Why Can't Dodge Build A Nice Interior?
#61
I like the '06 interior overall, but whether you think it's nice, functional, or quality can be debated forever as they are SUBJECTIVE issues.
However the way an interior is screwed together, whether it has squeaks and rattles, and the way it holds up over time are much more black and white and that is something I believe everybody can agree on.
In my case I've been hearing 2-3 squeaks and rattles coming and going and I'm only at 15K and the truck is babied.
However the way an interior is screwed together, whether it has squeaks and rattles, and the way it holds up over time are much more black and white and that is something I believe everybody can agree on.
In my case I've been hearing 2-3 squeaks and rattles coming and going and I'm only at 15K and the truck is babied.
#62
Registered User
a high center console would defeat the purpose of a bench seat in the front.
Though a more functionable space sounds nice, I think i would rather be able to fit 6 people in my truck. Flashlight fits in the door panel and my tow straps fit under the backseat. A mini cooler does sound great to me though
As for the plastic comment...what would you recommend? Its durable, repels water. Do you want leather wrapped or vinyl wrapped? Its a truck..not a Lexus. Also, the more configurations they offer the more expensive production will be. Dodge kicks Ford and Chevy in the butt with a DURABLE, inexpensive diesel heavy duty truck. If you start adding more options and what not, production prices are going to go up.
Though a more functionable space sounds nice, I think i would rather be able to fit 6 people in my truck. Flashlight fits in the door panel and my tow straps fit under the backseat. A mini cooler does sound great to me though
As for the plastic comment...what would you recommend? Its durable, repels water. Do you want leather wrapped or vinyl wrapped? Its a truck..not a Lexus. Also, the more configurations they offer the more expensive production will be. Dodge kicks Ford and Chevy in the butt with a DURABLE, inexpensive diesel heavy duty truck. If you start adding more options and what not, production prices are going to go up.
As far as plastics go, vinyl is a much softer, easier to detail material than hard, worping plastics. I know people are going to say vinyl is not as durable, but thats not true. As long as the proper grade is used, and its done in the right areas it works better than plastics, because it has a little give and will not scratch like plastics. Yea, you can cut it fairly easy, but I'm not using my dash as a cutting board, are you?
Production prices will go up on upper model trucks, Laramies, maybe SLT's. But since these truck will be able to be sold at a proportionately higher price, base model trucks may see a decrease in sale price because the upper model trucks are making more profit for the parent company.
The center console Heater/Cooler I thought would work great and Chrysler has the parts in its bin already. The Heating/Cooling cup holders are available on the Sebrings now, and the drink cooler is already used in the Caliber.
And how about a rear console/split bucket setup for the rear seats in a Mega or even a QC. Ford offers it in the Harley and King Ranch, and its a nice option. If I was gonna take my family on a horse run to Florida, it would be nice to keep the kids seperated.
The last bone I have to pick is about the nooks and crannies Dodge puts in these interiors...has anyone from the engineering team ever had to clean an entire Mega? Honestly, they collect dust, and half of the time you need a Q-tip to get in there.
Don't get me wrong, I love my truck, and the new ones even more, and they are leaps and bounds ahead of Chevy, right with Ford, and Nissan/Toyota aren't worth mentioning, but just because your at the top doesn't mean you can't step it up another notch.
#63
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Wandering River, Alberta
Posts: 325
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Looking at my 06 interior, Dodge must really be laughing everytime they sell a truck with "leather" interior.
The only leather in the truck is the seating surfaces on the front seats, and not even the whole seating surface, just the center part and not the sides. What happened to the nice suede?
The rest of the seats are all vinyl - genuine pleather. Can't quite remember for certain without looking at the truck, but I'm pretty sure the backs seats have NO leather at all.
Must be a pretty good profit margin on these seats!
The only leather in the truck is the seating surfaces on the front seats, and not even the whole seating surface, just the center part and not the sides. What happened to the nice suede?
The rest of the seats are all vinyl - genuine pleather. Can't quite remember for certain without looking at the truck, but I'm pretty sure the backs seats have NO leather at all.
Must be a pretty good profit margin on these seats!
#64
northernwheeler: this is industry standard, they refer to it as "A" and "B" seating surfaces.
