Why Does This 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Model Top $70,000?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

We have exciting news! You can get your 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L soon because Jeep just released the building configurator for it. However, because the Jeep Grand Cherokee L has a new third row, it can quickly rise in price. 

Is the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L a good family SUV? 

2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L | Jeep

Yes, the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L is an excellent family SUV. It has all of the things that you love about the Jeep Cherokee, only in a bigger package. It has more storage space for your gear and a third row for extra passengers. 

But we do have to caution you a little. The Jeep Grand Cherokee L can get expensive pretty quickly: 

  • The entry-level Grand Cherokee L Laredo with rear-wheel drive starts at $36,995. 
  • The Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited begins at about $45,000.
  • The Jeep Grand Cherokee L Overland begins at around $50,000.  
  • The Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit climbs in price to $56,995, and adding four-wheel drive increases the price to $58,995. It costs $70,225 if you add all of the optional features. 

According to Motor1, the standard Jeep Grand Cherokee L comes with a 3.6-liter V6 engine that pumps out 290 hp and 257 lb-ft of torque. But you can upgrade to the 5.7-liter V8 engine for an additional $3,295 to gain 357 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque. An optional engine block heater can be added for $95. 

What comes with the Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit? 

RELATED: The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Has 1 Ancient Drawback

According to Car and Driver, if you opt for the 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Summit, you will get the most luxurious version. If you add four-wheel drive, you also get the electronic rear limited-slip differential, hill descent control, and adaptive air suspension. 

The Summit sets itself apart by having extra chrome trim and 20-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli Scorpion all-season tires. You can add the Summit Reserve package for ventilated Palermo leather seats in the front and second row, massage front seats, walnut wood trim, suede pillars and headliner, and a set of 21-inch wheels with Continental CrossContact rubber. 

You’ll also gain Summit Reserve badging to flex what you got and a 19-speaker McIntosh audio system. The 10.1-inch infotainment screen and Active Driving Assist system come standard. The tech group includes goodies such as a wireless charger, third-row USB outlet, power liftgate, remote start, and more. 

What do the other Jeep Grand Cherokee L trims include? 

The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Interior
2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Interior | Jeep

All 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L models come with a 10.3-inch digital gauge cluster display, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. The Laredo, Limited, and Overland trims come with an 8.4-inch touchscreen, but you can upgrade to the 10.1-inch screen in the Limited and Overland models.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited trim adds leather upholstery, power seats in the front row, a digital rearview mirror, a heated steering wheel, heated seats in the second row, and a 115-volt auxiliary outlet in the third row. 

With the Jeep Grand Cherokee L Overland trim, you get a black grille insert, black roof rack, chrome lower inserts, and front tow hooks. A panoramic sunroof and 20-inch wheels wrapped in Bridgestone Ecopia all-season tires come standard too. The heated and ventilated seats are wrapped in Nappa leather, and the steering wheel has wood trim. 

With four-wheel-drive models, you get a two-speed active transfer case. You can add the off-road package that includes an electronic limited-slip rear differential, the Trail Rated badge, skid plates, 18-inch wheels with Michelin Primacy XC all-season tires, the adaptive air suspension, and hill descent control. 

The post Why Does This 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Model Top $70,000? appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

/by

The 2021 Toyota Camry Is Perfectly Safe for Your Teen

by Gabrielle DeSantis

Want to double your annual car insurance premium? Add a teen driver to your policy. Insurers increase premiums substantially for teen drivers because they’re likelier to drive recklessly and get into accidents. To keep your premiums down and your teen safe, provide them with a vehicle designed for safety. If you’re looking for one, the 2021 Toyota Camry fits the bill.

Inside the 2021 Toyota Camry

RELATED: 3 Best Used Toyota Models You Can Buy on a $5,000 Budget

Indeed, industry experts and consumers have long considered the Toyota Camry one of the most dependable sedans. You won’t get the flashiest exterior or interior, but you will get good efficiency, reliability, and safety. The 2021 Camry’s base-model LE delivers on the first, with a 2.5-liter inline-four that produces 203 to 206 hp and 182 to 186 lb-ft of torque.

