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Product Details
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- ASIN: B003E1CGIG
Product Description
Jeep Grand Cherokee 2011
This midsize SUV seats 5. The 2011 model is about 5 inches longer in wheelbase and 2 inches longer overall than the 2010 Grand Cherokee. Trim levels include base Laredo, mid-level Limited, and top-end Overland. Each offers rear-wheel drive or Jeep’s Quadra-Trac all-wheel drive. Quadra-Trac I is a full-time AWD system without low-range gearing. Quadra-Trac II has a low-range gear for off-road use. Jeep offers various off-road option packages that can include skid plates, hill-descent control, front tow hooks, and a load-leveling suspension. The 2011 Grand Cherokee utilizes shared component sets with the Mercedes-Benz ML—including, for the very first time, a four-wheel independent suspension.
The interior has been revamped with better materials and overall aesthetics. An available all-new CommandView dual-pane sun roof provides twice as much glass surface than a standard sun roof and extends from the windshield to the rear of the vehicle. The front panel can be opened rearward, providing additional light and fresh air to first-row passengers. The rear panel, which is fixed, allows light and open viewing for second-row passengers and comes standard with a power sun shade.
Grand Cherokee has been stretched out to open up more passenger room, mostly in the second row. It still seats five, but layout changes to the center stack and storage areas have brought about huge visual and functional improvements. The driver and front passenger areas are more sculpted and inviting, and the radio and climate controls are more easily seen and operated.
Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, curtain-side airbags, and front-side airbags. Hill-descent control is standard on Limited and Overland and optional on Laredo. Features Chrysler says are slated to arrive later in the model year include adaptive cruise control, blind-spot alert, and Rear Cross Path, a system that activates when the transmission is in reverse; it detects any traffic moving towards the vehicle. Also available is Chrysler’s Uconnect multimedia suite, which can include a navigation system with real-time traffic alerts, wireless cell-phone link, and 30-gigabyte hard drive for storing digital-music and picture files.
The all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee also features SIRIUS Travel Link, offering up-to-the minute information about gas prices, weather conditions, sports scores and movie listings. In addition, Grand Cherokee features SIRIUS Traffic, which monitors traffic in 78 markets across the U.S.
Jeep Compass 2010
The Compass is an affordable compact SUV meant to bring the Jeep name to a broader range of drivers with car-like on-road capability and fuel economy. Two trims are available: Sport and Limited, which have a 172-hp 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission as standard equipment and styling that borrows bits from sleeker crossover wagons and rugged traditional Jeeps—plus mechanical underpinnings shared with the Dodge Caliber and Jeep Patriot—the Jeep Compass doesn’t leave a strong impression.
Last year, Chrysler tried to spruce up the Compass, which is a good thing since it was a little drab inside. It’s still no attention-getter, but these updates included a redesigned instrument panel with a smoother look and chrome accents, an updated center console with a split lid for added storage space, and door trim panels featuring padded armrests.
The Compass is not particularly quick with the larger 2.4-liter, 172-horsepower engine, let alone the smaller 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 158 horsepower. Interestingly, there is only a 1 mpg highway gain for the smaller engine when equipped with the five-speed manual transmission. Both engine options on the Compass are also available with an optional CVT.
The CVT, however, tends to exacerbate the unrefined nature of Chrysler’s four-cylinder engines. Jeep does offer AutoStick, which makes the gearbox shift more like a traditional fixed-gear transmission. Handling, however, is a bright spot; the Compass is very maneuverable and steers most of the time with the accuracy and precision of a small car while riding pretty well.
Compass Performance
The 2010 Jeep Compass offers an adequate enough driving experience, but test drivers are still disappointed that it carries the Jeep badge but doesn’t have off-road capabilities. “Suffice it to say that the Compass does not shape up as a rock-crushing trail rider — even with its 4WD powertrain and 8-inches-plus ground clearance,” says the Sacramento Bee. “The Compass is more at home taking five people and their belongings to the beach for a summer day.”
Compass Exterior
The rounded contours of the Jeep Compass lack the trademark boxy styling of every other Jeep. Some reviewers like the SUV’s grille, but are still dissatisfied with the overall design. “It’s a car trying to be a Jeep,” says USA Today.
Compass Interior
Since its 2007 introduction, the Jeep Compass has taken lots of criticism for its poor-quality five-seat cabin. That has changed somewhat with a mild refresh in 2009 but some reviewers still say the cabin doesn’t offer anything special. “In place of the ’08 models’ miserable oceans of shiny plastic are, well, much less offensive oceans of not-so-shiny plastic, and a decent helping of well-placed brightwork sprinkled about the cabin, most notably on the completely redesigned dashboard, which now has round air registers ringed in chrome
Compass Safety
The 2010 Jeep Compass does well in federal government crash tests. It’s also equipped with an array of safety equipment, though supplemental front seat-mounted side air bags are only optional.
Volkswagen Touareg 2011
Volkswagen today gave a first look at the next-generation 2011 Volkswagen Touareg, well ahead of its official Geneva auto show preview later this month, and one of the most important pieces of news is that, straight off, the Touareg has lost a lot of weight and Volkswagen looks interested in earning the crossover crowd back.
The new Touareg is 450 pounds lighter and 20-percent more fuel-efficient. Volkswagen will also offer the new Touareg in a hybrid model, which the automaker says will be able to move on electric power alone at speeds of up to 31 mph. VW claims nearly 29 mpg (European combined) for the new Touareg Hybrid, while the Touareg TDI manages nearly 32 mpg. These combined-cycle numbers typically correspond, roughly, to EPA Highway figures. To compare, the current Touareg TDI gets 25 mpg on the highway, while the base Touareg V-6 is rated at just 14 mpg city, 20 highway.
Helping with those fuel economy figures, along with weight, are reduced aerodynamic drag and a new eight-speed automatic transmission that’s standard across the 2011 VW Touareg line.
Even considering these improvements, the 2011 Touareg won’t be a lightweight on the trail. It has improved torsional rigidity than the outgoing model and maintains its off-road toughness. On standard Touareg models the ruggedness has been toned down a little bit; a more fuel-efficient all-wheel drive system has a Torsen limited-slip differential and off-road driving mode that recalibrates the vehicle electronics for more slip. Hill Descent Assist is also included. A Terrain Tech package will be available, including center and rear locking diffs, to bring performance on the level of the outgoing Touareg, with a rotary switch enabling a Low range or automatic control of the diff locks.
Inside, Volkswagen introduces new-design seats and more front legroom, and it’s given the rear bench seat more than six inches of fore/aft travel plus a power-folding arrangement to access a completely flat loading floor. The new Touareg is roughly the same size as the outgoing one, gaining about an inch in wheelbase and overall length.
The outgoing 2010 Touareg has also been a high-achiever in safety, with straight five-star results from the federal government and a very impressive list of features. VW promises nine airbags onboard the new Touareg, with options including an Area View monitor with four cameras; Lane Assist and Side Assist; adaptive cruise control; and bi-xenon headlamps with Dynamic Light Assist. There’s also adaptive roll compensation, though we’re not sure yet if it’s the equivalent of the currently optional (on the 2010 and earlier) air suspension with Continuous Damping Control.
The base sound system includes a 6.5-inch touch screen, while other available features include a panoramic sunroof that’s claimed to be the largest of any SUV, A two-tone burgundy/black or beige/black interior in Nappa leather is optional, as is real wood trim.
