Luxury that hauls ass
So far, the drivetrain has been flawless.
Push the button on the dash and the engine roars to life. Yes, it literally
roars. Growl—burble, burble, burble. It’s killer. Press the button down on the electronic
shifter and push it forward to engage Reverse. Put your foot on the brake, push
the button on the shifter again, and pull back to hit Drive. It’s the best
electronic shifter we’ve encountered thus far; more intuitive than the rotary
button of the Ram pickups and the Dodge Durango and far, far more certain in
engagement than the Grand Cherokee. The steering feel and control is flawless,
the seats are comfortable, yet supportive, and the clarity and volume of the
stereo is nearly without equal in a production system. That said, it’s not all
unicorns and rainbows. So far we’ve noticed some intermittent quirks we feel
you shouldn’t have to deal with in a (nearly) $100,000 vehicle.
Press
the button down on the electronic shifter and push it forward to engage
Reverse. Put your foot on the brake, push the button on the shifter again, and
pull back to hit Drive.
For starters, the aluminum trim along the
center console looks killer, but periodically emits a rattle, squeak, and
vibration at freeway speeds. Also, the white leather on the driver seat began
to show signs of wear and discoloring after about 8,000 miles. Keep in mind the
driver only weighs about 175 pounds soaking wet, so it’s not like it’s highly
abused or anything. Also, the seat heaters seem to have a work ethic rivaling
the British Leyland employees of the mid-1970s: They work when they want to and
with varying degrees of efficiency. And finally, although the stereo system
sounds crazy good, it’s somewhat ponderous to scroll through the setup panels
on the touchscreen to change input (like to select your Bluetooth device) or
adjust the video for rear-seat occupants. That said, those are our only gripes
thus far.
And
finally, although the stereo system sounds crazy good, it’s somewhat ponderous
to scroll through the setup panels on the touchscreen to change input (like to
select your Bluetooth device) or adjust the video for rear-seat occupants.
It’s a rocket ship you can use to take your
family of five off-road on the weekend and then whisk the partners off to lunch
after the Monday-afternoon board meeting. Not that we have partners—or board
meetings. Check back next time when we’ll have more dirt miles under the
speed-rated tires and numbers for the V-8’s first scheduled maintenance.
It’s
a rocket ship you can use to take your family of five off-road on the weekend
and then whisk the partners off to lunch after the Monday-afternoon board
meeting.