Publications such as MotorTrend, Car and Driver, and U.S. News have criticized the Camry for its poor handling (although its perennial popularity may be evidence to the contrary). However, while it may not take you from Point A to Point B with grace, it will get you there efficiently. The front-wheel-drive version provides an impressive 28/39 mpg city/highway (though the all-wheel-drive versions drop to 25/34 mpg). 

The five-seater offers fairly generous legroom and headroom, as well as a trunk with 15.1 cubic feet of space. Also, expect a 7.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system, six-speaker audio system, and Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, Amazon Alexa, and Bluetooth compatibility. The interior materials are fairly spare compared with other base models in this segment. But for a starting price of $25,965, you won’t feel cheated.

But before we get to safety, note that higher-level trims provide far richer interior styling and amenities. Splurge on the top trim, the sporty TRD, and get AWD, larger rims, a sport-tuned suspension, exhaust tips, a rear spoiler, and flashy paint. The TRD packs a 3.5-liter V6 producing 306 hp and 267 lb-ft torque. It gets a decent 22/33 mpg. Enjoy a larger 9.0-inch touchscreen, a nine-speaker sound system, and leather upholstery. But keep the TRD for yourself; you don’t want to give your teen any ideas.

The Toyota Camry’s true value: safety

RELATED: The $4,000 Difference Between the 2021 Toyota Camry SE and XSE

For your teen driver, you’ll want a lower-level trim with all the advanced safety features the Toyota Camry offers. Luckily, all trims come with advanced safety features. So with the LE, you get automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assistance, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warnings, and automatic high beams. They’re part of the Toyota Safety Sense P (TSS-P) 2.5+ suite. And on higher trims, you can get rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring, too.

In addition to its excellent safety features, the 2021 Camry has earned high safety ratings. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded the Camry 5 out of 5 stars. And the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) named it a Top Safety Pick+. In IIHS testing, the Camry earned the highest scores for crashworthiness, front crash prevention, child seat anchor ease of use, and headlights.

With these scores, it’s easy to understand why the Camry has earned a reputation for safety.

Protecting your teen driver — and your wallet

The 2021 Toyota Camry is an excellent choice for your teen. With excellent driver aids, this sedan can help reduce the risk of your teen getting into an accident. And if they do get crash, the airbags and robust body can mitigate the risk of serious injury.

Further, when you add your teen to your policy, you’ll mitigate your own heartburn. Auto insurers determine premiums based in part on how safe a vehicle is, as well as the driver’s age and driving history. And the Camry is well-established as a safe vehicle.

So while your rates could double depending on various factors, rest assured you’ll be paying less than you could be. Check with your insurer about how much your premium would jump if you bought your teen a new Lamborghini and added them to your policy.

Better yet, save yourself the sticker shock and get them a safe and efficient car like the Camry.

The post The 2021 Toyota Camry Is Perfectly Safe for Your Teen appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

/by

Do Blind Spot Mirrors Really Work?

by Gabrielle DeSantis

If you have ever been honked at in the middle of a lane change, then it’s more than likely that you didn’t check your blind spot. After all, your car’s side mirror can only tell you so much and if your car doesn’t have a blind spot monitoring system, then you’ll have to resort to the tried-and-true method of actually turning your head to look at the blind spot.

However, one other safety measure that you can take is to equip those little side mirrors with even smaller blind spot mirrors. But do those little things actually work?

Using blind spot mirrors

Ampper Blind Spot Mirror | Amazon

RELATED: Did You Know Night Vision Can Be Added To A Rearview Mirror?

You can find blind spot mirrors for sale at any auto parts store or certain retail stores. They come in a few different shapes and sizes – mostly either round or rectangular – and can be installed on virtually any car.

The size that’s right for your specific car depends on how large the car’s side mirror is. For example, if you have a large truck, like a Ford F-150, then you might need a larger blind spot mirror than you would need for a Mazda Miata.

As far as placement goes, the Chicago Tribune reports that the best position for a blind spot mirror is the outermost edge of your driver and passenger side mirrors. While the blind spot mirror can be placed on the top edge of the side mirror, some users prefer the bottom edge.

As long as you can safely see the blind spot areas in your car at a glance, that’s what matters the most. Your placement location may vary, but luckily, blind spot mirrors are easy to install via the adhesive fixed to the back of them.

