ORIGINAL: RLSH700
ORIGINAL: Justinec101
They need to get some of that sleekness back, dodge's lineup is starting to look like it's made of legos.
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MrKrisSullivan, in response to your reference to the Prowler being made for ten years, I believe what you are referring to is the fact that the PT Cruiser used the styling of the Prowler because the Prowler was only made for 5 models years 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, & 2002. The two cars share nothing beyond similar looks. The Prowler was LH based (Intrepid, Concorde, 300M, LHS) with having a 3.5L H.O. engine (same as used in the Charger, 300, Magnum, and upcoming base level Challenger) and had been modified to be RWD unlike the other LH cars. The PT Cruiser was Neon based using NA 2.4L I4 and two different output levels of a turbocharged version of the same 2.4L engine. It was always FWD and unlike the Prowler had a manual available.
BootCamp, the lack of a Hemi V8 was more due to the lack of such an engine being produced at the time as the Hemi Magnum was not released until year after the Prowler went out of production. On top of this, I doubt it would have worked without having to do some expensive adjustments to the engine compartment to make it work. Even if they did, it still might not have been enough. The Thunderbird and SSR both had V8s available and they were both flops. On top of this, it would have pushed the price even higher. The Prowler did probably the best it could with the technology the company had available to them at the time (minus not having a manual available).
I agree with everything you said. I think if the Prowler had the performance to match the looks, it could have made a ten year run in production. I didn't mean it as "HEMI specific", but more that it was a sheep in wolfs clothing.
The PT, whether automatic or standard transmission, was woefully underpowered with the I4 2.4 in a 3600 lb car. Even with the turbo, it seemed too little too late.
And I agree that Dodge needs to go with smaller cars, but needs to have more cutting edge designs used. While the tree-huggers don't care what the econobox they sip gas with looks like, there are still a LOT of enthusiasts that want their cars appearance to be a reflection of their personality. The Challenger proves that beyond a shadow of a doubt, and Dodge needs to take note to not repeat the doldrums the cars of the late 70s and early 80s created in design and sales.