I am a little miffed that it seems to echo one of the worst aspects of the POTP version's vehicle mode: the angled, cut-off pipes. A huge part of the original's appeal are those crazy curved pipes that extend the Hot Rod exhausts into this absurd curving shape that turns giant box into giant hot rod box. The POTP one stylized them into an obtuse angle and then slashed them so they are near, but not part of, the ones that clearly start from the sides of the car/cab. It's just unsightly as hell and is actually kind of making this one seem less cool. Especially because the bottom half doesn't get any paint, making it feel like a totally different section.
But I'm with you on wanting a non-Hot Rod take for a Rodimus Prime altmode, especially for the car/cab. I'd actually like to see a Rodimus Prime car/cab that keeps the G1 front -- shortened hood and cockpit, spoiler starting basically right after the cockpit -- but has for the back half a long, flat rectangular box that's the same height. Basically Siege Ironhide but flatter; this could fill in the bottom front of the trailer box. (Sure, let's say the spoiler is on an arm that can reposition it further back for trailerless mode). The transformation could then take cues from the Titanium (or, really, Siege Ironhide, lol) where that back half folds up into the boots. At the time, I kind of thought this was what Kingdom would do -- the G1 toy but more substantial than a gaunt dude planking -- and I was surprised that they went with "beefier, boxier Hot Rod altmode" and terrible interaction with the spoiler/trailer pipes.
I'm content to not get a Studio Series 86 Rodimus Prime for a while if that means they can go the Optimus/Megatron route (those new molds get a LOT of love and engineering savvy) and not the Galvatron (great new colors, but that's it) or even Springer (some retooling, but mostly the same toy) route but IDK if he really holds that kind of sway.