There are some advantages to working as an automotive journalist in Southern California – and the folks at Chrysler/Jeep demonstrated a couple of them for a recent press event.
First of all, there’s plenty of gorgeous scenery to enjoy during test drives – like Calamigos Ranch in the Malibu hills. Centered on two classic Los Angeles driving roads of Kanan Dume and Mulholland Highway, the Ranch offers easy access to winding mountain passes and its own rugged off-road course.
Second, there’s an endless supply of test fleet vehicles as every major automaker keeps fleets in and around LA. For this Malibu test run, Chrysler/Jeep trotted out the entire 2014 family, including the Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee Diesel, Patriot, Fiat 500L, 500e, Dodge Durango, Dodge Dart GT, Ram 1500 Diesel and ProMaster Van.
The Jeep contingent was available for both street driving and off-roading. Naturally, if there’s off-roading available, the street can wait. I took out both the 2014 Jeep Wrangler and the Cherokee out on a fairly challenging off-road course. It was a great testing combination because the two vehicles demonstrated very different ways to approach a run through a jungle.
The Cherokee was loaded with Jeep’s technological aids, such as an automatic transmission, Torque Control and Hill Ascent/Descent. While those tools don’t take the fun out of climbing every mountain and fording every stream, but it does make it easier.
The Wrangler offered a manual transmission and the demand for more driving skill, riding the brake, accelerator and clutch up and down the steep hills and rocky trails.
Regardless of the vehicle and technological preferences in each, off-road is still where the Jeep cuts its teeth and excels. It’s not the only off-road machine on the market. There are more expensive options out there. But, there’s something about hitting the trail in a Jeep that just seems right – as though you’re supposed to take such a vehicle out on a ranch.
During the street drive portion of the day, I skipped the Fiat line as we’ve covered most of its vehicles already. Instead, I went straight to Dodge and whipped down to the beach in the 2014 Dart.
There was a time when the Dart was a bit of a joke. Tiny, cheap and underpowered, the once-dead Dart was an effort by Dodge of old to build an entry level car. But, when Dodge brought the Dart back, they upped the ante a bit and got it right.
Dodge made the new version zippy and fun with a peppy four cylinder, two litter engine (turbo boosted on demand). Even though the vehicle isn’t a hatchback, Dodge embraced the sporty hatchback philosophy of marching its new Dart out in perky colors – making it a prime option for folks looking for a fun daily drive without breaking the bank (MSRP starting around $15,000).
Finally, I did a street run in the 2014 Dodge Durango Citadel. This special edition of the Durango is powered by a big Hemi V8 and resides high on the Dodge family tree. Big, powerful and comfortable, it’s a legitimate domestic challenger to more expensive BMW and Mercedes Benz SUVS.
Of course, while Dodge got the event and the venue right, the sad part was how quickly the driving day was over. When we get longer test drives of the Dodge and Jeep lines, we’ll bring you that coverage.
