Nissan 04 Pathfinder Armada, go fast SUV new this year. Fun to drive with 300 horse Power V-8 and gated shifting. Click for more...

2003 Lincoln Aviator pulls a Coyote Sportster To Estes Park Click for review

 

Car And Driver Names Cadillac SRX Best Luxury Sport Utility Award Touted In National Advertising Campaign DETROIT - The editors of Car and Driver magazine have named the 2004 Cadillac SRX as the best Luxury Sport Utility vehicle. The award will be highlighted in the March issue of Car and Driver. Editor-in-chief Csaba Csere announced the honor to a gathering of Cadillac dealers in Houston for Super Bowl XXXVIII. The article in the March issue cites SRX as further proof that "Cadillac is on a roll." Other highlights: "With Nurburgring racetrack development baked into its heritage, it's solid goods...fresh-from-the-cleaners creases, distinctive interior styling, and excellent road manners make it hard to resist." Cadillac debuted a 30-second commercial showing an SRX "picking up" its trophy during Super Bowl XXXVIII. Ads touting the award also ran in national newspapers and trade publications, as well as a billboard near the site of the Chicago Auto Show. The ad will continue to run throughout the year as part of Cadillac's national advertising program. Available in both rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive applications, the SRX is based on General Motors acclaimed new Sigma architecture, designed to deliver superior driving dynamics. Engine combinations include a 3.6L V-6 and a 4.6L V-8.

SUVS AND PICKUPS DO BETTER THAN EXPECTED ON ROLLOVER TESTS Nearly half the 28 SUVs and pickups the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration tested under its new dynamic rollover maneuvers earned four out of five stars, and another nine were given three stars. In NHTSA’s recent SUV rollover test, a number of vehicles displayed a low chance of rolling over, contrary to previous ratings and perceptions. Two out of the four international-nameplate SUVs tested—the Volvo XC90 and the Subaru Outback—received four out of five stars, meaning that they had only a 10% to 20% chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash. None of the SUVs tested received five stars or one star, and only one SUV made by a Detroit manufacturer received two out of five stars. NHTSA also tested sedans and pickups. The results “indicate that widely promoted hysteria over SUV rollover risks is overblown and misplaced,” said Barry McCahill, president of the SUV Owners of America club. The surprising first results of a new federal safety test suggest that SUVs are no more prone to roll over in crashes than other vehicles. SUVs scored as well or better than a compact station wagon and several pickups also tested by NHTSA. None of the SUVs scored the highest five-star rating, but many earned four stars, meaning they have a 10% to 20% percent chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash. For years, auto-safety advocates have said that SUVs are at a higher risk for rollover. Their arguments mounted in 2000 when Bridgestone/Firestone and Ford Motor Co. began recalling tires because they could lose tread. The tire recall led to a new law requiring that, among other things, NHTSA begin rollover testing with 2004 models. NHTSA had been using a mathematical calculation to rate vehicles on rollover propensity, but the new test involves actually driving the vehicles. In the test, after the vehicle is accelerated to between 35 and 50 mph, a mechanical device sharply turns the steering wheel 270 degrees to the left, then 540 degrees to the right. The sharp right turn, simulating a driver’s attempt to correct, is the most likely maneuver to cause the vehicle to roll over. With two stars, the Ford Explorer Sport Trac model, equipped with two-wheel drive, was the lowest-rated vehicle in the first batch of tests. GM’s Chevrolet TrailBlazer four-wheel drive, the Volvo XC90 four-wheel drive, Toyota’s Echo small car and eight other cars and trucks won four-star ratings, the second-best rating. That means that 11 of 28 vehicles tested, or more than one-third (39.3%), reached that level of safety. Initially, auto-safety advocates praised the new test. But after the ratings were released, Joan Claybrook, president of Public Citizen, a consumer-advocacy group, said the results could be misleading. “Two stars may be interpreted as a good or safe rating. However, a vehicle that receives two stars has a 30% to 40% chance of rolling over in an emergency maneuver,” she said. Claybrook says that Congress and federal regulators should require stronger roofs, side-head air bags, safety belts that tighten during a rollover and improved side-window glazing to better protect occupants in a rollover. Source: SEMA Research and Information Center (RIC)

October 28, 2003  Ford may continue making Excursion Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) is reconsidering its plans to discontinue production of its largest and most expensive sport-utility vehicle, the Louisville-made Ford Excursion. The company, which produces the vehicles at its Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville, had announced earlier this year that it expected to discontinue production of the mammoth-sized Excursion in 2004. However, a Ford spokeswoman told the Associated Press that the company now has no official date to end production. "There continues to be a viable market, so we're taking a second look at its production schedule," Ford spokeswoman Susan Krusel told the AP. More Click

General Motors Announces First Vehicles To Feature Displacement On Demand

2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT, GMC Envoy XL, GMC Envoy XUV To Use Fuel-Saving Technology

WASHINGTON - General Motors has announced that the 2005 GMC Envoy XL, Envoy XUV and Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT will be the first vehicles to showcase its innovative Displacement on Demand fuel-saving technology. The announcement was made here today at a media briefing highlighting GM's short-term, mid-term, and long-term advanced technologies that benefit the environment and GM's business.

