Dented Wallets and Square Wheels: The 10 Worst Cars of 2010

In the age of high gas prices, hybrids and everyone supposedly going green like the government would make you think, the 2010 class of cars, SUV's and trucks took another hit this year with depreciation and upkeep costs. Just about all the top companies took a good hit in both categories of big and roomy and the supposedly fuel-efficient compact variety which is not as a big hit to people as many would tell you. Here's a listing of the worst performers of 2010 and vehicles you should avoid. These are not in any specific order. (contributed by Design 911)

Cadillac Escalade - Type: Luxury SUV

It's hard to say really what tipped the "experts" off on this vehicle. It did rank poorly amongst safety and value but the one statistic that really stuck out was this vehicle got top honours for the most stolen vehicle out of everything that's out there. "Pimp My Ride" apparently does not apply here.

Chevrolet Aveo - Type: Compact

The Chevrolet Aveo5 1LT overall value is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to even more expensive models such as the Volkswagen Golf and Honda Civic. Consumer Reports concludes that "the ride is jittery and noise is constant." . What would you expect from driving something as small as a golf cart?

Chevrolet Colorado - Type: Pickup Truck

This vehicle has been rated poorly in just about in every aspect so I'm not going to waste my time telling you about it because what does matter is the fact that GM is soon doing away with this model as well as the Canyon. So, of course the best medicine would be to stay away from these models.

Dodge Nitro - Type: SUV

The SLT model is just another version of the Jeep Liberty but with lower marks. Consumers complained
how noisy this SUV is and how it lacks agility. There tended to be some sort of body lean which added difficulty for people steering. This would be the equivalent of pushing a baby stroller in gravel.

Ford F-250 - Type: Truck

The 2010 Ford F-250 Lariat was ranked the worst on gas mileage getting on average just 10 mpg. This was a diesel engine model as well. Hate to see how an unleaded version would do. At this bad a rate of miles per gallon, one would think you'd have to get a bank loan just to get back and forth to work every three months.

Jeep Wrangler - Type: SUV

The Unlimited Sahara was the main gripe but Jeep Wrangler overall has plummeted 23% in sales since the beginning of the year. Apparently it does well off-road but fell short when driven on-road. Handling is a challenge with vague steering and low cornering limits. It's reliability was another negative for consumers.

Chrysler Sebring - Type: Midsize

Car experts ridicule this unpopular gem for its cheap interior and poor performance. It is considered the worst midsize car for the money due to the high ownership costs. Its rate of depreciation is almost faster than watching paint dry.

Mercury Mountaineer - Type: SUV

Top honours for worst midsize SUV for the money, the Mountaineer (and its twin, Ford Explorer, which ranked right behind it) is truck-based. So therefore it makes it use more fuel than the competition and not something suited for city and suburban driving. If you live in this type area, the handling may cause a vein to pop out of your forehead as well.See another worst car 2010 here.

Vilner Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT600: "Bulgarian Job, but a Nice One"

That's the title that came with the press release on Vilner's Jeep Grand Cherokee tune that arrived in our mailbox, and we just had to use it. After all, it's always refreshing to see people in the auto industry with a sense of humor. Now, onto the little bit of info on this 600-horsepower Jeep.

Vilner, a Bulgarian tuner, has crafted this über-luxurious interior for the SRT600 Grand Cherokee. The Bulgarian tuner says the car has a "Vortech" turbo system (likely a Hennessey unit, as it's an SRT600) and, as you can see for yourself, a sea of grey leather and Alcantara highlighted by carbon fiber trim.

Other than that, there isn't much to say. Enjoy the pics below and don't forget to take a look at the press release which includes some hit catch phrases such as "your chances to sit in this car are close to zero" and "it smells like a LOT (and) expensive leather".

By Phil Alex

Link: Vilner

VILNER PRESS RELEASE:

Bulgarian job but a nice one (believe it or not!)

The most powerful Grand Cherokee, which you can spot in Bulgaria was finished in … Bulgaria. Surprised, ah? And if the turbo was made by the Californians from Vorteh, perfectly installed by the tuners of Overdive, the interior of this flying off-road coach is a pure Bulgarian job. And it smells like a LOT (and) expensive leather.

Since your chances to sit in this car are close to zero, we will tell you what you can find in there and what you cannot. Then you can brag about as if someone gave you a ride with the strongest Grand Cherokee in Bulgaria.

The interior is in different nuances of the grey, plus a pinch or two of carbon to taste, as the most rounded TV cook would say. Bulgarian studio Vilner turned the whole jeep inside out in order to redress its interior only in a stylish combination of leather and alcantara. Since everyone talk about the latter but no one knows that exactly it is (and why the hell one small saloon of alcantara burdens the invoice for your brand new car with at least several thousand EUR), we will explain it out loud. Alcantara is not deerskin but only pure artificial high-tech microfiber. So high-tech that it is offered for the same price as leather, however it is easily cleaned, highly durable, looks like expensive velveteen and it is perfect for the ceiling, front panel, seats, steering-wheel or for the door panels.

