Why are manufacturers still putting chrome on trucks?

[Fergusontd]

I love chrome on any vechical. My 1500 Big Horn has lots of ot and looks really nice. You don't want chrome so be it, but don't bash people who do!

 

[michaelm_ski]

I like the old chrome NOT the tape type that peels off after a year if moisture gets under it but they are cutting corners and stuff keeps getting cheaper BUT the price tag keeps going higher .

 

[PoMansRam]

I for one am a boomer therefore I love chrome. The one thing I hate....... SOLID BLACK CUSTOM WHEELS. To me it makes the vehicle look cheap and unfinished like an older car with black steel wheels and no hub caps!

I'm a little newer than a boomer, but agree for the most part. Certain color and trim combos looks great with chrome. I love the way my 2019 blue streak pearlcoat SLT CC looks with chrome vs, my brother's 2019 blue streak express QC w/ body colored everything. I did love my black 2017 express QC looked all blacked out.

 

[Gixxer750]

I personally like chrome and don't think it looks gaudy at all. My Express had color matched bumpers and came with black door handles and mirrors and grill inserts with painted wheels. I have since lifted it and added chrome wheels, door handles, mirrors and grill inserts. I can't stand the new no chrome look and no emblem look and black wheels on everything. I guess it's just a matter of preference. I'm a little older that some of the other guys so maybe that has something to do with it. I will say I get more compliments with this truck than any other truck I have owned so who knows?

Sent from my SM-G981U1 using Tapatalk

I believe the op was referring to the bumpers and mirrors that look cheap. And for the most part they really are. Especially the grilles, door handles, and mirrors that are not much better than the shiny side of foil wrapped in saran wrap. They start to bubble and peal and its over.
What I laughed at with the comment was that your truck is monotone. With color matching bumpers. Chrome can be a PITA and when it gets a little dirty, tends to look much worse (cheap) than the painted surfaces around it.
I was a good example of what the OP described and disappeared a lot of the chrome on my limited, it was over the top for me and I have only heard positive comments about it. Not one person has said they preferred the chrome. But thats just my experience.

 

[JKLines]

Hmmm, I'm a boomer but when I bought my 2016 Tradesman I didn't like that it had a mixture of chrome and then black bumpers. My view is either black trim, painted trim, or chrome ... but be consistent with the theme you choose for your truck. So what I did was totally removed the badges and replaced the Chrome Ram in the grill and on the tailgate with black. The wheels that came on the truck were already black and aftermarket that stuck out from the fenders a little ... so all I did was add black flares and then finished it with a black bed cover. I've had several who have complemented me on the truck and neighborhood car enthusiasts have all felt the changes have drastically improved the appearance.
I do agree that chrome can be overdone ... but I've seen vehicles that had a lot to include a lot in the engine compartment and they looked fantastic. Trim is essentially the decoration of a vehicle and is one of the ways we personalize our trucks. Who wants a truck that looks exactly like everyone else's except Henry Ford (i.e. all cars are black). But as with any decoration, it can be done very well or look very bad. It can also depend on the base color of your vehicle. I have seen vehicles that looked terrible in one color with a certain trim level, but put a different base color with the trim and it looks great.

 

[David F]

having an all dull, non shiny truck is like having a birthday cake with no frosting.

 

[SOKY_RAM]

I guess the results speak for themselves. Op made an error in his original post. the vast majority seem to like chrome. It’s ironic because most of them say it’s because blacked out is played out, but here we are... 3-1 are Chrome.
also bizarre that a significant amount cited “don’t care” Why would they even click on this thread?

I checked "I don't care either way" because I neither love chrome, or hate it. I simply don't like it on this current truck. Doesn't mean I don't like it on someone else's truck, or I wont do it on my next truck. I also understand that we are all different, and if we all liked the same exact thing this world would be a boring place.

 

[jsrtsr]

If you like the army truck look...plain no chrome... ok. When shopping for a 2020 full size truck, I did not look twice at any that did not have chrome bumpers. Ram Big Horn has the best look IMO.

 

[SOKY_RAM]

having an all dull, non shiny truck is like having a birthday cake with no frosting.

This logic works out, I like cake but hate frosting.

 

[mtwofeathers]

I’m sure each respective manufacturer has teams of eggheads dedicated to figuring out their current and potential owners preferences. That said, even as a young man who has cars clad in carbon fiber and black trim, I think there will always be a place for chrome in the market. I can’t imagine everything being body colored or black plastic it would just be so dull, and done right it chrome can look great

 

[Plankton]

More Chrome Baby! I would like my truck to be solid chrome.

