2008 Jeep Liberty Limited W/ Automatic Transmission on 2040-cars

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Auto critic calls out Corvette, Mustang and Cherokee faithful

Most automotive purists fear change, but not without reason. Change, after all, did kill big-block V8s, along with most station wagons and manual transmissions. But change has also brought with it far more performance, safety and fuel economy - not to mention ridding the world of shag carpet interiors, bias-ply tires and those horrible motorized seatbelts of the early '90s.
By this time next year, the Chevy Corvette, Jeep Cherokee and next-generation Ford Mustang will all be on sale and will all, in some way, have angered or offended purists. To those critics, Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press is preemptively telling them to stop complaining - at least until they've all been driven. From the Corvette's square taillights and the Cherokee's radical nose to whatever pony car purists will harp on the 2015 Mustang for, Phelan's column points out the positives of automotive evolution and the negatives of staying the course for too long. That's fair enough, but do you think Phelan is on point, or all wet? Head on over to the Detroit Free Press to read his words, then have your say in Comments.

Chevy, Kia and Jeep win 2020 North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year

Although the Detroit Auto Show is moving to the summer, the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) awards were again announced in January. The car of the year is the 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray. Utility of the year is the 2020 Kia Telluride. Truck of the year is the 2020 Jeep Gladiator. None of these choices was particularly surprising. All of these cars were major releases that delivered on style, performance and functionality. That being said, the runners-up in each category were noteworthy, too. You can see the full list of finalists below. Car Chevy Corvette (Winner) Toyota Supra Hyundai Sonata Utility Kia Telluride (Winner) Hyundai Palisade Lincoln Aviator Truck Jeep Gladiator (Winner) Ford Ranger Ram HD Follow any of the inline links above to read our reviews on the winners and finalists. Related Video:    

Buy this instead of a Wrangler | 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Review

In our first encounter with the 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk at Fiat Chrysler's Chelsea Proving Grounds, we saluted the new model's impressive on-road demeanor. In its off-road mode, however, we couldn't ignore the pre-production throttle calibration – it was super sharp and difficult to modulate with the precision needed to navigate obstacles. We were told then that Jeep's engineers were aware of the problem and were fixing it for production models. So we recently set off for Bundy Hill Off-Road Park in Jerome, Michigan, in a production-spec Grand Cherokee Trailhawk to check their work and get a better idea of the overall package. We can report that the Trailhawk's throttle has been fixed for production, landing it properly in Goldilocks territory. In the off-road Mud setting, the throttle is soft and easy to modulate. You can balance this rig with the gas pedal, reaching just past tip-in to steadily prod forward. But the gas pedal doesn't delay when you really need power. Move beyond the initial tip-in, and the engine responds quickly, which is a good thing, as a sluggish throttle is almost as dangerous off-road as one that's too sharp. Rock mode promises even more precise control over the throttle, although our lack of a spotter and a desire to avoid damaging the 700-mile-young Trailhawk kept us from hitting Bundy Hill's rockier sections. The wet, non-snowy weather meant we didn't properly test Snow or Sand mode. This test model was equipped with FCA's popular 3.6-liter V6, but like the rest of the Grand Cherokee range, more power is available from the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 and the 5.7-liter Hemi V8. You don't need them – the 3.6-liter and eight-speed automatic are perfectly fine on the trails. Faced with an incline, the transmission holds its gear without complaint – you don't even need to switch into manual mode. Despite the 4,800-rpm torque peak, the V6's 260 pound-feet arrive early enough that you don't need to strong-arm the throttle. So that's resolution for the pre-production issue. But our time at Bundy Hill exposed a different and ultimately much easier to fix problem for the production model. Late fall in Michigan is not always a good time to go off-road – sub-40-degree temperatures and a steady, depressing drizzle can turn a relatively simple trail into a slippery mess of wet clay. Conditions like these can easily overwhelm an on-road tire like the Goodyear All-Terrain Adventures the Trailhawk uses.