A Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) is a type of passenger vehicle which combines the load-hauling and passenger-carrying capacity of a large station wagon or minivan with features designed for off-road driving. They have been the hot car to own for the past 10 years, but lately they are regarded as gas guzzler and substantially dangerous because of high potential to roll over.
When we saw the first leaked images of the new Cherokee, we found them rather hard to believe; after all, they were revealing something never seen before on a Jeep model. Those images however were very accurate and the model finally made its world debut today at the 2013 New York Auto Show.
When initially announced, Jeep claimed the new Cherokee will deliver "even more best-in-class capability, exemplary on-road driving dynamics, and fuel economy improvements of more than 45 percent versus the outgoing mid-size SUV model," - aka Jeep Liberty.
The new Cherokee will be built at the company’s assembly plant in Toledo, Ohio and will be put on sale in the third quarter of this year. Customers can choose from the 2014 Jeep Cherokee Sport, Cherokee Latitude, Cherokee Limited and the Trail Rated Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk.
Updated 03/27/2013: This review has been updated with the official details, images and specs.
Hit the jump to read more about the 2014 Jeep Cherokee.
SsangYong’s continuing run of concepts has given birth to a new concept called the LIV-1, which stands for "Limitless Interface Vehicle".
Now we’ve seen the Korean automaker release some of the least attractive vehicles in the past, but it has done quite well in recent years, or at least not as bad as it used to.
The LIV-1 Concept is the latest proof that SsangYong is serious about giving its models a stylistic makeover. Pegged as a large premium SUV, the LIV-1 certainly has a couple of things about it that’s worth mentioning, including the haughty headlight setup, which we actually like because it gives off a proud but not too arrogant look that underlines SsangYong’s intention to make a name for itself in the business.
There’s a good chance that the LIV-1 Concept is a preview of a production vehicle and we won’t be surprised if it does make it to production. With the number of concepts SsangYong has been releasing the past few years, at least one of them has to make it to production, right?
Full details of the LIV-1 will be revealed at the Seoul Motor Show so sit tight and we’ll give you the information when it becomes available.
UK-based tuning firm, Merdad, has been featured prominently on these pages for its work on the Porsche Cayenne 902 Coupe.
Now it’s turning its attention on something a little closer to its roots, the Land Rover Range Rover. Though the photos of the program are still in their preview guise, Merdad did divulge details behind the Range Rover Highland GTC.
Notice that the luxury SUV looks a little bit bigger? The tuning firm did the work on that, courtesy of a new wide-body aero package that added 92 mm (3.62 inches) to the SUV’s width. The list of components includes a new hood, wheel arch extensions, new side skirts, a roof spoiler, a full-carbon rear bumper, a new diffuser and tailpipe deflectors. In addition, the interior was also treated to a complete overhaul, although Merdad has yet to release any information on how it did just that.
Another important part of the program is Merdad’s promise of a performance upgrade, which will be offered in a choice of outputs ranging from 510 horsepower all the way up to a staggering 700 horsepower with prices being broken down to $209,000 for the Range Rover 3.0-liter, $228,000 for the HSE 4.4-liter, $239,000 for the Supercharged 5.0-liter, and $485,000 for the 700 GTC Range Rover Coupe Racing 4 Seater.
A year after unveiling the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Concept at last year’s Easter Moab Safari, Jeep is headed to this year’s event with the successor to the concept, dubbed the Trailhawk II Concept.
It figures that Jeep would do a second go-round of the concept, seeing as the first model eventually found its way into production.
Just like the first incarnation, the Trailhawk Concept II comes packed with plenty of design cues, including a new SRT hood, a black front grille, a matte-black roof and one-off custom roof rails. That’s before you get into the part about the concept getting dressed in a non-metallic Blood Orange hue, a far cry from the Pure White color of the first concept. From there, custom fender flares were also installed, as well as front and rear skid plates, dual rear tow hooks, modified Mopar rock rails and a set of 17-inch aluminum wheels wrapped in monstrous 35-inch Mickey Thompson off-road tires.
The interior of the Trailhawk Concept II doesn’t come with as many upgrades as the exterior, although with Mopar slush mats and a rear cargo liner, that’s probably all you need on the cabin of this bad boy.
UPDATE 04/03/13: The second incarnation of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Concept has more photos that we can ogle over. Check them out in the gallery below!
Volkswagen Tiguan received a first update at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show and surprisingly, no major tuning kits have been announced for the small SUV since then. Today however, German tuner, ABT Sportsline, announced a complete upgrade kit for the Tiguan that includes exterior and upgrades for nearly every engine in the lineup.
The exterior kit includes a new front grille, new door strip attachments and for the rear, a new skirt that hides the exhaust pipes and a new spoiler. The tuner is advising its clients to opt for either the ER-C or DR wheels, but CR alloy wheels are also available.
Under the hood, the tuner upgrades both the petrol and diesel engines. The 2.0-liter TDI version is tuned to 140, 170 or 195 horsepower (up from the standard 110, 140 and 170 horsepower). The 1.4-liter turbo version now delivers 160, 180 or 210 horsepower, depending on the version your Tiguan has. For the most powerful engine, the 2.0-liter TSI engine delivers either 230 or 260 horsepower.
Lamborghini’s long-awaited entry into the SUV market with the Urus isn’t set to happen in the foreseeable future. But, according to Audi boss Rupert Stadler, it’s still "on track" to arrive as a production model at various auto shows in late 2016.
