Drew Dowdell

Jeep will be bringing a trio of plug-in hybrid variants with them to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this month, and along with them, a new badge. The Jeep Wrangler, Compass, and Renegade will debut in North America wearing a new 4xe badge that will denote their plug-in status. The SUV's are scheduled for their official debut in New York and Geneva later this year. Jeep intends to have some form of electrified driving available in its entire lineup by 2022, but it could be in the form of a mild-hybrid eTorque system. At the moment, Jeep says that all electrified vehicles will carry the new 4xe but it is unclear if that really includes the eTorque models or not. We've previously seen Compass and Renegade Plug-In hybrids at the Geneva Auto Show in 2019. In those, the engine is a 1.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder producing 177 hp and 200 lb.-ft of torque on its own. On the Renegade, there are power variants that add additional electric motivation to bring total output to either 190 hp or 240 hp. The only choice on the Compass is the 240 hp version. The PHEVs have eAWD, where the rear wheels are powered electrically only and there is no prop shaft from the gasoline engine. FCA claims the PHEVs can travel up to 31 miles in electric only mode and reach a top speed of 81 mph before the gasoline engine kicks in to help. We will have more details on the Renegade, Compass, and Wrangler Plug-In hybrids coming soon. View full article

Like every other automaker out there, Audi is looking to electrify their lineup, that includes models from the Audi Sport division that produces the S and RS models for Audi. At the 2018 LA Auto Show, Audi introduced the E-tron GT Concept, based on the same platform as the Porsche Taycan. The concept featured a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup producing 582 horsepower and about 600 lb.-ft of torque. Powering that was a 96 kWh battery that Audi claimed would give a range of 250 miles and a 0-62 mph of 3.5 seconds. The production version will debut at the 2020 LA Auto Show, but we don't know yet if it will sport the same three tiers that the Porsche Taycan has with similar specs. It is expected that the base E-tron GT will have a lower output and lower price than the Taycan. The base model and S variant should be available at launch while the RS will follow along later. In addition to the Audi E-tron GT, Audi Sport is busy working on electrified version of their RS models. These will be plug-in hybrids, the first of which is expected to be the RS4 around the 2022 model year and then proceed up the line. Since SUVs are all the rage, Audi is also working on an RS version of their E-tron Sportback SUV to compete head to head with the Tesla Model Y Performance. The current E-tron Sportback makes a maximum of 402 horsepower in boost mode with its dual motors. Audi has hinted that a third motor could be introduced for even more performance. Audi will also take a second stab at an R8 E-tron. The first one appeared in 2015 as a second generation R8, but was only in production for 16 months due to low demand, largely blamed on its $1.1 million price tag. Only 100 copies of the original R8 E-Tron were built. It used a dual motor setup pushing 456 hp and 679 lb.-ft of torque to the wheels with a promised range of up to 280 miles. The next version of the R8 E-tron will likely see a power boost, but Audi is also working on bringing the price down to a more reasonable (for a supercar) price. Even with a substantial reduction in price, the R8 E-tron will likely only be a limited production model. View full article

This is much more interesting than any of the tired European designs. I liken this to the Aviator in terms of interesting and handsome design.

Fiat is bringing the Concept Centoventi to the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. The concept previews the next generation Panda and the name means 120 in Italian in honor of the brand's 120 year history. The Panda is the mini-car platform used by the Fiat 500 in the U.S. The Concept Centoventi is designed to be a "blank canvas" ready to be painted to suit owner's needs and desires at any time, without being stuck with the color chosen at purchase. It is produced in only one color and then the customer "paints" the vehicle using Fiat's 4U program that allows for four roof options, four bumper cover options, four wheel cover options, and four exterior wrappings. Various interior options like storage compartments, seats, and child-restraint systems are interchangeable and installed in a plug-and-play fashion by the customer. The powertrain is electrified and can be equipped with different batteries to vary the range from 60 miles to 300 miles. The Concept Centoventi has a small screen in the windshield facing outward to display messages while a larger rear tailgate display can also display messages or while in motion, just the Fiat logo. View full article