Back to the interior of the red Grand Cherokee – it has carbon on the gears, hand brake, and steering-wheel. Actually, they are dressed in carbon leather, which perfectly imitates the outrageously expensive real carbon. If you are such a nut, Vilner could do this for you too. Their goal in the case with the brutal Grand Cherokee, however, was to create the feeling of something much more special than the original plastic-fantastic interior of each modern Jeep.

The whole grey composition in the project is surmounted with red seams, which discreetly remind of the magnificent red paintjob of the vehicle. Each of the seats, as well as the ceiling, are with designer prints with woven inscription "600 SRT". The number shows the number of horses under the front hood and the second one, in the language of Grand Cherokee, means V8 engine from the Street and Racing Technology series of Chrysler.

VILNER EOOD was incorporated in 1996, and since 2010 the Vilner brandname has already been patented. The company relies on high quality and professionalism, aiming at being different from the others and it has raised its standards alone in order to be competitive. The services that it provides are design of interior furnishing of vehicles and buildings, additional noise-isolation of the coupe, diode lighting, designer solutions with carbon, piano varnish and aluminum, sound-screening and multimedia for vehicles, upholstering children carseats with leather, individual design of Vertu telephones, etc. The company policy is to prepare in advance the project's design, so that the client could see how it would look like and to start work only after it gets the client's approval.

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Pentastar V6 to Find its Way Into 13 Models Across the Chrysler Group Range, Including 2011 Challenger

The Chrysler Group's new Pentastar V6 gasoline engine will either replace current six-cylinder units or be introduced for the first time on a total of 13 vehicles across the Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep range by 2013, the company announced this week.

The 3.6-liter V6 unit will be offered with different levels of output, the most powerful [for now] iteration being the one fitted on the upcoming 2011 Dodge Challenger, which will be rated at 305 bhp at 6,350 rpm and 268 lb.ft. at 4,800 rpm, representing a 55 horsepower increase over the previous 3.5-liter V6.

On the new Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Pentastar V6 produces 290HP, while on the forthcoming 2011 Dodge Avenger, and Chrysler 200 sedan and Town & Country minivan, it will deliver 283HP. The soon-to-be-launched 2011 Dodge Charger will feature a 292-horsepower variant of the 3.6-liter V6. Other models to get the Pentastar V6 include the new Dodge Durango and Journey.

According to Chrysler, the new Pentastar V6 is not only more and fuel efficient than the six-cylinder engines it replaces, but is also significantly lighter. For example, the new 3.6L V6 is 94 lbs. lighter than the 3.7-liter engine it replaced in Jeep Grand Cherokee and 42 lbs. less than the 3.5-liter it replaces on the Chrysler 300.

"The Pentastar engine is suited to meet the requirements for a full range of vehicle applications in terms of power and fuel efficiency (average savings up to 7 percent across the model range) including passenger cars, mini-vans and sport utilities," said Bob Lee, vice president of engine engineering for Chrysler Group LLC.

"It has been designed for today and many years to come. Already, we are looking forward to adapting future technologies as they become available to the Pentastar V-6 for even more fuel efficiency and performance."

GALLERY

Customize your 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee with Mopar

Mopar has 60 accessories for customizing the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. To the outside tires are available from 17 to 20 inches with black wheels, polished, chrome, etc. ... The chrome parts (exhaust, fog), roof rails, carriages, and other protections. For the interior, the catalog offers a stainless steel pedals, integrated screens, a doggie bed or leather seats from Katzkin. What do you make a Jeep that will not like the neighbor attantion but the final price.

More adventurer 2011 model Jeep Patriot Effectively retouched

This is one of the nicest compact SUVs on the market, but also one that is most forgotten (133 sales in 2009) and Jeep take the approach of some great shows to unveil the restyled version of this SUV along 4.40 m

The Jeep designers have mostly reworked the rear bumper spoiler, giving it a more "adventurer" owing mainly to the fact that the bottom of said bumper is plastic raw (less fragile than the painted version), available at the new Central Fog, somewhat in the spirit of what is available on the Wrangler. All round box is now protected by a black patch that boosts a little line of SUVs.

The Jeep engineers seems he did a great job at the undercarriage and the quality of the road holding of the Patriot is said to be more precise, more dynamic because of its new suspension but also a direction recalibrated . The Jeep Patriot also benefits from a new palette of colors and a new range of alloy wheels in 17 inches. The system "Hill Control" for the descent of the Patriot comes as a further multiplication of the BVM and the possibility to leave the couple to 50/50 front and rear.

Another novelty is to be found in the cockpit that offers us a new dashboard, with plastics more opulent, and rounding a more flattering look for passengers. The driver will find pleasure in a nice three-spoke multifunction steering wheel to replace the current model easily worthy of a Chrysler in the early 90's!

In terms of news, we find a cruise control, new seats that finally seem comfortable