Jeep's Second Crossover SUV Really Takes Compact Crossovers Off-Road
Jeep followed up the Compass, which went on sale in November 2006 (click here for our first Compass drive), with a tougher, more off-road-capable, and more traditional Jeep crossover SUV in the Patriot. Though we brought you news of the Patriot following its introduction in New York last year (click here), AutoPacific staffers were invited to be among those taking the first drives. Compass and Patriot share quite a bit, both under the skin and in the interior, as they use the same platform. Compass follows the "modern" side of Jeep, which includes the Grand Cherokee. Jeep considers the Patriot a traditional Jeep, like the old Cherokee, the Liberty and new Commander.

To successfully fill the traditional Jeep role, Patriot needs to support its Cherokee-inspired design with legitimate performance, if not Wrangler ability. So Jeep offers Patriot in three driveline flavors, standard front-drive, Freedom Drive I all-wheel-drive, and Freedom Drive II Trail Rated all-wheel-drive. Freedom Drive II gives Patriot best-in-class (Crossover SUV class) off-road ability. But Patriot competes in a class better known for inclement-weather driving than off-roading; they aren't targeting off-road performance. If the Wrangler is Jeep's off-road King, the Trail-Rated version of Patriot is its Prince. This prince better be more capable off-road than the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Honda CR-V, Jeep Compass, and Subaru Forester.

Continue reading "2007 Jeep Patriot: An Off-Road Prince"

Posted by Stephanie Brinley at 08:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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American icons like the Statue of Liberty or John Wayne conjure up images of patriotism and true grit. But the Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France, John Wayne’s real name is Marion Morrison and this is an automotive web site. So, that leaves us with things like John Deere and the new GMT900 trucks from General Motors, which have a long history, heritage and iconic status.

AutoPacific and VehicleVoice staffers have been evaluating a 2007 GMC Sierra with a list price of $47,135... WOW! Looking at the LA Times this weekend, I saw some full size half ton pickups offered in the mid-teens. Let's see if there is enough "product" in the Sierra we are evaluating to justify the price.

Sheet Metal
With the 2007 Chevrolet Silverado roping in Motor Trend’s Truck of the Year we thought it would be interesting to saddle break the 2007 GMC Sierra; the Silverado’s supposedly more ‘posh’ counterpart. If we start with the exterior of the truck we notice that the overall styling is ‘boxier’ than that of the GMT800. The fender flares are no longer plastic/composite extensions stuck on with double-sided tape and a couple screws; they are integrated into the sheet metal of the fenders. Gaps between body panels, headlamps, grills, bumpers, etc., are much improved over the last generation.

Continue reading "2007 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 Crew Cab SLT - Every Good Cowboy Needs a Good Horse"

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 11:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

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As Ford Motor Company's Way Forward program "progresses" more hourly and salaried workers leave the Company. One enterprising minstrel has recorded the Way Forward Song. It is worth a listen.

Click on the link above to listen in.

As a reminder, the January 2006 Ford press release detailing their Way Forward Program is shown below the fold:

Continue reading "Ford's Way Forward Song"

Posted by George Peterson at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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When VehicleVoice correspondent David Barrett and AutoPacific's Dan Hall take a walk through a major auto show, don't expect to see them anytime soon. They can talk each other hoarse about cars, and they never get tired of looking at the latest the industry has to offer.

At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit earlier this winter, Dan and David spent some time in the Lincoln booth trying to make sense of all the MK-ness everywhere. They checked out Lincoln's version of the Ford Edge, called the MKX, a crossover with some nice Lincoln styling and a hot concept on the show floor called the MKR. The MKR is a big, powerful American sedan, and David and Dan were in a crowd of admirers. Was it the 415 horsepower, twin-turbocharged V6 or the over-the-top styling?

In the Chevy booth, David and Dan reminisced about their high school days when they stepped in front of the new Camaro Convertible Concept. Seems both of them are surprised they're alive today after their exposure to the original Camaro. The new version promises to be the stuff of legends as well.

New Vehicles and Concepts -
2007 Lincoln MKX
Lincoln MKR Concept
Chevy Camaro Convertible Concept

Show Runtime - 11:48

Posted by Cameron at 04:41 PM | Permalink

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The second largest purchase decision we will have to make (followed by our home) is probably buying a new vehicle. Some of us begin our adult lives with vehicles on loan from our parents or ‘hand-me-down’, used, rebuilt, pieces of tin and plastic held together with bailing wire and a little chewing gum. Most of us are not dancing around a titanium silver metallic BMW M3 with a red ribbon around it on our 16th birthday. So, for the rest of us, after years of saving (or building an acceptable FICO score) we can buy our first new vehicle. Buying the first NEW car or truck should be a fun, exciting, experience… right?

Continue reading "Buying a NEW Vehicle - Look Out for the Traps"

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 02:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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You could tell from the smiles on the faces of the suits from Cadillac that they had just come from something special. The Cadillac Escalade had just won the Playboy 2007 Car of the Year Award. Jim Taylor, Cadillac General Manager was lugging around a golden trophy with a totally blinged-out Playboy bunny glued to it and a discreet plaque proclaiming Escalade's win.

Playboy Magazine has just named their 2007 Cars of the Year. Included in this year's list were:

Playboy 2007 Car of the Year - BMW Z4 M

Best SUV - Cadillac Escalade
Best Sports Coupe - Porsche 911 Carrera
Best Bang for the Buck - Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500
The Al Gore Special - Lexus GS450h
Best Two-Way Player - Volkswagen Eos
Best Pickup - Toyota Tundra
Best Cross Dresser - Mazda CX-7
Best Roadster - Saturn Sky Red Line

Oh yeah, about the presentations. Apparently, a hostess Playmate gave the executives a tour around the Playboy Mansion. A former Playmate, the young lady was extremely well spoken, knew her stuff and presented Playboy in a very favorable light. What I'm saying is that she wasn't the airhead blonde bimbette that may have been expected at Playboy.

