ORIGINAL: Yankee
Actually I was just using the Avenger as a bit of a metaphor. And funny you should mention a Charger similarity - if you look closely, that dash is really just a Charger dashboard with a nip and tuck here and there. The gauge layout is identical (even the gauges themselves are identical, those are straight out of an SRT8 Charger). The cruise control lever, turn signal stalk, the HVAC controls... all Charger knockoffs. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing... but nothing the least bit distinctive either like we were lead to believe it would be.
That isn't too surprising, since they share many things in the platform and throughout the car. It's similar enough to tell they share a lot but different enough to be considered different. I really wish they would go back to the steering wheel mounted cruise control buttons, as I have never been a fan of the confusing crusie control levers.
Believe me I'd relish the chance to kick/yell/punch/scream at a Chrysler bean counter for lots of things. Their last few offerings have been ALMOST great, with the exception of lame engines like the Caliber (except the SRT4), Avenger and so on. I'd like to know why Chrysler felt the need to horrifically uglify the Sebring - Chrysler, despite opportunites to the contrary, keeps BLOWING IT. And now it looks like the might do it with the Challenger too - which (in my opinion at least) was supposed to be their saving grace.
Dodge could have just put the Charger dashboard in the Challenger concept from the gitgo if that's all it was really going to do in the first place. [:@]
Sorry for the rant and the thread jack. That is all.
That's okay, I'm not perfect in that category either. I honestly wouldn't consider this to be "blowing" a great opportunity. It still is a coupe and a good looking one at that. It still is a muscle car. The pistol grip WILL be used on the manual models. They have the formula for success, just not as nice as we were hoping is all. The Sebring was a representation of arrogance. They based it off of the unsuccessful Crossfire's styling. The staff have this stupid idea that "We're always right. Your the one who is wrong. So we're going to keep making it this way until you learn to like it." That explains why they treat an idea that is unsuccessful as though it was a super success and apply it everywhere.
Well its different enough to be considered a different dash in the design and it still fits the car. Looking at the photos of the dash in the Cuda which is exactly the same dash that is in the LX cars, that dash does not fit and looks wrong, this still looks right.
Whiteheat, I think that is supposed to be in the center consol so you probably won't see it. I don't own an iPod or any MP3 player, but the fact of the matter is if they want to compete, they have to have it.
cncpt2prod!, these photo shots show the pistol grip.
http://jalopnik.com/348876/first-200...interior-photo