Christina McLachlan with the 2019 Jeep Cherokee she tested for a week.Al Charest/Postmedia CALGARY — Jeep has a long tradition with its Cherokee model dating back to 1974 when it first introduced what was then a sporty, two-door vehicle made to be taken off the beaten path. Fast-forward 45 years to the freshly facelifted 2019 Cherokee. The vehicle is now a unibody midsize utility vehicle competing in a rather crowded segment that includes models such as the Hyundai Santa Fe, Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. In North America, the Cherokee became the more compact Liberty for the 2002 model year, and that moniker lasted until 2013 – when the Cherokee label was re-applied to its redesigned four-door, midsize configuration. For 2019, Jeep has given the Cherokee an all-new front fascia and an aluminum hood. Also new are the bi-LED headlights. Inside, the Jeep features slightly increased carrying capability with a larger cargo bay, complete with the option of a power liftgate. In Canada, the Cherokee is available in eight trims. The base model is the Sport and moves all the way up to the well-equipped Overland. The Jeep can be had in front-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, and there are now three different engines to choose from; a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder, a 2.4L normally aspirated 4-cylinder or a 3.2L V-6; all are backed up by a nine-speed automatic transmission. In Calgary, driver Christina McLachlan got to spend a week in the North 44 edition of the newest Cherokee, and with destination charge and options it rang in at $44,185. McLachlan learned to drive in St. Thomas, Ontario. Her dad was a ‘car guy’ who was always buying and selling interesting vehicles, and McLachlan got to drive an array of cars from DKWs to Jaguar MkVIIs. Her first car was a Simca, followed by a pair of Austins. After moving to Calgary in 1979 and over the years, she and her husband have owned a number of different vehicles, from Oldsmobiles to Subarus. The couple recently downsized, however, and McLachlan sold her all-wheel drive Hemi-powered 2010 Dodge Charger. They now rely on a 2008 Jeep Liberty for all their driving needs. “We’ve always had front wheel drive or all-wheel drive vehicles,” McLachlan says of one of the most important features they look for when buying a car. “Comfort is always up there, too, as we’ve done a lot of driving across Canada and into the U.S. And, style plays a role, too.” The revised Cherokee ticked off all of those boxes. “I liked the looks of it right away,” McLachlan says of her first impression. “It had a sporty stance and appeared ready to take on whatever you threw at it. Always a favoured colour, the red (Velvet Red Pearl paint, $100) with the black trim appealed to me, and I did like the black wheels (part of an $895 package).” McLachlan has always appointed her vehicles with leather seating surfaces, but the Jeep Cherokee North was outfitted with cloth – regardless, she found it was easy to slide herself into position behind the steering wheel. And, once there, she found the driver’s seat effortless to position and was overall a comfortable place to be. McLachlan’s husband, Art, is 6 foot 1 and wears cowboy boots and a cowboy hat – that means he often tries on vehicles like others might test fit a shirt. For him, their Jeep Liberty accommodates his height and his clothing preferences – so too does the Cherokee North. McLachlan found many of the controls and gauges easy to identify and manipulate. However, when wanting to take a peek at the optional $2,590 turbocharged four-cylinder engine, it did take her a minute to locate the hood release latch. Performance of that turbocharged powerplant was appreciated. “I do tend to have a bit of a lead foot,” McLachlan admits, and adds, “I felt the Cherokee moved along quite nicely, and the turbo really gave it some extra gumption out on the highway. But it did feature stop-start technology, and I’m not a fan of that. When you stop, and the engine shuts off, I don’t like that momentary hiccup when you take your foot off the brake and press on the throttle again.” Depending on how far off-road a buyer wants to go, Jeep offers three versions of its four-wheel drive system for the Cherokee models – Jeep Active Drive I, Jeep Active Drive II and the aggressive Jeep Active Drive Lock. Drive I is a more basic system with a revised and lighter weight ‘rear drive module’ that disconnects the rear axle when the extra traction isn’t required – this is the system McLachlan had in her tester. “The Cherokee felt very well connected to the road,” she says, “and we thought the ride was pretty smooth. You still know it’s a four by four, but for us, it was a very smooth ride. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get to take the Cherokee off-road to test its limits, I would have liked to experiment with the different modes in the Selec-Terrain system.” McLachlan remained impressed by the Cherokee, however, and that included her appreciation for the increased
Origin: Reader Review: 2019 Jeep Cherokee North 4’4
