When most auto magazines review a car, editors get sent off to a sunny place, treated to a nice lunch and a weekend at a 5-star hotel. Consumer Reports doesn't do that. These guys live up north, use their own track and buy cars off the dealers lots. That doesn't sound important, but let us tell you automakers make press cars better by secretly giving them more power sometimes.
A few days ago, Consumer Reports released a first drive review of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee, probably the most important new Jeep model this decade. It has one of the most important names in the company's history and arrives in the middle of one of the most competitive markets.
CR found that the Cherokee hasn't got the agility of a Ford Escape. That's not really a problem though, since the V6 Jeep offers is a rarity in the small SUV class. Most automakers have killed it off because of economy, but Jeep can get away with it because it has a premium reputation. Funny thing is, the Cherokee Limited they spent $37,525 on is the same price as the Mercedes GLK. Never thought we'd see the day. That has no ugly bones or an automatic gearbox that doesn't quite work.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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