Four Wheel Fun

admin January 5th, 2008

Credit the upcoming Sex and the City movie for leaking the Mercedesk Vision GLK Freeside onto the internet. Apparently, the SUV with the REALLY long name is poised to make an appearance in the film, so watchful eyes snapped pictures of it and plastered them over the internet.

This much we do know - the GLK is poised to make quite a splash when it arrives at the Detroit Auto Show later this month. Why? First off, it looks to be headed to production soon. Overall fit and finish appear comparable to a production vehicle. Next, it has the chiseled features of the GL in a package smaller than the current ML and is touted a a crossover-like vehicle.  How small is the new GLK?  Length-wise, it’s about 2 inches shorter than a BMW X3.

Although engine specs haven’t been released yet, expect the GLK to be powered by Mercedes 2.8 and 3.6 liter V6s that span its current lineup. In addition, Mercedes is planning a turbodiesel version of the crossover, but no word yet on whether such and engine would be made available in the U.S.. Mercedes plans to offer its 7G 7-speed automatic transmission in all versions of the vehicle, making it only one of a handful of SUVs or crossovers with 7 gears in the slushbox. The GLK will also come standard with Mercedes latest version of 4Matic all-wheel-drive system, which splits power 45/55 between the front and rear wheels.

One item featured in the picture above is apparently going to be standard equipment on GLKs - the 20-inch aluminum wheels. We’re not sure how well these rims with low-profile tires would fare on the Rubicon Trail, but they’ll certainly get the nod of approval from the celebrity crowd and fill out the wheel wells for street-bound drivers.

Tags: 4matic, Detroit Auto Show, GLK, mercedes, Meredces Vision GLK Freeside

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admin January 4th, 2008

Forbes recently published an article on its Most Overpriced Vehicles. The study, which took into account discounting from market price, JD Power and Associates APEAL survey, 1- and 3-year ALG residual values, and the Consumer Reports owner satisfaction survey, tried to determine which vehicles were most overpriced relative to market value (and ultimate residual value).

The results were quite interesting. Vehicles that maintained high sticker prices (or MSRP), but continuously offered heavy rebates or other incentives, tended to have lower residuals compared with cars and trucks with a lower MSRP but fewer incentives.

One victim on Forbes’ list was the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup. The Ram truck topped the list given its large difference between MSRP ($37,105) and market price ($29,947). ALG’s one year residual is a mere 48% and a top-of-the-line version of the Dodge Ram can lose over $20,000 just in year one! yikes - better grab life by the horns (as Dodge used to say) and grab your ankles too if you pick one of these trucks up brand-new.

One of the top SUVs (in addition to the Dodge Durango) was the Chevy Trailblazer and its twin, the GMC Envoy.   In particular, the Envoy now competes against its stablemate, the GMC Acadia crossover SUV, whose more sophisticated design, technology, and innovation makes the less-modern, comparably priced Envoy seem woefully inadequate.  Consumer Reports indicated that owner satisfaction is less than average for the Envoy and Trailblazer and the vehicle hasn’t seen a comprehensive freshening in many, many years.  All this despite a $2000 price cut in 2005 and continuous incentives (averaging about $3000) has resulted in poor resale value and indicates prices on these two SUV clones should be trimmed.

Read the entire story here.

Tags: chevy trailblazer, dodge ram, forbes, overpriced trucks

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admin December 31st, 2007

OK, so the 2008 Lexus LX570 is almost here.  Perhaps the question on everyones mind is, “is this just another Land Cruiser dressed up in Lexus trim?”

In a word: NO.  Forget those Toyota Camry / Lexus ES comparisons.  This SUV has the credentials to be differentiated from its stablemate, the Toyota Landcruiser.

For starters, let’s clarify what IS the same.  Both the 5.7 liter, 383 horsepower engine and six-speed automatic are off the same parts shelf as the Land Cruisers.

The LX570, however, has some nifty features unique to the Lexus brand.  For starters, there’s the Mark Levinson Reference Surround system, a 19-speaker, 450 watt system adapted from the Lexus LS line that features world class sound and noise dampening.

In addition, the LX 570 offers a novel “Pre-collision system” incorporating adaptive cruise control.  In essence, the vehicle can sense when it is approaching another vehicle (when cruise control is engaged) and slow itself to avoid a collision.  When the other vehicle has sped up (or moved out of the way), the Lexus can resume normal cruise speed.

The LX570 also has cameras mounted in the grill and under the passenger-side mirror to enable a wide view of forward surroundings.  The idea is that such cameras (traditionally employed in back-up scenarios) can help drivers get an additional view in hard-to-see areas such as parking garages by pressing a button and watching the navigation system screen. 

Finally, the 2008 LX570 sports what is perhaps the finest SUV cabin next to the Range Rover.  interior materials are top-notch, a vast improvement over previous LXs, and include Bubinga wood trim and top-grade leather.  In addition, Lexus offers power-sliding second row seats (with and optional power-sliding third-row seat), four-zone climate controls, and XM satellite radio with traffic updates.  What’s not to love?

While you may not be able to climb Pike’s Peak in the new LX570, you certainly get all of the ruggedness of a Toyota Landcruiser in a much more refined and polished package.  Prices aren’t yet available, but we’d suggest considering spluring for the Lexus given its unique features.

Tags: 2008 Lexus LX570, Landcruiser, Lexus, LX570, Toyota

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admin December 28th, 2007

According to a recent Business Week article, SUV sales are quite strong in the U.S..  Apparently, light truck sales as well as SUV vehicles and crossover vehicles gained market share this year, reversing all losses accumulated during 2005 and 2006.

Luxury SUVs were particularly immune to sales drops, partially due to the insensitivity of the average buyer to gas prices.  In addition, big discounts are also helping to move many of the big SUVs that were best sellers in 2007. One such incentive is what Cadillac is offering on leftover 2007 Escalades: zero-percent financing or $4,500 cash on Escalade EXTs, or $1,000 cash on 2008 models. The Escalade EXT is a full-size, four-door SUV with a pickup bed in the rear.

Tags: 2007 SUVs, Business Week, Cadillac, Escalade, suv, SUV Sales

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admin December 19th, 2007

Motor Trend has released its first drive of the 2008 Chevrolet HHR SS and, despite being a mouthful of letters, it appears that GM has infused some much needed performance into its little SUV.

For starters, Chevy has shoehorned its turbo four cylnder engine from the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Red Line into the HHR, generating 260 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque! 0-60 is accomplished in 6.3 seconds while maintaining EPA fuel-economy numbers of 21 city / 29 highway.

Torque steer, generally an issue in these types of turbocharged, front-wheel drive setups, has been minimized thanks to some updated front-end parts and a new brushless electric power steering unit.

Best of all, the HHR SS starts at just $22,995. For that price, I’m guessing that GM will have plenty of takers…

Tags: Chevrolet, Chevrolet HHR SS, HHR, suv

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