Say what you want about the violence and gore that comes with the video game Call of Duty, but it is one of the most popular games to have come out in our generation. Actually, it’s so popular that Chrysler has even decided to jump on its bandwagon – or in this case, MPVs – after the automaker announced that they will be building, through their Jeep brand, a Call of Duty-inspired Jeep Wrangler to go in line with the upcoming release of the video game franchise’s latest bloodfest, Call of Duty: Black Ops.
The game, which is scheduled for a November 9, 2010 release, is expected to be wiped out within days of its release. That’s a good thing for Chrysler because they’d look like complete yahoos if the game flopped massively and here they are, flaunting their limited run COD-themed Jeep Wrangler. Not surprisingly, the special edition off-road vehicle – it even makes recurring appearances throughout the game - will also be released at the same time giving those COD fanatics with enough spare change to buy a special edition Jeep Wrangler first dibs on the off-roader.
For the 2011 MY, Jeep will be bringing out the Jeep Liberty in three different versions: Sport, Renegade, and Limited. Depending on the version, the Liberty will be offered with skid plates, tire pressure monitoring (TPM), Hill-start Assist (HSA) and Hill-decent Control (HDC), unique color fenders, fascia, and headlamps. Inside, the Renegade includes a premium instrument panel with an electronic vehicle information center (EVIC) and a leather steering wheel with controls.
The exterior of the Jeep Liberty will be offered with new colors including: Bronze Star, Blackberry Pearl, Bright White Clear, and Deep Cherry Red Crystal Pearl. The interior will get a new steering wheel with standard controls for radio, EVIC, cruise control, and Uconnect phone. There will also be a new media center, including: AM/FM/CD/DVD/MP3 and auxiliary jack with 6.5-in. touch screen, 30 GB hard drive, Uconnect navigation, SIRIUS Traffic, and SIRIUS Travel Link.
Power for the 4X4 will still come from the 3.6L V6 engine mated to a 4-speed automatic transmission.
Prices range between 23,250 and 27,250, which are just a tad lower than last year’s prices. Sales will begin in the fourth quarter of 2010.
Press release after the jump.
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The Jeep Patriot will be seeing a little of a facelift for 2011 with some new exterior styling, interior upgrades, and a few new technologies. Anyone who is interested will be able to catch the three different Patriot configurations - Sport, Latitude, and Latitude X - when the Patriot hits Jeep showrooms towards the end of 2010.
With the mini facelift comes a new front fascia with aggressive styling, standard fog lamps positioned inside the headlamps, a new lower rear fascia, a body-color grille, new 17in. wheels, four new colors, and a 4x4 ride height that has been increased by one inch. Okay, so maybe "mini" isn’t really the most accurate description.
Along with the plethora of exterior changes, the interior of the Jeep Patriot will also be getting some attention with new soft touch front-door trim panels with a padded upper surface, a new center armrest, new cloth interior with premium cloth bucket seats in the front, standard speed control on all models, new backlighting of door switches, door locks, windows and power mirror controls, and standard automatic temperature control on the Latitude X model. The steering has also seen a facelift with integrated controls that allow the driver to operate the radio, cruise control, handsfree phone, and other vehicle functions while keeping their hands on the wheel
Press release after the jump.
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We have seen photos of the 2012 ML-Class before, but we now have some photos with most of the camouflage removed, giving us a clear view of what the new Mercedes-Benz ML will look like.
The wheelbase seems about the same as the current version, but we do know that the car went on a diet. The chassis will be shared with the new 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the 2011 Dodge Durango.
The doors have new looks with two bold character lines. We can also see new side mirrors and a large angular grille with chrome bars running horizontal. The headlights appear to be nearly the same as we see on the CL-Class.
Under the hood will be a few motor options. Base models should get a 3.5-liter V6, while a 5.5-liter V8 and a 6.2-liter V8 will likely be on offer. A 3.0-liter diesel should also be available, as well as a hybrid model.
Expect the new ML-Class to be around $45,000 when it hits the showrooms in 2011.
Despite our lack of love for these machines, they are cars that people love to buy, so we felt we had to rank our favorites, despite not really having a favorite. It’s more like a list from the vehicles we can’t stand to the machines we could tolerate.
In order to rank these crossovers we had to look at them in a few ways. The reason for buying one of these is practicality, safety, style, and comfort. That’s what the public is looking at. We, on other hand, will incorporate those with our own interests, such as speed, driving dynamics, and coolness level. All of these machines will cost under $30,000.
There are plenty to choose from, with options from Ford, General Motors, Honda, and Toyota. Not to mention the smaller companies like Hyundai and Kia who are creating better machines on a monthly basis. So, do these new boys have what it takes to take down the old veterans?
Hit the jump to find out.
