William Maley

Sometimes, you find yourself scratching your head as you struggle to think if any more can be said about a vehicle. The two vehicles seen here, the 2017 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee have been reviewed by me numerous times - Durango has two, while the Grand Cherokee stands at three. Not much has changed on either vehicle since I last reviewed them. This puts me in a bit of quandary: What do I talk about? The answer was to delve into the trims themselves and figure out if they are worth the cash. The Grand Cherokee seen here is the top-line Summit. Jeep updated this trim last year with new front end treatment consisting of a new grille and LED fog lights. The exterior changes for the Summit do sharpen up the Grand Cherokee, a design which should be noted that has been around since 2011. One design touch we really like are the set optional 20-inch aluminum wheels as they dress up the Grand Cherokee quite nicely. The larger wheels don’t affect ride quality as the Grand Cherokee’s suspension turns bumps into light ripples. Road and wind noise are kept to very acceptable levels. The interior now has the option of the “Signature Leather-Wrapped Interior Package” that brings a leather covering for the dash and center console, and premium leather upholstery for the seats and door panels. My test vehicle came with this package and I am not sure its worth the $4,995. The key reason comes down to the leather used for the seats. I can’t tell the difference between the leather upholstery used for this package and the one used on lesser trims. Aside from this, the Summit retains many of the plus points found on other Grand Cherokees such as a roomy interior, simple infotainment system, and excellent build quality. The Summit begins at $50,495 for two-wheel drive and $53,495 for four-wheel drive. Our test vehicle came to an as-tested price of $60,675 with the leather package, skid plates, and 20-inch wheels. The upside to the Summit is you get most everything as standard such as navigation, premium audio system, sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, and a power liftgate. Personally, I would skip all of the options as fitted to our test vehicle and get a base Summit. Now on to the Durango. This one is the GT which can be best described as the R/T minus the V8. This means you get similar exterior tweaks such as a body color grille surround, black mesh inserts, LED daytime running lights, and 20-inch wheels finished in black. Our model came with the Brass Monkey appearance package which adds brushed bronze wheels and blacked-out badges. This makes for a mean looking crossover that doesn’t break the bank - the Brass Monkey package will only set you back $595. The GT is also quite confident in the bends with minimal body roll and nicely weighted steering. Downsides? The Durango is starting to show its age inside. Various materials and the plain design put the Durango towards the back of the pack of the current crossover crop. Also, the value equation for the Durango can go downward with the number of options you add. The test Durango seen here comes with an as-tested of $49,660 with most the option boxes ticked. Not an absurd amount for a three-row crossover, but the Durango is missing out on features that many models feature such as adaptive cruise control, automatic braking, and compatibility for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned the powertrain. That’s because both models feature the same 3.6L Pentastar V6 producing 295 horsepower and paired with an eight-speed automatic. I have written a lot about this powertrain on both models before and my opinion hasn’t changed. The engine offers strong low-end power and minimal NVH levels. The automatic transmission, for the most part, does a decent job of being in the right gear at the right time. Though we found the transmission to be somewhat slow to respond whenever heavy throttle was suddenly applied. Fuel economy for both models landed around 20 mpg. Both the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango are still competitive in their respective classes, despite getting up there in age. Just be careful with your option selection as it can make both models very poor values. Disclaimer: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Provided the Vehicles, Insurance, and One Tank of Gas Year: 2017 Make: Dodge Model: Durango Trim: GT Engine: 3.6L 24-Valve VVT with ESS Driveline: Eight-Speed Automatic, All-Wheel Drive Horsepower @ RPM: 295 @ 6,400 Torque @ RPM: 260 @ 4,000 Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - 18/25/21 Curb Weight: 4,987 lbs Location of Manufacture: Detroit, Michigan Base Price: $40,095 As Tested Price: $49,660 (Includes $1,095 Destination Charge) Options: Premium Group - $2,395 Rear Entertainment System- $1,995 Safety/Security and Convenience Group - $1,195 Second-Row Captain Chairs - $995 Trailer Tow Group IV - $995 Brass Monkey Appearance Group - $595 Second-Row Console - $300 Year: 2017 Make: Jeep Model: Grand Cherokee Trim: Summit Engine: 3.6L 24-Valve VVT with ESS Driveline: Eight-Speed Automatic, All-Wheel Drive Horsepower @ RPM: 295 @ 6,400 Torque @ RPM: 260 @ 4,000 Fuel Economy: City/Highway/Combined - 18/25/21 Curb Weight: 4,952 lbs Location of Manufacture: Detroit, Michigan Base Price: $53,995 As Tested Price: $60,675 (Includes $995 Destination Charge) Options: Signature Leather-Wrapped Interior Package - $4,995 Summit California Edition - $995 Skid Plate Group - $295 View full article

I don't know, they could make FCA somewhat competent in this department. We could do a series on why GM doesn't do what seems are obvious things, but it would likely never end.

Earlier this year, Smart announced that it would be ending sales of the gas models and switch over to selling electric only models. This announcement has many Smart dealers running for the exit. According to Automotive News, dealers had until the end June to make a decision whether to keep selling Smarts or move to a service-only operation. Out of the 85 dealers in the U.S., 58 (about two-thirds) would move to the service-only operation. Smart spokeswoman Donna Boland said these numbers are preliminary. Dealers that opt out of selling Smart will transition to service once they sell out of inventory. The 'vast majority' are expected to transition by the end of this year. The remaining 27 dealers are in areas with zero-emission vehicle mandates that will give the brand "the highest market penetration potential," Boland said. Such areas include San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles. As Automotive News points out, Smart's 27 dealers will make it one of the smallest dealership networks in the U.S. The likes of Lamborghini and Lotus have larger dealer networks at 31 and 41 respectively. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article

Volkswagen has shown three different I.D. concepts - I.D. hatchback, I.D. Buzz, and the I.D. Crozz. We know that Volkswagen is working on making the hatchback production ready by 2020 and the Buzz has been given the green light. What about the Crozz? According to a report from Autoblog, the Crozz will follow the hatchback in production - arriving in either late 2020 or 2021 - and will be the first I.D. model to arrive on our shores. The I.D. Crozz which made its debut earlier this year at the Shanghai Motor Show is Volkswagen's vision of an electric crossover. Using Volkswagen's MEB platform, the I.D. Crozz produces 302 horsepower from two electric motors. On-demand all-wheel drive is done through single-speed, fixed-ratio gearboxes fitted between each electric motor and its respective axle. Volkswagen's decision on sending the I.D. Crozz to the U.S. first makes a lot of sense as buyers are crossover hungry. The two sources also dropped some information on the I.D. Buzz which conflicts with earlier reports. First, the sources said the Buzz been confirmed for production - the opposite of what reported back in June where Volkswagen's Herbert Diess slyly dropped that it would go into production. If approved, the model would likely go into production in 2025. We recommend checking out Autoblog's report as there are more details on what to possibly expect with the Crozz. Source: Autoblog View full article