Auto News 5

What's in a name? Well, for Mark Johnson of Sanger, California, the "Altitude" name represents a free Jeep Grand Cherokee in his driveway. Jeep presented a "production-intent" version of its Grand Cherokee with a blacked-out exterior design theme at the Houston Auto Show last January and launched the Name My Ride campaign in which it invited the general public to help choose a name for the production model that would follow. (Similar blacked-out editions of the Patriot and Compass have also been created.) Mr. Johnson's submission was chosen as the best, and we agree that it's the perfect name for a Jeep trim level. Wish we'd thought of it. With it, Jeep has an attractive model that's above the base Laredo but a little more affordable than the Limited and much more affordable than the top-of-the-line Overland. Not that our tester, at $42K, is what one would call cheap. Unless I towed frequently, I'd save myself $1700 and choose the standard V-6 over this example's optional V-8 and get significantly better fuel economy in the bargain (16/23 mpg city/highway with the V-6 vs. 13/20 mpg with the V-8). In any case, it's good to see that Jeep is keeping the Grand Cherokee, which we very much like, fresh. Nice job, Jeep, and congratulations, Mark Johnson.

You are forgiven if you believe that just about the last thing the Porsche 911 needs is four-wheel drive. After all, the boxer engine sits right on top of the driven wheels, so a lack of traction is rarely an issue. Nevertheless, since 1989 (when the first 911 Carrera 4 was launched), 41 percent of all 911s sold drive all four wheels. The latest 911 with this technology is the widebody, wide-track 991 Carrera 4, which commands a nearly $9000 premium over the standard rear-wheel-drive model. Is this an extra worth having?

The first 75 seconds of Ted Nugent's "Stranglehold" are awesome and must be played at full volume, but after the first breakdown the song becomes a bit repetitive and tiresome. We're reminded of "Stranglehold" and the Motor City Madman every time we get into our Acura ILX. Why? Its inline-four sounds so sultry for the first few minutes, when you're driving like a buffoon, coaxing the engine to wail a bit more. But while you can turn the volume down on a song, you, unfortunately, can't hush this engine.