[WorldThatHeSees]

One of my many, many problems is I tend to be super practical and calculated on pretty much everything, so I have some long, drawn-out thoughts {you have been warned} on the design of this car as it stands. Perhaps Dodge even reads this forum? Anywho, this is not meant to be hate. The only two electric cars that I have seen that do not want to make my gouge my eyes out are this one and the DeLorean. I know this is just a “concept” as it stands but it seems Dodge has gone 90% style, 10% function, and 0% cost to maintain. If they are looking for this to be the bridge to appeal to all and keep Dodge in business with the shifting away from gas powered vehicles, they need to keep in mind cost of ownership is a big deal for a lot of people. It is a key focus on a lot of sites offering vehicle reviews and that is unlikely to change.

Starting with the the simple, as I have cried about it for. Let us say the window/lock switch goes bad.

How much is that part going to cost? Looks nifty sure, also looks like little Johnny is going to community college instead of Harvard. Also, that armrest looks horribly uncomfortable. You have to have you arm in just the right position that it is not rubbing against all those fancy angles in the flashy light up panel whatchadooser.


On the same note, leather wrapped steering wheel switches?

Again, what is the cost of that? I have a nagging feeling the ink on this leather is not going to last and I am going to have to sell a few gallons of marrow just so I can use the cruise control.


My next concern is the glass roof. When I complain about visibility in my Challenger, it was not the fact that I cannot see the clouds above me. It is the fun sized mirrors which you all have appeared to find a way to make even smaller. But back to my point,

What do those cost to replace? Thankfully it looks like the front windshield and the roof are separate pieces, so that is nice. No matter how good they make the glass those things are still going to crack and I am not sure I can have a fourth mortgage. This drifts into my next point of functionality. The parking lot on a hot summer day. That has to make the car an oven even quicker than metal, which last time I checked, was not a good thing for batteries. Even Lucid Air, who was all about the glass roof, has started to pull back and is offering a metal roof. Reading a few things on Lucid Air and Tesla, apparently the glass roof also leads to glare everywhere, so much so you cannot see a thing on the radio or instrument cluster. I pray they at least have an option for a metal roof.


Another thing they mentioned in videos was that the bottom of the trunk, or whatever you call the back of this hatchback, is glass.

Dear God, why?


Yet another curiosity, my belief will always be as row of doors for every row of seats. Ignoring that, the center console dividing the rear seats…

Unlike pretty much every other vehicle ever with this blasphemous design, you now have to open both doors to shove the two people who lost rock/paper/scissors into the back? Even if the driver’s seat does have programmed memory positions, this is beyond annoying. Not for me, because if this stays two doors, I will immediately remove those seats and return them to Chtulhu from whence they were birthed.


And that leads to the last thing I can think of right now, and though it seems trivial, it very well could be a deal breaker to me and my good friend O.C.D. I have seen a lot of pictures of the entertainment center, please have a volume knob on the final version.

I have had one car that just had the up and down buttons and I hated every second of that. It is such a pain in the back side to adjust. The steering wheel controls are great and all, but when you are just sitting in the car relaxing… spin that knob. No having to sit up and grasp the wheel or fumble around some buttons pushing them 437 times. Side note, look at that baby mirror. It is so cute, yes you are. I bet if you put an ant up right next to it, it would take up the whole thing.

Again, not trying to be negative. This is a beautiful car, but it can be just as beautiful, a lot more practical, and have a cost to maintain that will not make all of its owners take up a second job as a brain surgeon just to replace a burnt-out light. Just my thoughts, take it as you will. Perhaps you have some of your own?

 

[BigDaddyEureka]

Good write up! I think a lot of the things you mentioned are likely not to make production, like the window switches, the glass floor in the trunk, etc.

I think one of the challenges on this will be how does Dodge make this both a VOLUME car (like the SXT/GT and R/T and to some degree Scat Pak are today) AND a halo car (like the Scat Pak and the Hellcats are today) without compromising both so badly that neither community is satisfied.

Only one way to find out...turn the page!

 

[PlumCrazy]

I can see the steering wheel buttons potentially being haptic buttons but if they're going to have buttons under the infotainment screen and on the door handles they're going to be physical. Dodge/Stellantis is already spending a ton of money catching up to everyone on EVs so I don't think they're going to spend more trying to mass producing those extra buttons instead of using what they already have.

 

[E-Muscle]

Good write up! I think a lot of the things you mentioned are likely not to make production, like the window switches, the glass floor in the trunk, etc.

I think one of the challenges on this will be how does Dodge make this both a VOLUME car (like the SXT/GT and R/T and to some degree Scat Pak are today) AND a halo car (like the Scat Pak and the Hellcats are today) without compromising both so badly that neither community is satisfied.

Only one way to find out...turn the page!

The best way is with a range of trims. I doubt they will deviate much from the current trim formula, just that now an electric powertrain is in the mix. At launch we'll likely get a well equipped model that takes after the concept but eventually there should be lower trim versions without a glass roof, the fancy illuminated door panel, etc.

 

[philips]

The best way is with a range of trims. I doubt they will deviate much from the current trim formula, just that now an electric powertrain is in the mix. At launch we'll likely get a well equipped model that takes after the concept but eventually there should be lower trim versions without a glass roof, the fancy illuminated door panel, etc.




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