Posted by George Peterson at 02:32 PM | Permalink

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We have been wanting to drive the new Suzuki XL7 ever since we heard that it would be a larger derivative of GM's Theta platform that underpins the Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent. What separated the XL7 from its GM brethren is its 3.6L V6 engine with 252HP . The GM models have a 3.4L V6 with 185HP. The staffers at AutoPacific and VehicleVoice have just finished a week-long evaluation of the new 2007 XL7.

XL7 Can Be Priced Above $30,000!

To match its size and power, the XL7 is base priced a bit above $22,500 and tops out at $29,000 for a Limited AWD model. Add the nav system like our evaluation XL7 had and the price peaks at $31,200. Wow! A Suzuki priced above $30,000. Base-to-base the XL7 is about $1,000 over the smaller Pontiac Torrent but reaches much higher. BTW: a base Ford Explorer XLT is $24,600 (V6), about $2000 higher than the XL7 and can top out over $33,000. But the Suzuki is certainly in the same price category.

Apparently this pricing strategy has caused Suzuki dealers some indigestion and they have asked Suzuki to shift the model mix being produced from being heavily loaded models to more base models. This will give them models at a lower price point at the dealership.

XL7 is LARGE

The XL7 has a 112.4-inch wheelbase, an overall length of 197.2-inches, overall width of 72.2-inches and overall height of 68.9-inches. We were lucky enough to have an Explorer in our parking lot to compare with the XL7. Explorer is 113.7x193.4x73.7x72.8... longer wheelbase, shorter overall length, a bit wider and a bunch taller. It's surprising that the Suzuki is actually larger in some respects that the Explorer.

The photo below shows the XL7 parked in a spot adjacent to an Explorer - almost hidden in the background.

Continue reading "2007 Suzuki XL7 - Needs Lessons in Quietness"

Posted by George Peterson at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Last night General Motors held a celebrity bash at Paramount Studios' Soundstage 15. Celebrities were invited to model the latest fashions showcased by General Motors' new concepts and products. Why would GM do this? GM invites "influentials" from the Los Angeles area to see and be seen at GM Ten. Not a bad idea at all. Gives the company positive exposure. Costs a bundle, but the investment is certainly worth it in terms of positive press.

Here is the GM-produced video feed for the show:

Our reason for going was much more mundane although seeing the celebrities was a highlight. Received a walkaround of the upcoming Cadillac CTS from Cadillac General Manager Jim Taylor. Looks like Cadillac has a winner on its hands to replace last years winner of AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award in its class - Cadillac CTS.

Katherine Heigl - Grey's Anatomy

Continue reading "GM Ten 2007 - Los Angeles Prelude to the Oscars"

Posted by George Peterson at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Many of us have dated, some of us have married, and there are those who have gone through divorce. There has long been a correlation drawn between who you are as a human being and what automobile you drive (kind of like dogs look like their owners). But can a parallel really be drawn between what automobile you drive and how you’re wired biologically?

Good Looks
First, let’s lay our cards on the table. Anyone who tells you that looks aren’t important is probably lying to you (or they themselves aren’t that good looking?). I can remember an automotive executive once saying that automotive manufacturers are really part of the fashion industry (or the entertainment industry), it just so happens that they sell vehicles… and I think he was right.

Continue reading "Dating Your Car? Car Buying is Like Searching for Your Significant Other"

Posted by Keagan Patrick at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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On Monday, February 19, 2007 XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio made the long expected announcement that they were merging. While this is not yet a done deal because of potential regulatory hurdles it is good news for folks who have become addicted to satellite radio.

In the Future - No Decision Needed Between XM/Sirius

The biggest benefit we can see is that you will be able to buy any car and have the "right" satellite service in the car. For example, having been an XM Radio subscriber for two years I switched from my XM equipped Infiniti and leased a Volvo XC90. Volvo, being part of Ford, has an exclusive agreement with Sirius. So, even if Volvo had been offering a satellite radio installation in the XC90 (which in 2006 they were not! Dark ages!), I would have been forced to get Sirius.

What did I do? Well, XM offered me a Delphi Roadie at a ridiculously low price and it has been crudely mounted in the Volvo since then. Poor and spotty reception, but at least I have satellite.

Merger Recognizes Competition from Many Fronts

This merger is recognition that there is not room for two satellite radio providers in the USA. The subscriber base for XM and Sirius combined is under 15,000,000. Of course, for companies that began offering service just a few years ago, this may not be too bad but it's not good enough for sustainable growth. Satellite radio is duking it out with iPod integration in cars, in-vehicle hard drives, high definition radio, traditional AM/FM. Competition is fierce and this merger will help satellite radio survive.

Continue reading "XM Radio and Sirius to Merge into One Satellite Company"

Posted by George Peterson at 08:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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Today's top of the Corvette lineup is the ZO6. Five-hundred-five horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque from its 7.0L V8 engine. Brembo brakes with red painted calipers showing conspicuously through its spoked 18-inch and 19-inch alloy wheels. This car is the ultimate of the boy racer set. Put on your gold chains and let's go!

After months of waiting, the fine folks at Chevrolet finally got us a ZO6 for three days of evaluation. We had been on the list four times before, but apparently Southern California journalists don't know how to drive a car with 505HP and kept pranging the thing. Finally, out of the repair shop (or is it an all new car?), we got our chance at the ZO6.

Continue reading "2007 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6"