Very, very few vehicles have more than 4 panels per seat in actual leather. I would guess maybe Cadillac, MB, some of the other high end cars do, but not most of the cars from the big three.
(yes, I know who makes Cadillac).
Very, very few vehicles have more than 4 panels per seat in actual leather. I would guess maybe Cadillac, MB, some of the other high end cars do, but not most of the cars from the big three.
(yes, I know who makes Cadillac).
#65
Registered User
Sorry guys but the plastic used in out trucks would be better put to use on a Chinese economy car. (Actually now a days that may be aiming to high!) Really though has anyone gone and just touched a new Toyota or new GM truck interior? Let alone a BMW, Audi, Lexus, etc. This is bargain basement stuff we have here. I think it is laid out nice and I LOVE my truck but it wouldn't have hurt them to put something in the interior that felt more like a natural material??? I am going to get leather not because I love leather but because the interior needs a break from all the hard cheap surfaces and monotone colors...
#66
Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: DFW, Texas
Posts: 706
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sorry guys but the plastic used in out trucks would be better put to use on a Chinese economy car. (Actually now a days that may be aiming to high!) Really though has anyone gone and just touched a new Toyota or new GM truck interior? Let alone a BMW, Audi, Lexus, etc. This is bargain basement stuff we have here. I think it is laid out nice and I LOVE my truck but it wouldn't have hurt them to put something in the interior that felt more like a natural material??? I am going to get leather not because I love leather but because the interior needs a break from all the hard cheap surfaces and monotone colors...
I dont think comparing our trucks to a Toyota is fair because they are totally different markets. I know a guy that has a tundra and while the interior is nice, hes stuck with a 1/2 ton truck getting 13mpg. You can get a F150 for the price of a cummins based truck and while you get a plush interior, you dont get the reliability, fuel milage or power of a cummins based truck. Sure you can find a truck with a nice interior but there are the sacrifices to make. No company will come out with the perfect truck...
#67
Registered User
You are probably right BUT I was not talking price point. I was just saying that the plastic used is cheap grade stuff. I think the plastic used on 05- trucks looked and felt better. HOWEVER I prefer the layout much more on our trucks. The truth is that trucks will get nicer and nicer. Dodge will have to step it up on interior quality soon to stay in the game. There is no question who has the best Engine!!!
I have had 15+ year old Mercedes', Porsche's, BMW's and Volvo's and none of them had cracked dashes even in the GA and TX heat. I know they aren't trucks but it just goes to show the materials exist and we will see them used in the future in trucks. Just look at the new GM's they have a basic cheap truck interior and the new fancy one the layout is different but so are the materials.
Also Toyota will not be a different market for long...
Again I wouldn't trade my truck for anything out there right now. I can always make the interior nicer but swapping a Cummins in is a different story.
I have had 15+ year old Mercedes', Porsche's, BMW's and Volvo's and none of them had cracked dashes even in the GA and TX heat. I know they aren't trucks but it just goes to show the materials exist and we will see them used in the future in trucks. Just look at the new GM's they have a basic cheap truck interior and the new fancy one the layout is different but so are the materials.
Also Toyota will not be a different market for long...
Again I wouldn't trade my truck for anything out there right now. I can always make the interior nicer but swapping a Cummins in is a different story.
#68
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,066
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Looking at my 06 interior, Dodge must really be laughing everytime they sell a truck with "leather" interior.
The only leather in the truck is the seating surfaces on the front seats, and not even the whole seating surface, just the center part and not the sides. What happened to the nice suede?
The rest of the seats are all vinyl - genuine pleather. Can't quite remember for certain without looking at the truck, but I'm pretty sure the backs seats have NO leather at all.
Must be a pretty good profit margin on these seats!
The only leather in the truck is the seating surfaces on the front seats, and not even the whole seating surface, just the center part and not the sides. What happened to the nice suede?
The rest of the seats are all vinyl - genuine pleather. Can't quite remember for certain without looking at the truck, but I'm pretty sure the backs seats have NO leather at all.
Must be a pretty good profit margin on these seats!
That's why I ordered an SLT. I couldn't justify an extra $5000 CDN for pleather - and I didn't want the adjustable pedals anyway. Just ordered neoprene seat covers. IMHO, by far a better choice for our climate.
