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The de-Ramification of the Dodge brand took another important step today, as Dodge previewed its new Ram-free logo. Similarly, the new 2011 Durango (on which the updated logo appears) has also had the Ram taken out of its Rama-lama-dingdong… er, technical underpinnings. Once a big BOF bruiser, the Durango has had a unibody makeover along the lines of Ford’s Explorer, making 2010 the year of the Cross-retro-ver. But will the old SUV brands remain relevant after becoming poster boys for automotive and cultural excess back when gas prices spiked? More importantly, does anyone actually like the new Dodge badge?
43 Comments on “What’s Wrong With This Picture: Dodging The Ram Issue Edition...”
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It looks like a bikini and I just can’t unsee it.
Why wouldn’t they just bring back the Hertzog Fratzog whatchamacallit thingy from the 60’s? At least it has history, and more originality.
I would prefer to see the Fratzog revived too. I assume this new badge is supposed to evoke the look of the crosshair grille.
+1. The fratzog was A-Okay.
History?! You’re familiar with how the Fratzog was created, and named– right?
“Hey, guys– we need a new logo, our old one doesn’t match these fabulous new cars we’re putting it on– make something else! *Draftsman doodles on a napkin* Here it is, boss– our new logo!” Boss asks: “Looks good, but what is it called?” Draftsman replies: “I don’t know, Boss,” “Let’s call it ‘fratzog” *Boss smiles* “I love it! It’s spacey and modern”
The Fratzog is just the same as the logo we’ve got here. Be happy we’ve got some new history being made– everything needn’t be mined from the past.
The new Dodge logo is emblematic of all that is wrong with Chrysler corp.
Look at BMW: bicolor roundel with a double-kidney grille. How stupid would it be if the BMW logo were “BMW” set into a pair of ovals?
Or Chevy – bowtie in a double-stack grille. Logo of “Chevrolet” on a split horizontal shield would be just as stupid.
Using a fancy German Cross to dress-up the “DODGE” name is only marginally more exciting than drawing an oval around it like Ford and Kia, but at least better than going with a plain “D” to compete with the circle-VW, oval-T, oval-H, and boxed-H.
An updated and refined Double-Delta / Fratzog would have been a far better choice to put on the shield to carry a little history, and a little style.
Looks like it was designed to fit into the old Ram logo hole, so they could slap the new badge on everything with no other modifications.
The new Durango might be unibody, but that doesn’t make it a crossover. I’ve driven the new Grand Cherokee–twice–and it definitely still drives like an SUV, if a very refined one.
One thing people keep forgetting: Jeeps other than the Wrangler have been unibody since the 1960s.
Don’t forget the Wagoneer. That was BOF right to the end in 1991 or thereabouts.
Chrysler’s SUV boom vehicles were never excessive. They’ve never built a Ram-based SUV. Is mid-size the new supersize?
iNeon
Not excessive?!
What do you all the last gen Durango and its b.s copy the Aspen?
Beautiful vehicle …not so beautiful badging.
Given that the new logo is basically an German “Eisenkruze” Iron Cross, it makes no sense to use such a design now that it’s American owned instead of part of Daimler.
I get the feeling that a more retro look would have been a bad idea: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wgrabar/2784639020/
Cross-retro-over? I think the new Durango should be called a Cross-dresser-over.
It’s okay. Sort of a 50s shield. Can we expect a big “V” underneath it with the V6 option? Or will we get the knight’s helmet above the Dodge script on the La Femme version of the Avenger ?????
Seriously: the ram’s head said “Dodge” almost as well as the blue oval says Ford or the bow tie says Chevrolet. Stupid move on the part of the marketers and an unnecessary expense to create another nameplate and logo.
Oh well: it’s better than Toyota’s silly attempt at a logo.
“Oh well: it’s better than Toyota’s silly attempt at a logo.” – You mean the saguaro cactus in a cowboy hat?
I don’t mind the new badge. I cerrtainly prefer it to the pentastar, which always evokes K-Mart for me.
I also think this new Durango looks pretty good. Doesn’t mean I’d buy one, though. I need about 10 years of evidence that Chrysler has stopped building cars that fall apart before I’d plonk down for one.
I remember once reading a survey about the best and worst corporate logos. I don’t recall the best but the worst was supposedly the Chrysler pentastar.
Personally, I liked the pentastar but, apparently, I was in the minority.
Or engines that sludge up (2.7L) and UltraDrive/re-named versions of that transmission that die. Or 4 cyl engines that die at 100K. Amen. Chryco, do you read this? Are you listening? Sure love the subtle Coke bottle styling, though! It’s about time.
I personally don’t mind it. That being said it might have been more fun to make a fist so people could Dodge it since they can’t Ram it.
