Technically speaking, these weekly Rambling About Cars posts are teasers. They are designed to get you, dear reader, excited about Bruce and Smith's latest chatter on automotive happenings. Hopefully, these articles succeed in being pleasant (and effective) without causing the woeful fatigue the Chris's discuss in this week's podcast. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
First, there's the small matter of the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee that debuted this week. Wait a minute you say, didn't the new Grand Cherokee debut back in January? It sure did, but that was the three-row, seven-passenger Grand Cherokee L. Now, we have the slightly smaller two-row, five-passenger SUV – Jeep's bread-and-butter mainstream people mover. Bruce and Smith dish up everything you need to know, but of course there's a bit more to it than that.
Will the smaller Grand Cherokee lose its Quadra-Lift suspension to the global chip shortage as the Cherokee L did? Will the 4xe hybrid version be a game-changer for the segment when it goes on sale next year? And why did Jeep wait nearly an entire year for this debut? The Grand Cherokee is a major player in the SUV realm, and the 4xe hybrid promises big power with a 26-mile EV range. By all accounts, this should be a major vehicle debut, and yet it passed by with barely a whimper. Perhaps Jeep should've teased it a bit more.
Gallery: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee
That's the subject of the show's second half, and for good reason. The past week saw a slew of new vehicle teasers, including a full exterior reveal of the highly anticipated Chevrolet Corvette Z06. And what did we see? A silver C8 looking like a soft GT car instead of a hardcore track tamer. Where's the big wing? Where are the trick aero components? It's hard to get excited about the "lite" Z06, and speaking of which, we also have a new Acura Integra teaser revealing it as a five-door sportback. With a full debut still many months away, it's tough to get excited over what could be a rebadged ILX with snazzy taillights and a hatch.
Admittedly, the enthusiasm could be dampened by the onslaught of other ho-hum teasers that dropped in just the past week. Subaru, Mini, and Rolls-Royce all had something to sort of show the world, but at least Lamborghini tugged at heartstrings with its Countach teaser. No, not the new one, the first one... as in the original LP 500 prototype. It's neat, but still, why tease something people won't be able to buy? At least Lamborghini used the teaser platform properly, giving us a taste then droppinga full reveal just a couple of days later. Well done, Lambo PR team.
Previously On Rambling About Cars:
What's your take on automaker teasers? Should they stop dragging out these debuts and just show us the goods, or does a lengthy build-up really make a difference? As for the five-passenger Grand Cherokee, did Jeep make a mistake by not debuting it in January with the larger Grand Cherokee L? You know the drill: drop a comment here, on our YouTube video, or email the hosts: podcast@motor1.com
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