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Reader Review: 2019 Mazda3 GT
Jeff Griffiths test drove the 2019 Mazda 3 and found it to be a great small car.Gavin Young/Postmedia When searching for a reader to drive the 2019 Mazda3 GT a number of people turned down the opportunity. For the most part, they simply felt the car was beneath them. But Jeff Griffiths says they don’t know what they were missing. “To me, Mazda has always seemed to be more car than you pay for,” the Calgarian says, and adds, “I was really looking forward to a chance to drive the Mazda3. “I thought it would be a fun and interesting car that might be a bit quirky – because Mazda’s always been a bit of a quirky car company—and I’m going back to the RX3s and the rotary engines. I’ve always liked Mazdas from afar, but I’ve never owned one.” Currently one of Mazda’s best-selling models, the compact Mazda3 replaced the outgoing Protégé in 2004. Mazda fully revamped the 3-model in 2014 for its third generation using the automaker’s Kodo design language and the full suite of SkyActiv technologies. Four years later, in November 2018, Mazda launched the all-new fourth-generation 3-series as a 2019 model-year vehicle. “The Mazda3 sedan delivers true sedan nature by skillfully applying Mazda’s further-evolved Kodo design language to the hood, cabin and trunk presented as three distinct elements, and to the overall form, which adopts a horizontally oriented flow that produces a calm look,” the automaker writes in a model brief. “The design concept is ‘sleek and elegant’.” In Canada, the Mazda3 is the four-door sedan, while the Mazda3 Sport is the five-door hatch. Both models are available in GX, GS and GT trims, and all are well-equipped. Power in the front-wheel drive GX and GS is a 2.0-litre engine coupled with a six-speed manual transmission. A larger 2.5-litre engine is optional in the GS and standard in the GT. All-wheel drive can be had in the GS and GT, too, but only with Mazda’s six-speed automatic transmission. And, the only gearbox available in the top-of-the line GT is the automatic. Griffiths’ Mazda 3 GT was supplied with the optional Premium Package, which added leather seats with a 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat with power lumbar support, front wiper de-icer and rear parking sensors. His car was finished with an optional $300 Machine Grey metallic paint job. As tested, Griffiths’ Mazda3 GT, including destination charge but before taxes, rang in at $30,695. Griffiths learned to drive in Ontario and the first car he bought was a 1975 Honda Civic. The Civic cost him $35, and only needed a battery and the alternator belt adjusted before he drove it for several years while attending college. Currently, Griffiths drives a 2012 Volkswagen Golf wagon, a vehicle he uses to commute and haul the family’s two dogs, and jokingly calls it his ‘two lab cab.’ His wife, Lucie, maintains a 2011 Audi A3. If the pair take a road trip, they’ll travel in the Audi. Griffiths much prefers to tour long distances on his motorcycle, however, and has close to 200,000 kilometres on his 2006 Yamaha FJR1300. Here’s what Griffiths had to say about the Mazda3 after first laying eyes on the test vehicle. “It was a lot bigger car than I thought it would be – it was wider, chunkier,” he says, and adds, “The shapes and curves in the sheet metal look good and I liked the high trunk line.” While walking around the vehicle, Griffiths says he was surprised to see a decent and ‘not inexpensive’ set of Pirelli tires on the 18-inch alloy rims. After sliding behind the steering wheel, Griffiths continued to be impressed. “It felt higher-end than I expected it would,” he explains. “It feels like it was put together by people who cared about the product – down to details as intricate as the stitching.” Griffiths enjoyed sitting in the 10-way power adjustable driver’s seat, and his wife Lucie preferred the passenger seat in the Mazda3 to the one in the Audi A3. “Those seats were just nice places to be,” he says. Overall ergonomics were rated as great. All the controls were well laid out and everything was where Griffiths expected it to be. The only problem he had was working his way through the infotainment system, but even then, he still found the Mazda3 an easy car to like. “It’s got lots of snap from the 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine,” Griffiths says of the driving performance. “When you put the boot to it, it’s got plenty of get up and go and doesn’t ever seem to be working too hard.” Of the ride, Griffiths found the Mazda3 was firmly suspended but never offered up any harshness. There was no body lean when going through corners at a spirited clip. Although the trunk was a generous size, Griffiths found it wouldn’t swallow all objects, such as a new laser printer. The opening was too narrow to allow the carton to fit. Handing back the key, Griffiths thinks the Mazda3 would best suit a small family, or, someone like himself – someone who commutes every day, and is looking for a fuel-efficient, fun and roomy car. “Like I
Origin: Reader Review: 2019 Mazda3 GT
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