Ampper Blind Spot Mirror
Ampper Blind Spot Mirror | Amazon

RELATED: Will Side-View Mirrors Soon Become Useless?

Do they really help?

Yes, as long as you place the blind spot mirror correctly. Although they are small, they do the job of showing you the spots that you can’t normally see with the OEM side mirror. Be careful, though, as there is still a chance that you might not be able to see every inch of the blind spot, so proper placement is key.

Also, just like with your car’s side mirrors, the objects in those blind spot mirrors are closer than they actually appear. Be sure to find the position that works best for your driving position and car size. And if they end up falling off your mirrors, don’t worry, at least they cost less than $10.

Are there any alternatives to using blind spot mirrors?

No, unless you want to stick to the usual method of turning your head to check the blind spot. Auto Guide reports that approximately 840,000 blind spot-related accidents occur every year, so it’s easy to see the importance of being to check your blind spots before changing lanes.

Unless you want to become part of that statistic, it could be a good idea to go out and get yourself a pair of these little mirrors. You never know, they could actually save your life or at least prevent you from getting into a nasty fender bender.

The post Do Blind Spot Mirrors Really Work? appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

/by

How to Make Your Golf Cart Faster

by Gabrielle DeSantis

You might be familiar with golf carts puttering around the course, but these slow-moving vehicles have potential. Like eBikes, golf carts carry a gas or electric motor. Some models are even street-legal, requiring license plates, headlights, and other features.

But if yours isn’t speedy enough for your taste, it’s not hard to give it a boost. Most golf carts can reach 15 mph, but some can easily travel over 20 mph with the right equipment. Here’s how you can make yours faster.

Ways to speed up your golf cart

RELATED: What States Allow Golf Carts on the Road?

If your golf cart is struggling to maintain speed, it probably needs a more powerful motor. One with a bigger field coil will produce more torque and allow your cart to carry more gear for your game. If you want to increase your cart’s speed, you’ll need a motor with a smaller field coil.

Golf Cart Garage also cautions that increasing your golf cart’s speed might lead to loss of torque and vice versa. Switching the cart’s battery for a higher-voltage one can improve both speed and capability. But if you don’t want to drop a lot of cash on these, you can try other methods. 

Even a new motor won’t operate at full capacity if you don’t upgrade certain components. Those parts include the electronic speed controller and solenoid contactor relay. The speed controller’s function is self-explanatory, while the solenoid relay regulates heavy electrical currents in the motor.

However, sometimes the solution to a slow golf cart is as simple as replacing the tires. According to Golf Cart Garage, larger tires can add as much as 4 mph to the top speed. Carrying less gear and passengers can also make it go faster. And mud or rocky debris buildup on your cart’s underside could also negatively affect its speed.

Gas vs. electric

If you want a faster cart from the get-go, electric models are usually quicker than gas. The NF Golf Carts reports that electric golf carts can reach up to 30 mph with upgrades. Even a standard electric cart might have a top speed of 24 mph.

Like EVs, electric golf carts are incredibly quiet while in operation, with no vibrations or exhaust noises. The batteries in electric carts also last longer than the ones in gas models. However, an electric cart’s range is typically only 30 to 40 miles per full charge.

On the other hand, a gas-powered model can drive up to 120 miles on a full tank. Though gas golf cars typically don’t have as much torque as electric models, they’re better for lugging lots of equipment.

However, gas-powered golf cars are also noisy, and the engine can run hot if it’s pushed too hard. Gas models are generally more expensive to maintain and cost more at purchase than their electric counterparts.

Technically, you can drive any low-speed vehicle between 20 and 25 mph on public roads. However, without headlights, mirrors, and other safety features, your illegal cart might get you a traffic ticket. Golf Cart Resource recommends Club Car models, most of which can reach 20 mph or more.

With a reputation for reliable and eco-friendly vehicles, Yamaha is another good manufacturer. Its UMAX Rally can go off-road and even tow up to 1,500 pounds.

And E-Z-Go makes some of the fastest electric models. The ECO Drive 2+2 can reach 25 mph.

The post How to Make Your Golf Cart Faster appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

/by