4dr Sdn 300 Touring *ltd Avail* Sedan Automatic Gasoline 3.5l V6 Fi Dohc 24v Lin on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Detroit 3 small cars lay an egg in latest Consumer Reports reliability study

Consumer Reports has released its Annual Auto Reliability Survey and the results are, in a word, interesting. While we already covered the score-damaging effects of infotainment systems, there's another big angle to the data that's getting some attention - the utterly dismal scores of the Detroit Three's small car offerings.
The turbocharged Dodge Dart and Chevrolet Cruze, as well as the Ford Fiesta were their respective brands' lowest-scoring models, a stat that's made worse by the fact that the American automakers finished 25th, 21st and 23rd, respectively.
That's not acceptable for The Detroit Free Press' auto critic, Mark Phelan, who has penned a scathing critique of the D3's small car reliability scores, arguing that GM, Ford and Chrysler are "out of excuses."

2020 Chrysler Pacifica pricing set: Here's how Voyager and Pacifica lineups compare

Fiat-Chrysler shooed the irritant Dodge Grand Caravan out of the product mix for cannibalizing Pacifica sales, then created the Voyager to lure minivan buyers who need an inexpensive minivan fix across the lot. The 2020 Voyager L and LX, which replace the entry-level Pacifica L and Pacifica LX, costs $250 less than the respective 2019 Pacifica models. Chrysler's held the line on the starter Pacifica pricing while revamping the trim arrangement. For 2020, the Pacifica Touring becomes the base retail Pacifica model, and the Touring Plus goes away. Cars Direct has found that the 2020 minivan in base Touring trim will cost $34,990 after a $1,495 destination fee. That's the same price as the 2019 Touring Plus. Let's explain the trims before we get to the rest of the pricing, because it's a little funky. In 2019, the trim steps went Pacifica L, LX, fleet-only Touring, Touring Plus, Touring L, Touring L Plus, and Limited. Those first three iterations have become Voyagers L, LX, and LXi — the fleet-only 2019 Pacifica Touring has been replaced by the fleet-only 2020 Voyager LXi. So we'll recap the entire price lineup to make it clearer: Voyager L, $28,480 ($250 less than the 2019 Pacifica L) Voyager LX, $31,290 ($250 less than the 2019 Pacifica LX) Voyager LXi (fleet), $34,490 ($500 less than the now-retired, fleet-only 2019 Pacifica Touring) Pacifica Touring, $34,990 (Same price as the now-retired 2019 Pacifica Plus) Pacifica Touring L, $38,240 ($50 less than in 2019) Pacifica Touring L 35th Anniversary, $40,230 ($75 less than in 2019) Pacifica Touring L Plus, $41,040 ($100 less than in 2019) Pacifica Touring L Plus 35th Anniversary, $42,335 ($225 less than in 2019) Pacifica Limited, $45,940 ($250 less than in 2019) Pacifica Limited 35th Anniversary, $46,735 ($150 less than in 2019) Now that Fiat-Chrysler's rationalized the offerings, the absence of advanced technology features on the Voyager trims won't surprise anyone. Voyager infotainment begins and ends with the seven-inch Uconnect touchscreen; the larger 8.4-inch screen is forbidden. The Voyager LXi becomes the fleet model, sparing the Pacifica nameplate that ignominy. Driver assistance tech in Voyagers will be limited to the cost-extra rear park assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic detection. Adaptive cruise control and autonomous braking aren't offered. If you want those, you have to shift up to the Pacifica Touring, which can add them with the $995 Advanced Safetytec Group.

Maserati Levante will borrow Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid's PHEV powertrain

The plug-in hybrid tech from the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan will move seriously upmarket into a future version of the Maserati Levante crossover. The PHEV model should arrive around early 2018 or possibly the end of 2017, division boss Harald Wester told Motor Trend. Wester was blunt about the reason for using the minivan's powertrain. "A standalone program would be suicidal so we have to look at FCA," he said to Motor Trend. However, he expects the PHEV to comprise a tiny portion of the luxury CUV's sales volume – possibly as low as six percent. The Pacifica Hybrid will be the first PHEV minivan in the US when it arrives in the second half of 2016. The powertrain combines a 3.6-liter V6 that runs on the more efficient Atkinson cycle, and two electric motors, which are in the gearbox. A 16-kWh lithium-ion battery under the floor stores the energy for the system. Chrysler estimates the setup can carry the minivan 30 miles purely on electric power and achieve 80 MPGe. The first examples of the Levante should arrive in the US in August, according to Motor Trend. Maserati plans initially to offer its luxury crossover here with two twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6s. Base models use a version with 350 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque. The S trim gets some extra grunt thanks to a tune that makes 430 hp and 427 lb-ft. Both models come with an eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive, and a limited-slip differential. The Maserati will have a fleet of posh, European crossovers to fight against, and the PHEV will possibly offer an edge to entice a few green-minded, wealthy customers. Related Video: