Is Dodge moving away from its crosshair grilles?

"WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe" (wesbarton89) 01/26/2015 at 13:31 • Filed to: None

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I think that they are weaning off that design element. The new Challenger never had one, and the refreshed ones (minus the HC, which is bare) only have a split grille. It's minimized on some trims of the new Chargers, and eliminated on the SRT variants. Even on some trims on the Dart, it's not as pronounced. Take a look.

That is the 2015 Charger R/T. You can see the crosshair grille, but it's blacked out, and nowhere near as pronounced as the previous models.

There's an SRT model. It doesn't even have one, and in all honesty, looks better for it.

Dodge Dart blacktop. Noticeable, but still more subdued.

There's the Dart R/T (DaR/T?) MOPAR concept. No crosshairs at all, much like the higher trims of the Charger. Again, it looks better.

There, on the Viper, it doesn't feature as prominently, either. Again, still there, but it doesn't stand out as much as it used to.

So what does it feature heavily on? The Durango, yes, but that's going by the wayside according to reports, as are the Avenger, and Grand Caravan. The Journey still has it, but I'm willing to bet, the upcoming SRT variant doesn't have it, and the redesigned model may minimize it on other trims as well.

So, as far as Dodge vehicles go, the crosshair design element, which has been a staple of their cars for a very long time, seems to be gradually disappearing. Of course, it's still on the RAM vehicles, and I'm sure that won't change anytime soon. (Except for the RAM Rebel, but that's kind of an odd beast altogether)

It seems their newest identifying design element isn't the crosshairs at all, but the racetrack LED taillamps spreading across the model range. It seems the models Dodge wants you to pay attention to, either have the crosshairs subtle, or absent altogether. Am I the only one noticing this, or am I just being ridiculous?

lone_liberal > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 01/26/2015 at 13:35

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Hopefully! I think it was the product of marketing "masterminds" that decreed that the cars and the trucks should have the same damn grill. Now that the trucks are no longer technically Dodges I really hope the big cross hair grills get ditched.

ranwhenparked > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 01/26/2015 at 13:36

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I think it is being gradually phased out or at least de-emphasized in order to create more distinction between Dodge and Ram. Ram gets the crosshair grilles and ram's head emblem, Dodge gets, um, two diagonal red slashes.

Why they don't just bring back the Fratzog is beyond me.

Funktheduck > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 01/26/2015 at 13:37

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I normally don't care for the dart too much, but that concept looks good. Just paint the hood. (Hey, that unintentionally rhymed)

BigBlock440 > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 01/26/2015 at 13:39

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I think they are, and trying to do the same to Ram too. I read that the Rebel was partly to gauge the reaction to a new style front. I hope the pushback was bad enough to convince them not to do it, because it looks terrible. I'll miss the crosshairs though, and just when they were finally old enough to drink too.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 01/26/2015 at 13:40

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If this had Pentastar V6 and RWD, 10/10 would hoon.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > ranwhenparked 01/26/2015 at 13:44

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I like the two red slashes, but Dodge is big on heritage, moreso lately, so the Fratzog would be a good idea, though I'm sure a lot of people not familiar with the older Dodges would be confused.

I still believe that the Durango would fit better as a RAM model, than a Dodge model at this point, with the direction they've been moving lately. Don't kill it, just move it to RAM, and give it an EcoDiesel option. But that's for another discussion.

Textured Soy Protein > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 01/26/2015 at 13:44

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I think the Challenger grille is sort of a mix between the original Challenger grille (which was one rounded-off rectangle) and the crossbar grille, because it's two ovals.

(Also, derp-tooth in the middle of the lower grille for the laser-guided cruise control.)

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > BigBlock440 01/26/2015 at 13:47

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I hope that does not become the new RAM design style. I love the way they look now. Very masculine, and they look the way a truck should. Big, brawny, and mean. I'd miss the crosshairs too, but I do like the new looks with the Charger SRT and Dart concept. Different, but still unmistakably handsome.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/26/2015 at 13:48

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I'd say the Pentastar would be likely, but not RWD, unfortunately. AWD is a possibility, I think. But, if I were in the market for a Dart (which I am, but cannot financially do right now), I would get that one.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > Textured Soy Protein 01/26/2015 at 13:53

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In a way, but I'm pretty sure it's supposed to evoke the 1971 grille. The shapes are very similar, and it is definitely the same idea there. The size difference is insane, but the heritage is clear.

Textured Soy Protein > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 01/26/2015 at 14:11

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You're probably right about the '71. That's what I get for googling '1970 dodge challenger' haha!

BigBlock440 > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 01/26/2015 at 14:12

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I agree that some cars look better without it, the Challenger for one. The production Challenger looked much better than the concept with the crosshair grill. The new Charger also looks better without it, but I don't see why they couldn't incorporate it better in vehicles that they don't have their hands tied (unlike the Challenger, that pretty much had to look like it does).

Looking into it a little more, it's been with us for 30 years, since 1985 ( I thought early 90's, at least for the cars).

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > BigBlock440 01/26/2015 at 14:21

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I think it's partially due to the Fiat takeover, and, 30 years carrying a single design language is a pretty long time, but even supermodels develop wrinkles when they get old, and things have to change.

BigBlock440 > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 01/26/2015 at 14:25

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When someone throws out the "it's time to change it" argument, I usually ask their opinion on BMW's kidneys. I'm curious what the reaction would be if BMW ever did actually do something different.

WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe > BigBlock440 01/26/2015 at 14:35

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The kidneys, though a longstanding design for BMW, have evolved over the years. It's been basically the same idea for all this time. I really don't think they will ever eliminate the double-kidney. It's pretty synonymous with the brand, but if they change it, people will flip out, and then they'll calm down later on, and be fine, until it's changed again.

Manic Otti > WesBarton89 - The Way to Santa Fe 01/26/2015 at 16:44

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What? After slapping it on everything they made for the last 20 years?! They could get another 10 years out of it!