Fiat Chrysler is bringing a slew of concepts to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that all feature some sort of electrification. The centerpiece of their display will be the 2020 Airflow Vision concept. While not specifically branded as a Chrysler, the Airflow Vision does take the name of a full-size Chrysler model produced from 1934 - 1937. FCA calls it a "sculptural design concept" that envisions the next generation of premium transportation. The interior user experience is designed to be captivating. FCA put a lot of work into showing a sophisticated appearance that can be personalized and customized to individual needs. The cabin offers multiple interfaces, one behind the steering wheel, two on the center console, one for the front passenger, and two more for the rear passengers. Information can be shared between the screens by swiping. The interior is said to be the same size as the Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in and has a flat load floor. In spite of all that room, it only has 4 seats set up in a lounge chair fashion to maximize legroom, shoulder room, and storage space for each passenger. Premium suedes and leathers, along with ambient lighting make the ride a first-class experience. The exterior of the Airflow Vision has an aggressive stance with bodywork reaching almost to the ground. The wheels hint at the use of electric motors, but no powertrain information was provided. View full article

Rumor has it that Ford is working on a V8 powered version of their Ranger Raptor currently sold in overseas markets. Only available in other parts of the world, the current Ranger Raptor is powered by a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder diesel that produces 210 horsepower and 369 lb.-ft of torque, but a report in Wheels magazine says that Ford Australia is working with an external engineering company to swap the 2.0 diesel for a 5.0-liter V8 from the Mustang GT. The odd thing about this is that the Ranger Raptor 5.0 would be still built with the 2.0-liter diesel under the hood and then later converted to V8 gasoline power. Expect power to be about the same as it makes in the Australian spec Mustang GT, a healthy 455 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft of torque. If it all comes together, the Ranger Raptor 5.0 is expected to go on sale in Australia next year, sold by Ford dealers and backed by the full 5-year warranty. For now, the Ranger Raptor remains forbidden fruit to the U.S. no matter what engine is under the hood. View full article

Over the holiday, Genesis released some official images of the upcoming Genesis GV80 SUV. The Genesis GV80 originally leaked out with unauthorized pictures in early December, but now we have a clearer and more official view. The GV80 sports the large shield grille that the new 2020 Genesis G90 wears, but also includes new split headlight design. This motif is reflected in the taillight design as well. Inside the dashboard is wide and low, to emphasis width. Most of the controls are touch sensitive and a large, wide screen rises up out of the dash for the infotainment system. The drive selector is a jewel-like rotating dial in the center console. The GV80 rides on a Genesis-unique rear wheel drive platform and will likely be powered by a 3.3-liter turbocharged V6 making 365 horsepower or more with a possible power boost. There is also the possibility of the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder found in the Sonata N-Line that makes 290 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. The transmission will likely be the 8-speed automatic found in other Genesis vehicles. We will be seeing more of the GV80 as the month progresses. It goes on sale in it's home market of South Korea later this month. View full article

The adaptive cruise control till get you all the way down to zero and allow you to creep along at low speed in traffic. If it brings you to a full stop, you need to tap the gas pedal or the resume button to go again, but after that it will just follow the car in front. I got 36 on the way to Virginia and 34 on the way home (more uphill than down). The weather wasn't cold enough for the windshield to fog over, so I didn't get a chance to test what you are describing. The fixed first gear only really makes initial take off feel less rubbery than a traditional CVT, but you get out of that first gear pretty quickly.

Happy New Year All!

Merry Christmas everyone

I think the interior looks fantastic, and if they pull it off as well as they did the Telluride interior it very well could be a luxury car feel at a family car price point.

The EPA has officially released its assessment of the 2020 Jeep Wrangler EcoDiesel. The EcoDiesel is only available as a 4-door with an 8-speed automatic and in that configuration, the EcoDiesel manages to get 29 mpg highway, 22 mpg city, and 25 combined. That is slightly better than a 4x4 Ram 1500 with the same powertrain. The next closest model in terms of fuel efficiency is the 2-door, 4-cylinder, manual transmission, rear-wheel drive Wrangler at 24 highway mpg, 22 city mpg, and 23 combined. The diesel engine is a $4,000 option though so you may not ultimately save money. Instead, Jeep believes the EcoDiesel option is best suited for those who need the gobs of torque generated by the V6 diesel when going off-road. With 260 horsepower and 442 lb.-ft of torque, the Wrangler EcoDiesel has torque in spades. To the dismay of many, the Ecodiesel does come standard with electronic stop/start. If diesel isn't your thing, there is the 2.0T 4-cylinder which produces 270 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft of torque or the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 which produces 285 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft of torque. Both engines also come with stop/start or can be upgraded to the eTorque system that smooths out the torque band and either engine is available with a manual transmission or 8-speed automatic. View full article