It looks great! (edit: the truck, not the badge)
Much better than the Grand Cherokee IMO.
I too like the appearance of this Durango better than the new GC. The logo isn’t bad. I am definitely accustomed to the Ram’s head (through both my 2002 Ram and from the genuine hood ornament Ram’s Head on my 1988) but I don’t think it speaks much in the way of branding.
The old Ram’s Head badge, removed from it’s bas-relief sculpture as recently seen on steering wheel covers and applied to the rear window in a cut vinyl decal, looked suspiciously like a line-drawn diagram of the female reproductive system. I’m completely down with the change to the badge currently shown.
I find it peculiar that Dodge can’t stick with a logo. The Ford blue oval and Chevrolet bowtie are their legacies, not something that is changed regularly like underwear.
As for the Durango, frameless or not, it looks suspiciously like the first generation (1998-2003) version.
Oh for god’s sake, pick a logo that means something. Even the profiles of the Dodge Brothers would have made more sense. At least the Durango looks good.
Here are some links to older logos:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DodgeBros.JPG
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/14/Dodge_Brothers_Motor_Vehicles_Belt_Buckle.JPG
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ForwardLookPatch.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fratzog.jpg
I like the new logo. I was never a fan of the angry goat that has been on Dodge vehicles for awhile now and it is more fitting for pickups, not so much for cars and SUVs.
Dodge’s new racing stripes and this “shield” for the steering wheel are much more in tune with the performance Dodge cars have always had but the logo didn’t really convey.
The new Durango also looks extremely good, much better than the new Explorer.
I actually like the new Explorer as well. And the refreshed Edge. And the Flex. All this crossover love – I must be getting old. Or turning into a (husky voiced, hirsute) soccer mom?
+1
I would have preferred that the Ram logo stay. It was the first really decent Dodge insignia ever. The fratzog is OK, and maybe the old Forward Look logo could have been adapted. But Dodge cannot go back to the original logos like Ford and Chevrolet have used, as the original Dodge Brothers logo was a 6 pointed star that looks a lot like the star of David that is popular in jewish religeous symbolism. Maybe not a good business decision in this polarized world that we live in today.
As for the car itself, I like it. They did a nice job differentiating it from the Grand Cherokee, both in looks and in function (with third row seating).
I like the new logo (branding?), and I love the looks of the new Durango, as well as the new Ram trucks. The grill, or maybe even the entire front clip of both the Durango and Ram strongly evokes the front end of the ’59 through ’64 Chrysler 300 series.
The grain on that steering wheel looks as good as anything I’ve seen in an Audi (or current GM product). I hope that foretells good things for the rest of the interior.
This makes the new Explorer look boring.
Very good looking. Logo looks fine. Wish they didn’t put that nameplate on the front door. That is the Durango Citadel. Top-of-the-line model I guess. Part of their new “lifestyle” model packages.
What’s this in the lower air-dam?
if you’re referring to the eyeball in the lower center, it’s for adaptive cruise control.
Victorinox called – they want their logo back.
Hmm, I think perhaps that St. George would approve. Is it merely a coincidence that the badge looks similar to a cross carried by knights in the Crusades, and the trim level of this Durango is Citadel? If it’s intentional, I kind of wonder why the company wrapping itself in the American flag is drawing upon European history…
By the way, the Detroit News is reporting that the badge is not the new logo; that remains the red slashes. I’m not sure how they expect consumers to make that distinction.
You. Are. All. Overthinking. This.
The American consumer is not so stupid as to think a logo not matching the old one is anything beyond just that. They know they’re looking at a Dodge whenever they’re looking at a Dodge.
Dodge is clearly engage in “faith based” branding and they’ve got the Christians covered.
Alfa Romeo has got that covered already.
I like it. They’ve managed to create something new while being respectful of heritage. The arrowhead shape quietly reminds us of the Dodge badge in use since the early 90s while the Dodge script is repeated on the front grille and on the back just like since pre-Iacocca days. The crosshair grille has been a theme since at least the 1980s. Keeping the shape of the Dodge badge and the Ram badge the same is another reminder that Ram is not it’s own “make.” As Fred Diaz said, Rams will always be Dodges. They share VIN codes. Ram is to Dodge what the original Aurora was to Oldsmobile. A mere marketing exercise that has no basis in reality.
If “Ram is to Dodge what the original Aurora was to Oldsmobile,” that doesn’t bode well for Dodge. Or Ram, for that matter.
A quick trip over to Allpar confirms that the name Citadel on the side is the trim level.
That’s a throwback to the days not so long ago when American vehicles had trims called Brougham, Limited, Royale, Regency, Custom, Ultra, Elite and so fourth.
Citadel and R/T will be the top trim levels for the Durango. Express is the base.