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"Land Rover!" What is the first model coming to your head? We bet is not the Freelander, and not even the Range Rover. But for sure is the old, traditional Defender! After all this is a model older than many of us, most likely having the same age of your grandpa, and it is unlikely that at some point in your childhood you didn’t take a short trip in your grandpa’s Ninety (this was Defender’s first name).
Tata Motors decided that a car with 62 years of history needs to go on, and will come with a new generation Defender in 2014. However, the "Defender" name will be dropped, but many of the original car’s looks and values could be used in the final production model. And while the original model has been built on the T5 steel platform chassis, this is much to heavier and it will also be dropped. Instead Land Rover will use the same Electric Rear Axle Drive (ERAD) technology used in the Freelander. According to Land Rover managing director Phil Popham, the new Defender will be adopt a more SUV look and will deliver more off-road power: "We’ll be really tuning up the versatility side and practicality side. That for me is the core of the Defender’s identity."
If you’re trying to make some sense of BMW, you’re going to be at it for awhile. The German automaker has been creating cars that are a bit puzzling to the common person, like the X6 or the 5-Series GT. Yet, nothing quite says insane like the new X3 M and pretty soon, there will be a new version based on the F25 X3.
When we take a closer look at the line of BMW SUVs, it makes the most sense to use the X3, rather than the X5. The small SUV only weighs 3971 pounds, far less than the much larger X5. That means that the X3 should stop, corner, and accelerate much better, not to mention it should get better fuel economy as well. In the world of the power to weight ratio, the X3 M takes the cake.
Powering the newest M machine will likely be the N55 turbocharged six-cylinder. If you’ve been paying attention to the automotive world as of late, you will have realized that the N55 is the same motor that is being used for the new M3. Not to mention that motor is already being used in the X3. The motor will be attached to a six-speed automatic transmission.
Once the X3 M is on the road, we would expect it to be able to hit 60 miles per hour in just five or six seconds. The motor will likely produce around 420 horsepower, which is good enough. After all, BMW can’t give the X3 M more power than the X5. The corners will be where the car outperforms its bigger rivals though. It’s lower to the ground, smaller, and will have fat tires.
Some might say that this sort of machine makes no sense whatsoever. We say that BMW can make whatever they want, and a high-performance X3 sounds good to us.
Jeep has unveiled the first images of the 2011 Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited. Both models are now in production and can be ordered at your local dealership. No tmuch has changed for this model except for some interior upgrades and a slew of new color options.
The 2011 Wrangler’s interior has been redone with the help of better quality materials and some new features. The consumer will benefit from a redesigned instrument panel and center stack, as well as new storage areas, steering wheel controls, and hex-head bolts. Jeep has also added heated, power mirrors, silver trim, soft-touch door armrests, and a new USB device interface that includes streaming Bluetooth audio to the Wrangler.
Jeep has brought a little more color to the 4x4 by adding five new exterior colors, including Detonator Yellow, Deep Cherry Red, Sahara Tan, Cosmos Blue, and Bright White. A new body color hardtop is also available for the Sahara.
Press release after the jump.
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When the Ford F-150 Velociraptor 600 by Hennessey first popped up on our screen, a lot of people commented on how this tuning package was just what the F150 needed. Luxury tuning kits are not for a beast of a machine like this one and prepping this Velociraptor for a day of off-roading was just what the people wanted to see. Thankfully, Hennessey was on the right track because they have released a video of their Velociraptor in its natural habitat: right smack in the middle of a whole lot of dirt. This is the perfect place for the car to show the things it is capable of.
The VelociRaptor 600 is an F150 powered by a tuned-up 6.2-liter V8 Raptor that is reported to produce over 605 HP and 622 lb/ft of torque. These numbers help the car to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in an amazing 5 seconds. The truck also gets a twin-turbo system with matching intercoolers and a stainless-steel exhaust, an upgraded fuel system and boost controller.
For those who can’t handle this amount of power, Hennessey is also offering a 500 version that gets a 5.4 Liter power plant with 501 HP and 520 lb-ft of torque.
It’s not easy loving Porsche in this day and age. The 911 is still fantastic, but it’s easy to think that the German automaker sold its soul when they began creating sedans and SUVs. Now, it’s only going to get worse, as a diesel is afoot.
According to the Times Colonist, Laurance Yap, Porsche is currently considering bringing a diesel motor for the Cayenne to the United States. The option has been looked at before, but Americans have never taken too kindly to the motor, so Porsche stayed away.
Yet, with fuel economy standards becoming ever higher, Porsche is considering the idea. The idea makes sense, as Audi is currently in a clean diesel marketing push in the U.S. In order to compete, Porsche will look to add a diesel Cayenne, which is already on sale in Europe, to America and Canada.
Canadians are showing a strong interest in diesel-powered motors. Mercedes-Benz is selling 70-80 percent of their SUVs with diesels under the hood. Volkswagen are in the same boat, selling 90 percent of the Touareg with a diesel.
