Well, not all of them have. The updated, outside the box 2015 Jeep Cherokee brings that whole standard back to the table, delivering not only an on-the-road performance to rival many other manufacturer’s rides, but also has the ability to take on the off road segment with ease, comfort, and in a strange way, luxury.

Now I am not a fan of this vehicle’s looks on the outside, feeling they are too much of a departure from the ‘Jeep’ look that has been so long established and ingrained, but I can see why they did it. You will never mistake this SUV for another on the road, and Jeep has now developed a second look to add to its future development and design of rides. And while this look is a bit alien with the squinted headlights and rounded body, the look still maintains the vertical bar grill that is common on other Jeep rides. And, again, you will not be mistaking this ride for another on the road.

Inside, the Cherokee is clean with a well appointed dash and technology all around. Packed with the latest and greatest from Chrysler’s tech side, the huge MMI screen is easy to read while driving, and even quicker than previous versions to update and make changes when needed. The steering wheel has one of my favorite new features, the rear mounted volume/channel controls, built in, as well as the standard buttons for driving comforts at easy reach.

Wrapping around this technology is the somewhat, almost too much, luxurious interior, appointed in soft leather and solid dash. I say almost too much as it’s one of the best interiors I have seen on the market for a smaller SUV, and this is one designed to take off road and get dirty. Granted, I know it can handle it, but I personally would still have second thoughts. And the overall comfort of the ride inside was top notch with higher priced SUVs, with great driver’ positions and smoothness on the full variety of terrain tested.

You might say if I just stayed inside the ride, I would be sold, and while that is where I would spend most my time as the driver, the outside still has me questioning if it would be the car for me. Yes, it is a vanity aspect, and the design doesn’t take away from the capability of this ride, but overall it just doesn’t look like the Jeep I would take on the trail. And while most drivers sadly wont be barging through deep mud pits or climbing rocky paths, the vehicle surely sets itself apart on all areas of design and functionality.

The post Rebirth of the Offroad SUV: 2015 Jeep Cherokee appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

If you were ever looking for people to ride with around the City, and develop some more motorcycle skills, this is your chance. Since living in this grand ole city is very sketchy at times (okay, all times) on a motorcycle, it’s nice to be able to escape the Taxi Cab Death Squads to the mountainous regions of the north. And at a reasonable $45 with meals included, it’s not going to take fuel out of your tank.

While we try and wrangle up an actual bike for the ride (We’re looking at you Ducati!) check out the event page below for more information. And if you sign up, drop us a line and show us what kind of iron you’re riding.

http://www.aetherapparel.com/journal/2014/04/11/urban-adventure-nyc-escape-from-new-york/

The post Aether Apparel Escape New York Motorcycle Ride appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.

This winter has been one for the record books. The northeast has received record amounts of snowfall, parts the south have been incapacitated due to ice and bad planning, and the Great Lakes have frozen solid. With all this perilous weather causing damage, delays and downright misery, it’s good to have Buick’s responsive and impressive 2014 Regal GS AWD at your disposal.

Part of the rock solid feel the Buick maintains in inclement weather, is its front-biased AWD system that constantly calculates changes in road surfaces and also driver inputs. If you’ve ever been nervous the rear’s gonna come around on you, fret not. With the GS’s new Haldex system, only the most barbaric push on the throttle would cause the Buick to oversteer—with the ability of the system to send 90-percent of the power to the rear wheels if front wheels lose traction.

Buick’s Torque Transfer Device (TTD) is the heart of the AWD system by preemptively applying torque and splitting it dependent on what conditions you are driving in by making millisecond adjustments in real-time; and completely seamlessly. Combined with the electronically limited-slip differential (eLSD), which controls both front/rear and side-to-side actions, the GS AWD is impressively suited for ice and snow. Two performance modes, Sport and GS, increase suspension feel and engine mapping with the GS mode taking characteristics a step sportier while also increasing steering feel.

Navigating the 1.4-kilometer ice and snow covered track at Toronto’s ICar complex, the Regal’s driving dynamics begin to expose themselves when pushed to the limit. With an also brand new, 2.0L turbo four-cylinder (borrowed from the Cadillac ATS) the Buick is quick and nimble thanks to a wide torque curve and 24 psi of boost from the 259hp, 295 lb.-ft torque turbo. Long-winded drifts, left-foot braking and modest acceleration left me, to be honest, quite impressed at this outlier in the Buick name. (Granted, I haven’t driven other current Buicks, but based on what I was going into the review expecting, I came out shocked.) The constantly changing conditions of the surface of the track allowed for Buick’s HiPer Strut front suspension to get a workout testing the camber control and impact isolation when trying to realistically put power down in a extremely low-friction environment. I left the Buick in ‘GS’ mode to increase effectiveness of the suspension and also engine mapping.

HiPer strut really helps with the front-biased GS by splitting the steering and suspension functions instead of having the front suspension handle both loads simultaneously, often ending in nasty torque steer. Basically, there’s more of the contact patch of the tire on the road even with side-to-side steering inputs and acceleration: The system is complicated in theory but works flawlessly in execution.

The Buick GS takes a few moments to really digest what you’re looking at, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s a very handsome car with subtle bits of distinction that highlights its passive aggressive demeanor. Certain angles it takes on a 5 Series and others it reminds me of the Pontiac G8, just more svelte. It’s a looker, especially with the optional 20-inch alloys on 255 series tires all around. Subtle touches such as the integrated lip spoiler, hood vents, front fascia inlets and even the—what I would refer to as—black-chrome grille add flair to the once ho-hum brand’s mid-size sedan.

Inside, the new 8-inch configurable gauge cluster adds to the GS’s modern feel by offering two modes: Touring and Sport. Steering wheel controls allow adjustments on the fly: mobile phone, radio, GPS; while also allowing complete control of the optional Adaptive Cruise Control lane departure warning, forward collision alert and following distance indicator. Seats were pretty good, though I wish there was a little bit less inflation on the standard bolster. American cars, particularly GM, often seem to pump air bladders on high into the seats, which can make long drives somewhat uncomfortable: You feel on the edge of your seat most of the time, and that’s not even because of frantic driving by yours truly.

There are some downsides. The touch sensitivity for the climate controls aren’t nearly sensitive enough. I often found myself repeatedly pushing the buttons to make sure it was working. And when driving, you don’t want to have to second guess yourself. Standard hard buttons would work wonders and with the right design wouldn’t look out of place. The price is a bit of a hard pill to swallow at first, but you are getting a lot for the $45,500 price on my tester. For some of the Germans, you’re looking at over $50k for a similarily equipped unit and based on the testing I’ve done with the other brands, Buick stands ground firmly in the technology space. Ride and handling is another thing. Not that the GS is bad, it’s actually very capable, but it’s just not as fine tuned and rock solid as the other competitors.

Granted Buick will have to win over the masses that still might believe Buick is set in their ways. They’ve won me over. They’ve proven that they aren’t sitting still and living in the past where they merely skated along, they are providing worthy cars of the storied Buick name, and in the future the competitors are going to have a tough time outrunning the GS.

The post Weather Proof—2014 Buick Regal GS AWD appeared first on FactoryTwoFour.