Here you go!

 

[Jim113]

Just my two cents ... I'm a chrome guy and as another poster stated, not too much, but just enough to give the truck some contrast and give it some class ... My new truck has the chrome grill, chrome outside mirrors and chrome trim around the windows ... and of course the emblems ... I also opted for the chrome wheels with black painted inserts, which was a costly option ... But it all comes together nicely ...

 

[Lucy Girl]

I'm not bashing anyone that likes chrome, everyone has got different tastes and that's all good with me.

In todays market it just seems to me like that vast majority of consumers don't want chrome on their trucks, and if they buy a truck with chrome they end up painting over it...

I personally can't stand chrome on my vehicles, i just think it looks cheap and gaudy. I shopped for my truck for a long time to get the one i wanted without any chrome.

I think Ram understands this better than other makers, so many ram trucks are outfitted with color matched bumpers and black accents/wheels.

Ford gets it too, it seems like more F-150's now have paint matched bumpers now as well.

In my opinion it seems like chevy and toyota have a running contest going to see who can fit more ugly chrome on the front of a truck lol

What are your thoughts? Do you guys still like chrome or no chrome?

Don’t bash me, I still like some chrome. My opinion not yours. lol

 

[2019RamInSC]

I like the non-chrome blacked out look.
The "war department" likes chrome. Guess what we got?

 

[RodeoRam]

Old school - chrome all the way. When it is polished up in summer, women stop and stare at it, it's a fact. 8/10 Rams in Calgary are blacked out and now a chromed Ram stands out. And if that hasn't convinced you, go watch Trace Adkins "Chrome" a couple times on youtube. But, to each their own.

Calgary's a cowboy town. Cowboys like shiny silver and gold buckles, and the buckle bunnies like to polish them. Don't ask why. Just enjoy it.

I've thought for years that a 12" chrome or stainless drop step rear bumper would cut down on tailgaters after dark. They'd either back off or go around when they got tired of blinding themselves.

I've added stainless nerf bars to my truck, but I wouldn't add the chrome tow mirrors. I think they cross the line to being gaudy. If my garage were longer, I would add a stainless brush guard, too. Only having 4-6 inches of clearance, I'll have to do without and settle for closing the garage door.

And I prefer "real" chrome on real metal, not this cheap chrome stuck to plastic, like someone else said wrinkles up and peels off. That happened to my 2001 grille. Although, the plastic is actually a chroming process, I say that it is half-assery and not worthy of a $50k truck.

 

[eddie046]

I'm not bashing anyone that likes chrome, everyone has got different tastes and that's all good with me.

In todays market it just seems to me like that vast majority of consumers don't want chrome on their trucks, and if they buy a truck with chrome they end up painting over it...

I personally can't stand chrome on my vehicles, i just think it looks cheap and gaudy. I shopped for my truck for a long time to get the one i wanted without any chrome.

I think Ram understands this better than other makers, so many ram trucks are outfitted with color matched bumpers and black accents/wheels.

Ford gets it too, it seems like more F-150's now have paint matched bumpers now as well.

In my opinion it seems like chevy and toyota have a running contest going to see who can fit more ugly chrome on the front of a truck lol

What are your thoughts? Do you guys still like chrome or no chrome?

I fall into the category of loving chrome on my vehicles! I have never like the blacked out or body color look.

 

[Atcer2018]

My 2018 is black with the standard chrome package on the BigHorn model. It looks classy like a tuxedo. Doubt black and chrome will ever go out of style. At first I wasn’t thrilled with the look and purchased it CPO because of the rock bottom price it was offered at. Much to my surprise it’s grown on me now that it’s paid off lol

 

[tech]

I like chrome. But i hate to care it. I have a motorcycle with chrome and it's pain-in-a$$ to clean it after each ride: bugs, dirt, water stains.. Ugh.. So of course i thought about chrome option but decided to go without it: don't have so much time to clean and polish it. Maybe when i retire i change my mind.))

 

[Yarek]

Same here. My cruiser bike has lots of chrome and so does my RAM. My car and my sports bike have none of it. And I love all my vehicles. There are different contexts and different tastes. Opinions are like @$$#0LE$, everyone got one.

 

[gwilsonbarker]

Sorry for the worn out cliché but you will have to pry my chrome bumpers from my cold dead hands.