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2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio vs. 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk: On-paper sibling rivalry

Pricing was revealed for the 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and with its $81,590 price tag, it's within range of yet another high-performance SUV from Fiat-Chrysler: the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The Hellcat-powered Jeep is more expensive than the Stelvio at $86,995, but depending on options, the price advantage might go either way. This left us wondering, how similar are these two high-powered SUVs? Besides sharing the same number of words in their very-long names, we took a look at some of their performance specs and put them in the spreadsheet below. As always, if you want to compare either of these with other speedy SUVs, be sure to try out our comparison tools. As far as outright speed, both SUVs are surprisingly close. The Trackhawk is just a bit quicker in a straight line, hitting 60 mph in just 3.5 seconds as opposed to the Alfa's 3.9. The Jeep's 180-mph top speed is also 3-mph quicker than the Alfa. But neither of these differences is especially huge. What makes this interesting is how different the paths each SUV takes to get to its results. The Trackhawk accomplishes the task with pure grunt. It has Dodge's Hellcat supercharged 6.2-liter V8 making 707 horsepower and 645 pound-feet of torque to overcome its hefty 5,363-pound body. The Alfa, on the other hand, makes do with less power and torque, 505 and 443, respectively, from its twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V6. It has less weight, though. Exactly how much less we're not sure, since Alfa hasn't revealed that number, but a regular Stelvio weighs right around 4,000 pounds, so we would guess the weight is similar, possibly a little more. View 14 Photos The differences in how each SUV achieves its performance should result in pretty different driving characteristics, and probably different buyers. Each SUV's bragging points also indicates this. The Trackhawk boasts an impressive 11.6-second claimed quarter-mile time, something that American muscle car fans everywhere care about. The Alfa brags about how it's the fastest production SUV to lap the Nurburgring, something sure to impress fans of foreign cars and those that value handling over straight-line performance. So really, although these two SUVs have performance similarities, they're also very different, and the right one for you depends on what you value. View 29 Photos Also, as an afterthought, we wonder if the guys that attempted a Viper record at the 'Ring would be up for trying to break the Alfa time with the Jeep.

Chinese Jeep production confirmed with Fiat, Guangzhou agreement

Fiat has just finalized a deal originally set up in January between it and China's Guangzhou Automotive Group to bring Jeep production to China. It remains unclear which models will be built, although we're wagering that it'll be the 2014 Cherokee. What we do know, now, is where production will take place.
According to Automotive News, Guangzhou originally wanted production to take place in its home assembly plant in its namesake city. Fiat has battled to send production to a joint venture facility established between Guangzhou and Fiat in the town of Changsha. The joint facility won out, and now the factory, originally built in 2010 with a 140,000-unit capacity, will see Jeeps rolling out of it.
Currently, the GAC-Fiat factory produces the Fiat Viaggio, a jointly developed product that is closely related to America's Dodge Dart. And while it remains unclear as to which model will join the Viaggio on the assembly line, that model is understood to ride on Fiat's Compact platform. The only Jeep to share those underpinnings is the new Cherokee, so there's not much connecting of dots needed to see why this scenario would make sense.

Dodge muscle cars, armored Jeep to star in Furious 7 [w/video]

We're less than a month away from the smorgasbord of speed, stunts and shooting that is Furious 7, and it arrives in theaters on April 3 as one of the first big films of the year. Starring Fast and Furious regulars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, plus Jason Statham as the big villain, this entry looks to be another exciting addition to the franchise. With such a major movie that features cars as much as the actors, it shouldn't be a surprise that an automaker is getting in on the action as a promotional partner. FCA US supplied nearly 30 vehicles for the film, including prominent roles for a 2015 Dodge Charger, Challenger R/T and armored Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. To really play up the connection, the automaker has laid out a global advertising campaign featuring its models. The marketing includes a variety of unique spots with the cars appearing online and in music videos. Among them in the US is a TV ad called Flash to the Future (embedded below) for the Challenger. Hopefully, Furious 7 can live up to all its pre-release hype. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Cars, Movies and Music Come Together as Dodge Partners with Universal Pictures and Atlantic Records on 'Furious 7' 'Furious 7' opens April 3 and features 2015 Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger R/T and 'armored' Jeep® Wrangler Unlimited Dodge launches multitier marketing initiative to promote action-thriller, including 'Flash to the Future' television ads for U.S. markets and across international countries, and Furious 7 web landing page at www.dodge.com/en/furious-7 Dodge vehicles also showcased in new music videos of songs from Atlantic Records 'Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack,' available in stores and at online retailers March 17 March 9, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Dodge, which has been a part of the blockbuster Fast & Furious franchise since its inception, announced today a promotional partnership with Universal Pictures for "Furious 7," in theaters April 3, and a first-ever partnership with Atlantic Records on music videos that support the label's "Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack," available March 17 and available now for pre-order at http://smarturl.it/furious7.