Displacement on Demand will be a standard feature in the vehicles' optional Vortec 5300 V-8 engine. The more efficient engine will boost the fuel efficiency of these vehicles by about 8 percent (based on an EPA testing procedure).

In addition, GM previously announced it will introduce this technology as part of a new overhead-valve V-6 family of engines in some 2006 mid-size passenger cars. By 2008, more than two million vehicles with the V-8 and V-6 engines will feature Displacement on Demand.

Both customers and the environment will benefit from the engines' improved fuel economy. In addition, GM owners won't have to sacrifice superior engine performance and power to go farther on a tank of gas.

"Displacement on Demand will enhance fuel economy without compromising performance or the ability to carry heavy loads," said Sam Winegarden, GM Powertrain chief engineer of Vortec V-8 engines. "We will be able to deliver the same top-of-the-line performance with less effort and energy. That's the essence of efficiency."

Enabled by GM's powerful electronic powertrain controls, Displacement on Demand saves fuel by using only half of the engine's cylinders during most normal driving conditions. When loads are light, the control system automatically closes both intake and exhaust valves for half of the cylinders, cutting off their air and fuel supply. The valves are reopened to provide all-cylinder operation when the driver needs it for quick acceleration or for hauling heavy loads.

The V-8 engine always starts on eight cylinders, and in the case of the V-6 engine, six cylinders. But once the vehicle has accelerated to speed, the engine control module activates Displacement on Demand, providing improved fuel economy through a relatively inexpensive change in displacement to meet the vehicle load requirements.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs 349,000 people globally in its core automotive business and subsidiaries. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in more than 190 countries. In 2002, GM sold more than 8.5 million cars and trucks, nearly 15 percent of the global vehicle market. GM's global headquarters is at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its products can be found on the company's consumer website at www.gm.com .

The 2003 Suburban with Quadrasteer, review in December. It's ready click for more. Here is a picture of me pulling a trailer in Estes Park, Colorado while checking out the Elk.

SUV’s and Trailers

SUV's aren't my first choice as a tow vehicle, but I do understand the economics. Not everyone can afford a truck and a car. SUV’s are becoming more popular each year. Get the biggest and longest is the short answer. The full-size SUV’s have similar frames to trucks and a lot of them are boxed frames instead of C-frame, so they are strong. But you've got to get as much wheelbase as you can find. So to pull a trailer similar to a ½ ton truck, (GM, 1500, Dodge 1500, Ford F150, Toyota Tundra,) you need a SUV with a similar weight to a ½ ton truck. This would include Dodge Durango, Ford Expedition, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Toyota Sequoia and others. These SUV’s have a “Body on Frame” construction like trucks.

Always look at the vehicles trailer towing limits from the manufacture. Most factory brochures and manufacture web sites will give you the brake down of weight limits and hitch weight limits according to engine size, transmission, and rear axle ratio. For the highest trailer capacity, usually a weight-distributing hitch is required with a receiver hitch, at least class 3 or higher. This is different from a weight carrying hitch, which is just a drawbar inserted into the receiver hitch. The weight-distributing hitch attaches to the trailer tongue with adjustments usually with chain links to transfer weight forward to the SUV, putting weight on all the axles. Yes I have pictures of these hitches, at http://www.mrtruck.net/trailers.htm. In cases where the weight distributing hitch adjustment doesn’t take all the sway away when pulling the trailer, a sway bar can be added to the weight-distributing hitch. All this will help you pull level, with weight on all of the axles of the SUV and trailer and less swaying from a bumper pull trailer.

All of the SUV’s listed above have rear coil springs with the exception of the Dodge Durango which has rear leaf springs. Rear coil springs are designed to give you a better ride, but this also gives you more rear movement. You don’t want extra movement when pulling a trailer. So it’s even more important to have a weight-distributing hitch on SUV’s with rear coil springs and especially SUV’s with independent rear axles. Independent rear axles are similar to front axle of a front wheel drive car. Each side can move independently of the other. And once again this is to improve the ride with more movement, not necessarily a good thing when pulling a trailer. These independent rear axles need the weight-distributing hitch. Some of the SUV’s with independent rear axle are Mercedes, ML320 and bigger, 2002 Ford Explorer, 2003 Ford Expedition and more. Always get the factory tow package with your SUV, which should include a class 3 or higher receiver hitch, an external automatic transmission cooler, anti-roll bars or anti-sway bars and a wiring harness. Also make sure both of your trailer axles have brakes and have a good trailer brake controller added to your SUV.

The largest SUV’s are the longest ones that are available in 3/4 tons, which are the Chevy Suburban, GMC Yukon XL and Ford Excursion. These newer models all have leaf springs on the rear axle, which makes them, more stable than smaller SUV's with rear coil springs. These larger SUV’s will pull similarly to ¾ ton trucks, (Dodge 2500, Ford F250, GM 2500,) they generally don’t have as long a wheelbase as a truck. So once again depending on the total weight of your loaded trailer, a weight-distributing hitch might be necessary. One advantage of the Ford Excursion is the diesel engine option, which will add another 800#’s on the front for stability and balance when pulling a trailer.

