A blog devoted to RANTS ON AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN, car reviews, and - above all - fugly autos. whether looking for vehicular plagiarism or rides of extreme tastelessness, you've come to the right place.


Sunday, September 11, 2005

Factory Rice



Dodge has now officially entered the realm of straight-from-the-factory "rice" enhancements, with non-other than the Status sedan. Yeah - I know. Weird.

It seems the 2005 R/T package on the Stratus sedan is now a lame attempt at making the car look like it belongs in the import scene, which is all that much more odd since it's basically an auto-only mid-size domestic family sedan.

It must stem from the SRT4, an extremely capable and impressive version of the Neon. Besides the Neon - which, because of it's compact size competes with those "ricer" imports - all other SRT badged Dodge vehicles are impressive and powerful cars (and trucks), but with an American feel. For example, "Got a Hemi?" It's all a throw back to the time when American cars were cheap and fast, and it's starting to happen all over again.

But the R/T Stratus is none of this. I suppose all the rest of Dodge's R/T products are relatively mildly enhanced versions of current products with more luxurious interiors, and stiffer suspension. But why the Stratus is decked out in a "ricer" wannabe spoiler and bodykit, I don't know.

No comments: