004
Status: offline
|
Maybe I'm wrong but I swear there was a mustang LX in the 80's that was FWD. Am I wrong????
|
|
|
|
|
RE: More DeLorenzo rants - 1/22/2005 11:50:36 AM
|
|
|
Randy_W
Posts: 149
Joined: 12/21/2003
From: United States
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Hemi RT
Maybe I'm wrong but I swear there was a mustang LX in the 80's that was FWD. Am I wrong????
Yes!
And for 2 cents worth, the new Charger looks like a discombobulated mass of parts that don't belong on the same car.
_____________________________
Randy_W
'67 Impala SS LT-1/4L60E
'02 Dodge Ram
'80 Pontiac Grand Am G-body (1647 produced)
Cadillac Seville STS
'04 Bravada
|
|
|
|
|
RE: More DeLorenzo rants - 1/22/2005 2:18:57 PM
|
|
|
TeeWJay426
Posts: 1253
Joined: 9/16/2004
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: Hemi RT
Maybe I'm wrong but I swear there was a mustang LX in the 80's that was FWD. Am I wrong????
Even in it's darkest days, the Mustang was ALWAYS a rear-driver. The Probe was supposed to be the Mustang replacement, but when the Ford enthusiasts screamed loud and long, those plans were scrapped and the Mustang continued and the Probe became a seperate line. Some companies apparently DO listen to their enthusiast segments!
_____________________________
'66 Hemi Charger
'67 Coronet R/T ragtop
'03 Hemi Ram 2500 QC 4x4
'99 Durango
'98 Intrepid ES
'93 Caravan (R.I.P.)
|
|
|
|
|
RE: More DeLorenzo rants - 1/22/2005 8:51:25 PM
|
|
|
nickoman01
The Only Elite DF Member
Posts: 10864
Joined: 7/3/2004
From: The Ghetto of Northville
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: TeeWJay426
Some companies apparently DO listen to their enthusiast segments!
yeah, and look what they have to show for it: the ugliest cars in America, losing huge parts of market share fast, and their highest performance car being beat by a car that hasn't been upgraded in years thats half the price.
_____________________________
“No one is above the law (except me) and no one is beneath its protection.”
quote:
ORIGINAL: Frenchy
It's only gay if you cum.
|
|
|
|
|
RE: More DeLorenzo rants - 1/23/2005 6:11:50 PM
|
|
|
TeeWJay426
Posts: 1253
Joined: 9/16/2004
Status: offline
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: nickoman01
yeah, and look what they have to show for it: the ugliest cars in America, losing huge parts of market share fast, and their highest performance car being beat by a car that hasn't been upgraded in years thats half the price.
And that dumba$$ comment has what to do with anything that's been discussed in this thread??!!
_____________________________
'66 Hemi Charger
'67 Coronet R/T ragtop
'03 Hemi Ram 2500 QC 4x4
'99 Durango
'98 Intrepid ES
'93 Caravan (R.I.P.)
|
|
|
|
|
Printable Version