On shorter wheel based tow vehicles, having some steering weight on the SUV’s front axle, transferred from the trailer with a weight distributing hitch will give you better control and less work on your part.  Once again look for factory towing packages with external auto transmission coolers, class 3 or higher receiver hitch, wiring harness and anti-sway stabilizer bars on the axles of the SUV. The newer SUV’s have 4-wheel disc brakes, which can be an advantage slowing down a trailer. And of course you need brakes on the trailer and a brake control in your SUV.  Folks have been pulling horse trailers successfully for decades with the oldest SUV, the Suburban.

 If you have to pull with a smaller SUV than mentioned above, in my opinion the Chevy TrailBlazer, Dodge Durango, Toyota 4Runner and Ford Explorer and so on are better choices for a tow vehicle with a lighter trailers properly equipped, like 4000#’s and smaller. These SUV’s are also “Body on Frame” design similar to trucks. The Durango and Explorer 2001 and older have leaf springs also. These SUV’s are heavier than the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota Highlander, and smaller SUV’s like Suzuki and Kia.

 I get asked my opinion about the Jeep Cherokee pulling trailers quite often. I do see them pulling trailers and it has with the V-8 option the power to pull trailers that out weigh it, but its’ chassis is like a car with a "Unibody" undercarriage. With framed chassis vehicles, “Body on Frame,” the receiver hitch bolts directly to the frame, as do the front and rear axles. The frame takes the stress from the trailer directly and gives you more weight at the bottom of your SUV, a good place to have weight on a SUV. And a weight-distributing hitch can easier transfer some of weight forward to your front axle thru leverage on the frame. On the Jeep “Unibody”, it has sub frames at each axle, which bolt to the floor pan, which is just corrugated sheet metal, so the axles are not tied together with a frame but separated by the floor pan.

The last series of Jeep Cherokee does have some square formed sheet metal welded to the floor pan for added strength but it’s still not a framed chassis with a body bolted to it, as is the “Body on Frame” design. If you notice on the Cherokee you step over the threshold to get in and your feet go down in a hole instead of a flat floor. The floor has to be corrugated, wavy like a barn roof to make it strong since the floor is not bolted to a frame. Car companies do this “ Unibody” construction to lighten up the vehicles for gas mileage and save money. To add a receiver hitch to the Cherokee, the hitch, bolts to the rear axle sub frame, which in turn bolts to the floor pan sheet metal. So the stress from the trailer goes just to the rear axle sub-frame and the bolts and rubber bushings that connect the axle to sheet metal floor instead of a frame. So as far as I can figure using a weight distribution hitch, (which I strongly recommend,) to distribute weight, (which is what they do) to the front axle, has to leverage the floor pan between the axles. The first ”Unibody” I remember was the VW Beetle. I remember the floor pan rusting out and looking down and seeing the road between my feet. Can you imagine pulling a horse trailer with the old Beetles?

The smallest class of SUV’s, such as Ford Escape, Toyota RAV4, and so on, are “Front Wheel Drive” SUV’s. These fall into the same towing category as “Front Wheel Drive” mini- vans. Special receiver hitches are required with any FWD to transfer weight as far forward as possible to the driving axles for traction.

 The bottom line is you can safely pull a horse trailer with a properly equipped SUV when it’s matched properly with a receiver hitch, weight distributing hitch, engine, transmission and rear axle ratio, within the weight limit capacity set my the manufacture.

The Weight Distributing Hitch will help control and balance your SUV

SUV Innovations

July 2002 (Newstream) -- Flexibility. That's the catchphrase auto makers are using to talk about the new features they're designing into their sport utility vehicles in an effort to keep the market as hot as ever.

"I'm just blown away this morning," says Jack Keebler of Motor Trend Magazine. "This thing is a real Swiss Army Knife in terms of flexibility. I'm talking about this Envoy XUV. It's got a power sliding roof that slides back. It's got a mid-gate that closes a powered window that seals the inside of the rear area."

The Envoy has all this, as well as cool features such as a dual function tailgate -- reminiscent of the station wagons of the 60s that either drops or swings open. It also has an all weather cargo area that fits a 4 x 8 sheet of building material, which has a quick-drain system that allows it to be hosed out and be left open in inclement weather. With Buick entering the luxury SUV market next year, GM will be expanding its offerings in this area.

"With the Buick Rainier, we now have the opportunity to get into the full fledged medium SUV market," says Roger Adams of General Motors. "And we offer really unparalleled comfort and power and a very much of a car-like ride in a traditional SUV."

The goal is to make this type of vehicle family friendly -- and the Cadillac Escalade's built-in DVD player goes a long way in doing just that.

"I can tell you in speaking from experience as a mother, rear entertainment systems are terrific when you've got small children in the second and third row," says Susan Docharty of General Motors. "It quiets them down, and to be honest here, it provides less distraction for me as a driver."

SUVs are among the most popular and safe vehicles on the road, and will continue in their popularity, as these fun and exciting innovations make their way to the marketplace in the next couple of years.

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Produced for General Motors

Contact: Scott Michaeloff, 212-980-9090