The Volkswagen brand is on track to introduce 34 models globally in 2020. While some, like the ID.3, will be new to the portfolio, others are variants of familiar faces with many of those being electrified. Much stricter emissions rules come into effect in Europe starting January 1st and will force every company that sells on the continent to rethink their lineups. For Volkswagen, that means that most of their internal combustion powered vehicles will gain an available hybrid powertrain. Volkswagen says they will be introducing hybrid versions from the Golf to the Tiguan, to the Touareg. There will also be a number of cars coming that aren't hybrids or EVs. The next generation Golf is coming to Europe in 2020 with GTI, GTD, R, and Wagon variants to follow, though not all will make it to the U.S.. The Atlas will receive a refresh and the Atlas Cross Sport goes into production soon. Over in Europe, VW will be launching the T-Roc Cabriolet, the Arteon Shooting Brake, and Tiguan R. Plus there will be other announcements coming for the brand. With that in mind, these 34 vehicles are just for the VW brand and don't count what Audi, SEAT, Skoda, are up to. So there is likely to be even more in the pipeline. This whole push is to help get the Volkswagen brand to a 4 percent to 5 percent operating profit for 2020. View full article

New European carbon emissions rules are coming into effect soon and that will have a negative effect on models from a number of manufacturers. Mercedes-AMG is known for its high-output vehicles, but that also generally makes them more polluting as well. Mercedes wants to cut its CO2 emissions from the current 138 grams per kilometer to 100 grams per kilometer. This would hit its most powerful models the hardest. In the overall European market, 35 percent of new vehicles sold are sport utility vehicles which generally have higher emissions than cars. Customers' appetite for SUVs could force Mercedes to cut their AMG variants offered by up to 75%. AMG will attempt to get around some of these cuts by introducing electrification in more of its vehicles, however, engine downsizing seems to be in play here as well. View full article

The Kia K5 was unveiled in South Korea last month, but now we have some technical details to go with it. It sounds like Kia will ditch the Optima name in the U.S. and go with the K5 name used in South Korea going forward. The engine selection is similar to that of the Hyundai Sonata. There will be a 1.6-liter turbo 4-cylinder with 178 horsepower and 195 lb.-ft of torque. There will also be a 2.5 liter naturally aspirated and direct injected 4-cylinder that produces 191 hp and 181 lb.-ft of torque. The bigger news is that the Kia K5 GT will also get the 2.5-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder going into the Sonata N-Line, that motor produces 286 hp and 311 lb.-ft of torque. That final engine is paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission and should get the sedan from 0-60 in 6.6 seconds. Sometime in the future, a hybrid version of the car will be released, but Kia isn't going into detail on that just yet. Probably the biggest news for the K5 is that it will gain an all-wheel drive system that can shift power to the rear axle based on road conditions and driver input. It should be noted that the Sonata doesn't get an all-wheel drive option, so this gives the Kia a point of distinction over its cousin. The K5 has a sporty exterior with a wide tiger nose grille running the entire width of the vehicle. New headlights with a 'heart beat' daytime running light feature flank both sides. The stance of the K5 is said to lean forward with a rakish windshield and sloping roof. In the rear is a dual exhaust system and integrated spoiler along with a LED light bar. Wheels start at 16-inches and range up to 19-inches on the GT. The K5 is 193.1 inches long, longer than its predecessor, it's also lower and wider. Wheelbase grows by 1.8-inches. The cabin is all new with fancy new seats and a flat bottom steering wheel. There is an availabe infotainment system that sports a 10.25-inch screen while an available gauge cluster is fully digital and 12.3 inches complimented by an 8.0-inch heads up display. Some models of K5 will get a rotary gear selector while others get a more traditional T-Shifter. The K5 will have a bunch of driver assistance technologies including forward collision avoidance assist, blind-spot monitoring and assist, smart cruise control, driver attention warning, and highway driving assist. Also available is a Level 2 semi-autonomous driving system and a remote park assist that will allow users to move their vehicle forwards or backwards with a key fob in order to get into or out of a tight parking spot. The 2021 Kia K5 goes on sale in the first half of 2020. View full article