There’s two ways you can look at cladding on vehicles. 1) It helps protect the paint when going off-road, taking on winter road conditions, and can handle the abuse of different terrains and climates. 2) It’s cheap and tacky looking, adding no real value to the vehicle outside of aesthetics and making vehicles appear “rugged”.

As time has passed I think we’re all beginning to lean towards the latter. Let’s be honest with ourselves. How often is the average driver taking on the roads less traveled where they’ll encounter a harsh enough environment where cladding is a necessary esthetic feature that can protect bumpers and fenders from looking like you traversed the Mohave Desert and Yellowstone? Subaru has been the most prominent offender of slapping on cladding, not only for the bumpers but also the fender flares and side profiles. Just take a look at the current WRX and any model wearing the Wilderness badge.

Subaru may have some justification in their design decisions as the typical buyer for an Outback or Forester isn’t the same as a Honda CR-V or VW Tiguan owner. They’re outdoorsy, often found in nature no matter what time of year so maybe along with the ground clearance the plastic bumpers have a legitimate function. But there is no way for the average new vehicle you see on the roads today is any of this necessary, and in fact there’s been a noticeable decrease in it’s usage, being replaced by painted fender flares.

And guess who we can thank for this sudden change in exterior design? The emerging EV market. Take a look at a Kia EV6, Cadillac Optiq, Ford Mustang Mach-E etc, and what you’ll notice is either a car-like appearance or contrasting gloss black trim for the wheel arches despite being sold as crossovers. With the lack of any tangible ground clearance for off-road excursions these EV’s truly are for mall terrain. This styling cue has also been found on the higher trims for the Kia Sportage and Sorento, and the Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line. There’s a number of other crossovers, mostly in the luxury segments that can be named but we’d be here all day.

The point here is there’s a slow change in the direction of design trends that thankfully bring us back to a more streamlined appearance for even the most mainstream and boring daily driver. Find a near 20 year old Toyota RAV4 and there’s no “rugged” appearance per se, but a clean a simple design that now is aging a lot better than some modern day crossovers. This isn’t to say that we don’t need off-road trims with all-terrain tires and a lifted suspension. All of this is necessary and some Americans are eager to have a vehicle that can meet their demands without having to spend well over $50k for a competent body-on-frame truck or SUV.

The Less Prominent Reason Cladding Brings No Value To Vehicles

Maybe you own a vehicle with cladding or consistently park next to one when running errands, and the first thing you begin to notice is the gradual fading of the plastic. When new it shines and maybe even looks “cool” and then after a few years of sitting in the sun it quickly appears to be neglected and old. It’s a constant battle of maintenance, and there are products you can buy and apply on your vehicle in the driveway to bring back the showroom finish, but at some point the effort isn’t worth the results.

Even for myself as a VB Subaru WRX owner, I’ve been made aware of the slow degradation of the fenders and bumpers. Thankfully I have aftermarket options to transform the car by going with a full paint finish, albeit it’s rather a pricey decision. I’ve told myself for nearly 2 years that “the cladding is functional for the winter, there’s no reason to swap it out” when in reality wear and time is beginning to show, not even after 24 months of ownership.

The truth is for a lot of us, including myself, cladding makes no sense. In fact, if you’re really concerned about protecting the paint of your car, truck, or SUV I’d suggest going to a detail shop and having PPF applied along with a ceramic coating. Not affordable options by any means, but it will prolong the new condition of the paint and prevent rock chips if you do opt for PPF. While Americans have gotten accustomed to the capable and versatile attributes of SUV’s in the post pandemic era when this trend began, it shouldn’t be a one size fits all solution. It’s ok to NOT have a plastic exterior.