10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Trailed by Acura MDX Type S
Just because you can take your off-road-capable vehicle off-road doesn’t necessarily mean you should — and just because you take said off-road vehicle off-road at an off-road event named for the very brand of the vehicle doesn’t mean your car insurance or warranty will cover damage incurred at said event. No “asking for a friend” disclaimer, here: Cars.com learned this the hard way after doing some seven grand’s worth of damage to the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe in our fleet of long-term test vehicles during a Jeep Jamboree event in Indiana over the summer of 2023.
Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Year: Tesla Model 3, Kia Soul Come Cheap, Ford F-150 Goes Bye-Bye
In one of Cars.com’s most popular news articles of the past week, we chronicle a monthslong endeavor to get our Grand Cherokee 4xe Trailhawk (a rugged trim level of the mid-size SUV billed for asphalt-eschewing exploits) repaired that spanned multiple auto dealerships, wildly varying repair estimates and a slow-to-reveal-itself extent of damage. In short, a few relatively minor scuffs and dents were followed by a warning light, which was followed by a trip to the dealership that yielded a $10,000 estimate to replace the damaged bumper cover, steering rack and axle-beam front crossmember. That was followed by a trip to another dealership for a second opinion, where it was determined that more fixes were needed. Though the total bill for all the work would only come to around $7,000 — significantly lower than the first dealership’s estimate — that preceded yet another visit to a dealership to address a steering alignment issue that revealed even more damage.
For a comprehensive recounting of our 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Trailhawk’s repair journey — including an explanation as to why our warranty wouldn’t cover the damage and how we’d cover ourselves before engaging in future off-road activities — follow the link below to the No. 2 news story on this week’s countdown of most read articles.
The redesigned-for-2022 Acura MDX had a lot of positive traits, but dynamic driving wasn’t one of them. Cars.com reviewer Jennifer Geiger was pleased to report that the 2024 MDX’s late-arriving Type S trim made up for the standard version’s lack of excitement, largely thanks to its turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 engine, which channels an estimated 355 horsepower and 354 pounds-feet of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission, with standard all-wheel drive, versus the 290-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 used by other models. The Type S gets a host of sporty upgrades and flourishes inside and out to liven up this luxury SUV.
“The Type S takes a competent, comfortable wallflower and engages its wild side, turning it into the life of the party with brisker acceleration, more dialed-in handling and a throatier exhaust note,” Geiger writes.
For Geiger’s full MDX Type S take, follow the link below to No. 4 article of the week.
Beyond that, we’ve got headlines on the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, GMC Canyon, Chevrolet Equinox, Lotus Eletre R, Hyundai Santa Fe and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
1. What Does the EV Tax Credit Overhaul Mean for Car Shoppers?
2. We Broke Our Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Trailhawk Off-Roading, and It Cost $7,000 to Fix
3. Do You Really Need to Change the Transmission Fluid?
4. 2024 Acura MDX Type S Quick Spin: Performance for a Price
5. What MPG Does the 2024 Toyota Corolla Hybrid Get in Real-World Driving?
6. Is the 2024 GMC Canyon a Good Pickup Truck? 5 Pros and 5 Cons
7. Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit?
8. 2025 Chevrolet Equinox Gets Macho Makeover, More Standard Tech
9. 2024 Lotus Eletre R Quick Spin: Not Your Traditional Lotus
10. Wild New 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe Priced From $35,345
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