That much was said by Stadler, who told Autocar that the production model of the Urus is expected to be green lit later this year with an eye towards a production-model debut in 2016.
“Lamborghini has to do it; because of the need to dovetail into production cycles, we should see the Urus in 2017,” Stadler said.
The Urus is set to be based on the same new-generation MLB platform as the rest of SUV’s under the Volkswagen umbrella. The only difference is that the Lamborghini will make extensive use of lightweight materials, possibly to differentiate itself as an ultra-luxury SUV.
Remember, the Urus is Lamborghini’s entry into an already crowded SUV market and while the rest of the lot don’t hold the esteem of the Lamborghini name attached to them, it’s still important for the Urus to be a step above its expected competition. That’s precisely why Lambo is expected to slap on a 4.0-liter twin-boosted V-8 engine that will pump out just about 600 horsepower with an estimated 700 pound-feet of torque.
The first-generation Volvo XC90 was unveiled back in 2003 and for many years it has been Volvo’s best-sold SUV. However, in the past few years things have changed and XC90 sales have dropped significantly. The reason is quite simple: the XC90 feels aged when compared to many of its competitors. Because of its lagging behind, Volvo has started to test the second-generation XC90 and today we have caught the first mule playing out in the snow in Northern Sweden.
You will likely notice that the mule looks basically identical to the current XC70 and that’s because it is almost identical. You have to remember that this is just a mule that Volvo uses to test technologies that will be used in the next XC90, like the SPA platform and probably one of the new VEA engines. Also, if you take a closer look at the photos, you will notice this mule is a lot wider than the current XC70. Additionally, the fuel cap has an odd placement directly above the right wheel — a clear indication that the wheelbase is significantly longer than in the current model. The rear doors also look to be nearly two inches longer than normal.
The second-gen XC90 will be built on a new, flexible platform that is developed independently by Volvo and bears the name “SPA” (Scalable Product Architecture). This change will make the next XC90 longer than the current generation and, of course, roomier on the inside.
Under the hood, the crossover will get a lineup of turbocharged four-cylinder engines combined with newly developed eight-gear automatic transmission. The current V-6 and V-8 engines will be dropped.
Expect the new XC90 to be launched sometime in 2015, so if you want the new model, you will have to wait for another two years.
The Mercedes GLK-Class was unveiled back in 2008 and Mercedes is already planning the next generation for 2015. The model will be based on the next C-Class platform and rumors have been swirling about an AMG model for the first time. However, in a recent interview, AMG director of vehicle development, Tobias Moers, dismissed those rumors, suggesting that such a model does not fit on the market right now.
Apparently, transforming the GLK into a real AMG model will cost a lot and such an investment makes no sense on the current market. Keep in mind, though, that things could change once Porsche drops the new Macan on the market.
When asked about the new Audi Q3 RS, Moers said that Audi did not apply the right strategy and that the model does not deliver the right amount of power for an RS model. Translated, he does not think the RS Q3 would be a real threat for and SMG variant of the GLK-Class.
The end of the week is coming with another tuning kit from the British tuner, Kahn Design. This time, the tuner focused its attention on the Land Rover Defender and created a very cool Chelsea Wide Track kit. As usual, the tuner offers updates to the exterior and interior, while the engine is left untouched.
The exterior upgrades include new front and rear wide wings with integrated vents and bolt apertures, extended wheel arches in satin black, front and rear wing-vent mesh inserts, roof in satin black, bonnet vents with mesh, and a new front grille with embossed Kahn mesh. The tuner also installed new headlamps with diamond LED lights. The car will sit on 18-inch RS Defender wheels in satin black combined with brake calipers finished in liquid red.
For the interior, the upgrades include: front and rear racing seats in black leather with silver stitching, a new leather steering wheel, front and rear floor mats, and vented foot pedals in machined aluminum.
It looks like large SUVs have received lots of attention from tuners at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, as now the Mercedes GL63 has been transformed into the B63 by Brabus. The kit includes a very cool aerodynamic kit, plus an additional 63 horsepower under the hood.
The SUV’s 5.5-liter Bi-turbo V-8 engine received new mapping for its fuel injection and ignition, plus a moderate increase in boost pressure. As a result the V-8 engine now delivers a total of 620 horsepower and a peak torque of 604 pound-feet. The car will now sprint from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds and up to a top speed of 174 mph.
To handle all of this extra power, Brabus installed an upgraded control module for the AIRMATIC suspension system, which drops the overall ride height by 30 mm (1.18 inches). Also added in is a Brabus high-performance braking system that combines six-piston calipers on the front and four-piston calipers on the rear with 15.9-by-1.3-inch cross-drilled rotors up front and 15-by-1.3-inch rotors on the rear.
Along with the engine upgrades, the B63 kit features an aerodynamic package that adds striking fender flares front and back, larger air inlets on the front bumper and for the rear a new roof spoiler and a new diffuser. The car will sit on 23-inch forged wheels available in three designs: Monoblock E evo, F and R. These rims are wrapped up with 305/30ZR23 tires from Continental, Pirelli or Yokohama.
For the interior, the new B63 kit adds the finest Mastik leather and Alcantara, stainless-steel scuff plates with backlit Brabus logos, aluminum peripherals (pedals, door pins and shift paddles) and precision upholstery work.
