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No reason to buy a Spark when an Encore will do better and be better too for your dollar.

Spent the week in Rochester, NY. Was the first place I've seen these in any kind of couple a day volume, almost all in exactly the same configuration with these nasty base wheels. Basically a squatty, ever so slightly wider Equinox V6. Rochester market is big for Chevy, Ford, etc. so it made sense. But day to day "what's the payment on that" vs. when you could be in a loaded Grand Cherokee, etc. for less...?

Gotta love CarPlay Google Maps earth view. Especially helpful if in the middle of nowhere. Last night getting back to Philly from upstate NY. Best voice recognition on this one, and helpful "may be closed...is closing soon..." notifications when you pick certain businessed based on your travel. Every day in my car. I can't fathom using an inbuilt system again...and have one.

toyoter/nissan hasn't cut their tundra/titan when they failed to compete with the Americans. And cut models don't automatically mean they 'don't compete'. Did Mercedes cut the 300SL because it 'didn't compete' with the Corvette? But by your specific claim; if Ford & GM focus on CUVs / SUVs, they're not going to cut a number of CUV / SUV segments out. I mean, that's counter-intuitive on your part (despite your obvious desire to see all American brands completely discontinued).

That gladiator brochure is HILARIOUS; 2 bicycles and they DO NOT FIT in the bed. Can you imagine being an engineer at Jeep, you make this truck w/ bed vehicle, then you automatically have to engineer all sorts of racks & fitments to hold items ABOVE said bed. ? Might as well just have a Gladiator flatbed with a plethora of tie down rings & Jeep-branded straps - it would hold more things.

Came out of 24hr fitness to find this near my Durango.

I'm buying the next two, I want to be able to take them on the long trips I do without worrying about lease mileage. We already do 14k a year on the Buick and that hasn't even been to FL yet.

Never used Adaptive until 28k? Ha! Daily...everyday...use it. Love it. And the Pacifica and Pentastar 3.6L...smooth, creamy, powerful efficiency... Electronics, safety features, infotainment, etc. are so much better integrated in FCA vehicles vs. GM. Blind spot that's useful, visible and audible, great gauges, UConnect...

If the Big Two (plus FCA) "focus" on SUVs, how are the Asians 'going to take the SUV market'? Seems much more likely they'll lose market share.

Exactly. It matters more that it is a Porsche.

I'm really wanting hard to like the Gladiator... but not for the price.

Speaking of the Gladiator, got a fold out Gladiator mini-brochure (top edge shaped like a mountain range) in the mail along w/ a card from my CDJR dealer inviting me in to test drive the Gladiator...

was getting oil change today on the chrysler, and they had a loaded gladiator in the showroom. cool truck, a bit tight inside for my liking but size wise fine for small to mid size truck. I didn't like climbing up and in to it. Which of course is ok as an off road machine but as a daily driver I think something with easier ingress and egress and more cabin room would be nice. Really like the split top and i actually would find the truck bed large enough to be useful (haul the snowblower for example).

Those being limited trim models are irrelevant. They were all part of the same craze of getting the biggest gas hogging SUV out there until gas went through the roof. Just a different breed of lemmings IMO.

Modded DeSoto variant ~

I mean Ford is going all in on SUVs and GM is going pretty hard there too, but I could see Ford and GM cutting stuff like Escape, Ecosport, Traxx and Equinox when they can't compete with the Asians, same way they cut minivans and sedans when they couldn't compete with the Asians. Ford and GM can "focus" on SUVs, doesn't mean they will build good ones. They didn't build good sedans, they don't build good crossovers now with the exception of the Explorer/Aviator seem to be on point. And the body on frame trucks don't have any outside competition.