There seems to be a new design trend. All the new SUVs (including the recently designed luxury ones) appear to have this black plastic around the wheel wells (what's the official term for that area?).

Anyone know why this is? Is it purely a cost saving thing that they are avoiding painting it?

 

It’s to make it look more rugged and off-road worthy.

 

Do you mean black plastic cladding on the wheel arches? It's more rugged than painted metal or painted plastic for those vulnerable areas. It's a lot easier and cheaper to replace a few pieces of black plastic than take it to a body shop for repair and paint matching, if your daughter miscalculates her approach and slides it along the frame of the garage door. For instance.

 

Yes that's the term I was looking for.

Interesting. The super high end ones still have it body colored. Like X5 base has it black, X5 M50i has it body colored.

 

Cost certainly factors into it as well. But also style, "rugged outdoorsy look", and simple practicality for a vehicle that may get banged around a bit.

 

I really believe it is mostly a design thing, a "rugged" look, as others have mentioned. It must cost more to produce with these black plastic trim pieces in the wheel arches...they are another part, and need additional attachment pieces, an additional step during assembly, etc.

Our 2020 CR-V has them, our RDX does not. The CR-V's main purpose certainly isn't off road, it's a suburban runabout.
And it goes further:
Wheel well plastic cladding

 

I noticed Mazda did this in their vehicles in the last few gens, and if you had a Mazda before this you will know that the places they replaced with plastic were spots that rusted out on many of their vehicles, rocker panel areas, front and rear fenders. These are all areas that get more debri, paint damage and can lead to rust damage, and in salty states like the Midwest you would have rust break out in your fenders in 5-6 years

 

Last Mazda I owned was a Protege, about 1995, no plastic wheel arches. And no rust in AZ! LOL

 

It cheapens the car. Literally it's an unpainted black plastic. You dont see fender flare attachments on luxury cars and if you do its atleast body color.

Most of us dont go off roading for them to be useful anyways. Looking at you Rav4

 

It has made its way to Lexus and BMW.

 

It's not just about off-roading. It's helpful if you F up parking in tight quarters. Or someone else Fs up parking next to your tight quarters. Or someone loses control of their grocery cart, or just flings it because they are too damn lazy to put it in a cart corral.

As for rust, that's from road salt accumulation on the inside of the quarter panel or fender, adjacent to the wheel well lining. The plastic won't prevent that, because there is still steel behind it. And the steel has openings for the fasteners that hold the plastic in place. So maybe you won't see the rust as soon, but it will probably be lurking there sooner.

Rust never sleeps.

 

I tried to pay attention today with cars on the road and it looked like the painted area above the black plastic was flush with the black plastic. So I'm not sure how it helps with not messing up paint.
http://st.motortrend.com/uploads/sit...quarter-03.jpg
https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content...ta-rav4-00.jpg
https://st.automobilemag.com/uploads...s-RX-350-2.jpg

 

That's because in 99% of the cars, it's purely aesthetic. Ain't nobody going offroading in a Lexus RX or Audi Allroad, which i still contend has the most garish use of plastic cladding of any car. It's not even a nice rich black; it's some cheap dark gray looking thing you'd expect to see from cheap urethane side skirts found on eBay.

 

See Pontiac from the 90's Plastic covers up crappy fit and finish. One reason I chose the RDX is because minimal plastic cladding

 

My runner-up choice to the RDX has one of the less egregious applications of faux toughness, IMO.

 

For slicing through snow drifts.

 

Unfortunately, the plastic slabs themselves were often applied with similar lack of precision... until they fell off.

 

Well, somehow it saved my daughter's CR-V from her garage door mistake. I slapped on a few replacement black plastic pieces, and good to go. I left a few minor scratches on her rear bumper cover as a reminder to be more careful. I can't speak to other models, but it doesn't have to stick out very much ( like some garish fender flares ). Door trim is part of the equation as well.

But the wheel arches are at a vulnerable height, and they tend to be the widest points of the vehicle, aside from the side mirrors.

Another thing just occurred to me looking at those photos. On all those vehicles, part of the arch is some type of composite, and part is metal.

 

black plastic is also a major PITA when detailing a car...way too easy to get paint product on them..leaving that nasty white stain...

 

Yuck. Lazy design and cheap cop out. Doesnt age well with the sun wearing out the raw plastic.

 

Does this black trim make my a$$ look big?

 

Toyota would be smart to hire the newly available Luc Donckerwolke. But they're selling well looking like they look, so what do I know.

 

I don't think their Lexus line is doing well.

Toyota is doing well because at that price point they have the best reliability and people couldn't care less about the looks.