Some cars need an upgrade or renewal every few years. Others don’t, or simply sell well enough in their current forms that a manufacturer doesn’t want to spend the draft to update a model. Kudos to the GMC Express van, for example, which has gone 20 years without any kind of redesign, or the old Grand Cherokee WK. But these five cars have managed to last 10-15 years without a major overhaul.
2023 Dodge Charger – All New in 2006
It’s hard to believe that the charger has been around since the middle of the George W. Bush administration. The Dodge Charger is in the same boat as the Challenger, as 2023 is the last year for this big bewitcher of a sedan. Dodge has done a good job of keeping the Charger’s aging platform looking and feeling new, especially after updates in 2011 and then 2015. It’s still the cheapest sedan with a V8 you can buy.
Fun Fact: The Charger was launched when Mercedes owned the company and uses the same five-link suspension as a 2006 Mercedes Benz E-Class. This is one of the reasons these cars handle better than it’s entitled a giant car with massive power.
2023 Dodge Challenger – All New for 2008
I had a Challenger. It was a 2012 R/T with a Hemi V8 and I loved it. I longed for the newer versions made from 2016 onwards, which looked similar but had a much nicer interior. Regardless, the Challenger hasn’t changed much since its introduction in 2008, aside from dozens of RT, SRT, Hellcat, Scat Pack, and other special editions that Dodge rolled out to bring the car to life.
However, the Challenger disappears after the 2023 model year. There will probably never be another car like it with a big V8, real seating for five, rear-wheel drive, and a hairiness that only Dodge could engineer.
Nissan GTR – all new for 2008
Like its Dodge siblings, the current GTR disappears after the 2023 model year. But to our eyes the GTR still looks like a futuristic Godzilla, and its lines, while controversial in 2009, have aged well. This car raised the bar so far in 2009 that other manufacturers are still struggling to catch up. Nissan made it look easy to squeeze 557 horsepower out of its twin-turbo V6. Combined with its all-wheel drive and sophisticated launch control, it still holds its own on racetracks and drags.
Rolls-Royce Ghost – all new for 2010
We get it, Rolls-Royce, you made the perfect Ghost in 2010 and it doesn’t need to be replaced. This gigantic, and we mean huge, sedan weighs nearly 3 tons and packs a 6.75 twin-turbocharged V12 under its long hood. But its spectacular style, an almost endless list of features and customization options, as well as its exclusivity, make it something special. Rolls updated it for 2021 with new styling and a new Planar suspension system.
Despite the car’s exorbitant price, Rolls-Royce said last year it sold more than 6,000 cars and that the Ghost was the most popular in Southeast Asia.
Nissan Altima: Latest all new 2013
The Altima name was launched in 1992 and slotted in as Nissan’s midsize sedan between the spartan Sentra and massive Maxima. But the current car has been around for 10 years, basically unchanged. Once Nissan decides on a design, it’s hard to dissuade the company from changing. The last Frontier station wagon, for example, lasted an amazing 23 years from 1997 to 2020 without many major changes, and we’ve already mentioned the GTR. Despite that, it’s still Nissan’s best-selling car, and we’ll admit that with the V6 borrowed from the 350Z, it’s got more power than you’d expect. Most expect Nissan to redesign the Altima by 2025.