#70
Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Wandering River, Alberta
Posts: 325
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That's why I ordered an SLT. I couldn't justify an extra $5000 CDN for pleather - and I didn't want the adjustable pedals anyway. Just ordered neoprene seat covers. IMHO, by far a better choice for our climate.
It also helped that the dealer sold me a fully loaded Laramie for the price of a SLT. I didn't really want the sunroof and power sliding rear window, but I do like the adjustable pedals.
#71
I looked a long time to find a 4x4 SB ST truck, and almost didn't buy one as they were hard to find. When comparing trucks early on Ford said that manual door locks, rubber mats, a stick, etc., would be a special order, and that only hicks and farmers wanted trucks like that. I'm not a farmer so I guess I'm a hick.
I'll acknowledge that almost everyone likes lots of options, but some of the few options that I wanted, like selectable lockers, or a wide angle driver's side mirror, weren't offered. A coworker bought a truck like mine but fully optioned (he paid over $15k extra), and a few months later asked about some function on the radio; I replied that I didn't recall having turned the radio on :^)
Leather seats are funny to me as some absolutely demand them, but they put towels on the seats in the summer as they're too hot, and either have butt warmers (gee smells good, what's for dinner :^) or towels again in the winter as they're too cold.
Instead of better vanity mirrors and such I'd rather see Dodge offer mileage tweaks on curent and older models, which again is about 180 degrees from what everyone else wants.
I'll acknowledge that almost everyone likes lots of options, but some of the few options that I wanted, like selectable lockers, or a wide angle driver's side mirror, weren't offered. A coworker bought a truck like mine but fully optioned (he paid over $15k extra), and a few months later asked about some function on the radio; I replied that I didn't recall having turned the radio on :^)
Leather seats are funny to me as some absolutely demand them, but they put towels on the seats in the summer as they're too hot, and either have butt warmers (gee smells good, what's for dinner :^) or towels again in the winter as they're too cold.
Instead of better vanity mirrors and such I'd rather see Dodge offer mileage tweaks on curent and older models, which again is about 180 degrees from what everyone else wants.
Last edited by Totallyrad; 02-11-2007 at 06:32 PM. Reason: A
#73
Registered User
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. & Columbus, OH.
Posts: 3,279
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I just wish that you basically had choices the way you do with Porsche or some other manufacturers. Pretty much if you want it and can pay for it, you can have it. I understand why they couldn't do that on the assembly line, but why not have a specialized department like MB has AMG or BMW has M Division, etc.? There are a lot of options they could offer that people would pay for. Factory installed custom interiors, turbos, exhaust/engine brakes, exhausts, gauges, interior options, etc.
Here is the way I look at it that would make it worthwhile to DC to do. Far more people can afford an extra $100-$300 a month instead of writing a $10,000-$25,000 check in addition to their payment. Not to mention, the specialized department would be some of the best equipped for doing the mods given their understanding of the vehicle and engine.
Here is the way I look at it that would make it worthwhile to DC to do. Far more people can afford an extra $100-$300 a month instead of writing a $10,000-$25,000 check in addition to their payment. Not to mention, the specialized department would be some of the best equipped for doing the mods given their understanding of the vehicle and engine.
#74
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Henderson, NV
Posts: 180
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Companies like Toyota try to lure customers in with nice interiors and an overwhelming list of options. I think you have heard about Toyota’s major recall, they recalled 533,000 trucks with one problem and plans to deactivate front-seat passenger air bag cut-off switches in about 160000 Tundra trucks from model years 2003-2005. That’s 693,000 recalls need I say more.
#75
Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Southeastern,OH.
Posts: 684
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
http://www.leftlanenews.com/wp-conte...39&idg=1&idi=9
Take a look at the back seat. It has slightly more room then the Dodge Quad Cab but it has reclining seats and rear vents. Those 2 options make a HUGE difference in rear seat passenger comfort. It is NOT hard to do and not that expensive. That is the part I don't understand about Dodge and other American companies....
Take a look at the back seat. It has slightly more room then the Dodge Quad Cab but it has reclining seats and rear vents. Those 2 options make a HUGE difference in rear seat passenger comfort. It is NOT hard to do and not that expensive. That is the part I don't understand about Dodge and other American companies....