I think that most people, truckers and average Joes, want a combination of performance, styling, and features. But I think the styling and features are more of a catch in the market. That is what makes many of the export radios so popular. Many have the big meters, color changing Christmas lighting, echo, etc.
I don't think the 680s are that bad. I had one that was tuned by DTB. I gave it to my buddy and hooked it up in his truck. When he took a drive to test it out, I thought it sounded very good. It was clean and sounded very full. The receiver wasn't the best, but wasn't the worst either.