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Editors' Picks January 2022 | Ford Maverick, Jeep Grand Cherokee and more

This month, we awarded Editors' Pick awards to a number of totally redesigned, new models. Most notable of the bunch is the 2022 Ford Maverick. Ford took a chance on a new segment, and its execution is as close to perfect as we could hope for. The Hyundai Santa Cruz is a worthy competitor, though, and was also named an Editors' Pick. Also in this list, we have the redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee. It's an excellent SUV, and it's only going to get better when the plug-in hybrid 4xe model hits the roads. In case you missed our previous Editors' Picks posts, here’s a quick refresher on whatÂ’s going on here. We rate all the new cars we drive with a 1-10 score. Cars that are exemplary in their respective segments get EditorsÂ’ Pick status. Those are the ones weÂ’d recommend to our friends, family and anybody whoÂ’s curious and asks the question. The list that youÂ’ll find below consists of every car we rated in January that earned an EditorsÂ’ Pick. 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Quick take: Jeep's midsize SUV hits it out of the park with the latest generation. We could stand to see some powertrain innovation, but the Grand Cherokee's premium proposition is sound. Score: 8.0 What it competes with: Honda Passport, Hyundai Santa Fe, Ford Edge, Chevrolet Blazer, Nissan Murano Pros: Highly capable, luxurious interior, choices aplenty Cons: Pricey, fuel economy From the editors Associate Editor, Byron Hurd — "Jeep did almost everything right with the redesigned Grand Cherokee. Its powertrain offerings are fairly unremarkable, but the new two-row 4xe will go a long way toward addressing that. It's an otherwise fantastic, modern, luxurious Jeep SUV." In-depth analysis: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee First Drive Review | 1 fewer row, 1 more touchscreen   2022 Ford Maverick Quick take: The Ford Maverick offers tremendous value, efficiency, incredibly well-thought-out packaging, plenty of storage, a fairly engaging drive and ease of use, all with the utility of a pickup bed. We like the hybrid, but the EcoBoost engine and FX4 package offer more capability. Score: 8 What it competes with: Hyundai Santa Cruz Pros: Very affordable, Hybrid fuel economy, compact size Cons: Tight backseat, FWD only Hybrid, no cruise control in base trim From the editors: Green, Senior Editor John Beltz Snyder — "The Maverick is simply a dynamite package. It's smart, useful, drivable, efficient, providing affordable utility in the underserved compact pickup segment.

Dodge, Jeep, Ram showcasing electric wares over the next four months

Mopar Insiders took notes on Stellantis' half-year earnings call. Seems three of the eight Stellantis brands operating in the U.S. will be making big announcements about coming electric offerings in the next few months. Dodge is up first. We've been writing about the house of the muscle car trying to put on an extra special show during its Speed Week in Detroit in August, the span between Roadkill Nights and the Woodward Dream Cruise. Seems that's confirmed with the presentation of a "Gateway" muscle car and a "Future" muscle car. The former is expected happen on August 16 and be the Hornet PHEV, Dodge's version of the Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV. The plug-in hybrid Tonale Q4 uses the powertrain from the Euro-market Jeep Compass 4xe, but gets a larger battery pack and produces a total 275 hp. We're looking forward to finding out if brand overlords decided the Dodge should have more, less, or the same output as the Alfa, and the same battery pack or the smaller Compass pack. The latter "Future" vehicle is expected to bow the day after. This would be a concept version of the Challenge e-muscle car that we've been salivating over for too long. Given two of Stellantis' most powerful motors slotted into the STLA Large platform, output north of 800 horses seems to be the consensus. The production version isn't slated for sale until the end of 2023, so the model on showroom floors will likely differ slightly from what we see next week. It's Jeep's turn in September, the off-road brand shining light on the plug-in hybrid options headed to showroom floors here. That should mean news on the Renegade 4xe and Compass 4xe anticipated in the U.S. in 2024, and a Gladiator 4xe the year after. Wagoneer and Cherokee electrification plans could be on the docket, too, as well as plans for wider global distribution of the Jeepster we've seen in Europe.  Finally, two months later, Ram takes the stage for updates on its electric Revolution. So far, that entails the Ram Promaster BEV, a van likely to combine years of experience from the Fiat Ducato Electric and the Peugeot E-Boxer that have been serving fleets in Europe. MI thinks November topics will include a 79-kWh battery, four drive modes, and the chance of the ProMaster getting a side door for delivery fleets like Amazon. Of course, the electric Ram pickup is the meat enthusiasts will have their forks out for.

Jeep planning on a Grand Wagoneer Hellcat?

Twitter guy and Finder of Things Hidden Bozi Tatarevic scored another gem: an internal ZF document referencing a Jeep Grand Wagoneer Trackhawk. Dating from at least early 2017, the German auto supplier paperwork pairs what would be a 6.2-liter V8-powered three-row Jeep with ZF's 8HP95X transmission. The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk uses the 8HP95 gearbox, a version of the 8HP90 transmission used in the Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcats, but built for all-wheel-drive applications and with a choice of gear ratio sets. This doesn't mean we'll ever see a Grand Wagoneer Trackhawk, but it looks like Jeep's been thinking about it. Not only that, but the brand was thinking about it with the just-launched-for-2019 Hellcat engine. The ZF document lists 729 PS for the engine in the Jeep, or a hair shy of 718 horsepower — just one off the figure for the 2019 Charger and Challenger Hellcats. The listed production dates mean ZF planned for a build run of April 2017 to May 2017. The document also mentions the Rolls-Royce Cullinan with two sets of build dates: from January 2016 to February 2016, and from December 2017 to January 2018. That sounds like a run of prototypes, which could be how the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk got included in the paperwork. The document didn't reference any other Wagoneer versions. A Hellcat-powered Grand Wagoneer would make sense. The new luxo-Jeep will be built on a modified Ram platform at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant, and we know Ram's working on a Hellcat-bound Ram 1500 TRX. And the now-iconic engine in an SUV that hopes to become a new icon would be a treat for dealers who wonder if the Grand Wagoneer will arrive too late to succeed. Again, this doesn't mean we'll see anything of the kind. Chrysler also evaluated a 300 Hellcat, but nothing's come of it. And with the standard Wagoneer still several years away — the renovations at the Warren plant aren't due for completion until 2020 — any hi-po version could wait another year after launch, were such a thing to happen. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.