Most-Watched Videos of the Week

Cars.com sister site PickupTrucks.com put another feather in its cap of dominance of our most-watched videos this week. PickupTrucks.com Editor Mark Williams invited viewers along on his first drive of the 2013 Ram 2500/3500 Heavy Duty in Michigan. The video debuted at No. 1, followed by Cars.com reviewer Joe Bruzek's critique of the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which bowed at No. 2. PickupTrucks.com's pair of 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 videos held over from last week, as did the 2014 Mazda6. Check out what else was popular:

1. 2013 Ram HD First Drive and Impressions
2. 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
3. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado: Impressions
4. 2014 Chevrolet Silverado
5. 2014 Mazda Mazda6

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Video

The changes are few, but their impact is great. Cars.com reviewer Joe Bruzek says the subtle precision of improvements to the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee have made a good SUV a great one. Perhaps the biggest strides were made in tech upgrades — Chrysler's responsive, easy-to-use 8.4-inch touch-screen multimedia system and a configurable instrument cluster are high points. Another is an eight-speed automatic transmission that makes the Grand Cherokee both quicker and more fuel efficient. Watch the video above.

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2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee: Car Seat Check

Both the Jeep Grand Cherokee's exterior and interior get refreshed for the 2014 model year. The changes don't affect the Grand Cherokee's ability to fit three child-safety seats across the backseat, however. Since its 2011 redesign, the Grand Cherokee has been one of the handful of cars that can fit three car seats across its backseat.

Chrysler Really Connects With 8.4-inch Touch-Screen

Chrysler's massive 8.4-inch touch-screen available in Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, Ram and SRT models is one of the few multimedia systems to integrate dozens of tasks without overwhelming users. Tasks including smartphone integration, navigation, Satellite radio and more pair with climate control functions in one easy-to-use 8.4-inch command center versus an unwieldy combination of knobs, buttons and touch-screen complexity.

Testing Chrysler's latest Uconnect 8.4 system in the 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee reminded us how seamless Uconnect works and why it's one of our favorites. Below are five aspects of the Uconnect 8.4 system that give it an advantage over not only direct competitors of Chrysler products, but in the grand scheme of all automotive multimedia offerings.

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee: Explaining the Trim Levels

The new 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee gets a subtle freshening this year, and with the new face comes some new options. A new diesel engine enters the mix, as well as an additional trim, the top-of-the-line Summit. Add in a nicer interior, the optional Chrysler 8.4-inch Uconnect touch-screen multimedia system and the smack-you-in-the-face SRT version, and there's a lot to talk about. But these new models will cost you: The new Grand Cherokee is one of the few domestic brand vehicles that spans tens of thousands of dollars between its base model and its most expensive.

We recently tested the new 2014 Grand Cherokee. To help you decide which of the models is right for you, here is our trim-level breakdown of the updated off-road champion. All prices include a $995 destination fee.

Jeep to Add Diesel to Wrangler Lineup

The next Jeep in line for a diesel engine is the Wrangler, according to Wards Auto. Jeep CEO Mike Manley told the website that the automaker plans to add the powertrain to the lineup after the Wrangler's 2015-16 redesign.

Manley believes demand for a diesel-powered Wrangler continues to grow. "I'm confident that the Grand Cherokee will show just how large a demand there is for diesel, and I think what that will do is reinforce the need for us to target Wrangler as a vehicle that can take a diesel," he told Wards.

For the 2014 model year, Jeep added a 240-horsepower, 3.0-liter diesel V-6 to the Grand Cherokee lineup. It'll also be offered on the Ram 1500. Check out our review of the new diesel Grand Cherokee here.

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2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee and SRT Grand Cherokee: First Drive

Chrysler's 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee pretty much saved the company's bacon as it struggled to pull itself out of a demoralizing bankruptcy. Now Jeep is presenting a refreshed 2014 Grand Cherokee even as the old one is still propelling the brand to record sales numbers, and the problem is this: How do you improve on what is already a good thing?

The 2014 Grand Cherokee is a subtle refresh, with money spent simply on what needed improvement, and the result is now one of the best vehicles Jeep has ever made.

I tested multiple trim levels and all four available engines, including the high-performance SRT Grand Cherokee.

Amid Rise of Crossovers, Jeep Wants Class-Leading Capability

In January, Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne outlined dozens of forthcoming models for the automaker's smorgasbord of brands — Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, SRT, Fiat and soon-to-come Alfa Romeo. The Jeep brand got quite the overhaul: an updated Compass and Grand Cherokee, which we've seen, plus a Liberty replacement this year and five more additions or redesigns and a refresh through 2016.

If Mike Manley gets his way, none of them will be a shopping-mall crossover.

"We're very clear on what makes a vehicle a Jeep, and one of the things that we've said is we'll always offer segment-leading [off-road] capability," the 48-year-old Jeep division CEO said. "I wouldn't want to create crossover vehicles."

Manley spoke with us at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show, which runs through Feb. 18. Besides heading up Jeep, he's also the chief operating officer for Chrysler's Asia-Pacific region.

Chrysler-Fiat Plans 47 New or Updated Cars by End of 2016

Chrysler-Fiat will introduce, redesign or update 47 cars over the next four years, the automaker said Wednesday in a financial presentation to analysts. Among them are six Alfa Romeos from Fiat's upscale European division, plus seven new Fiat-branded models. Chrysler also encompasses the Dodge, Jeep, Ram and SRT brands.

The pipeline goes well beyond what Fiat had planned when it took a government-brokered stake in Chrysler in 2009. In September 2012, the automaker unveiled 66 future models at a private dealer meeting in Las Vegas, and we don't know how many of these 47 cars overlap with those. At that meeting there were just two Alfas, however.

The new plan eliminates four Fiat-built cars — two Chryslers and two Dodges — and moves the timing back by one to three years on nine models. All told, there are 16 refreshes and 31 new cars between now and the end of 2016. We've already seen five of them — the refreshed Compass and Grand Cherokee, plus Fiat's new 500L and the Ram HD and chassis cabs — and an SRT Grand Cherokee is also in the works. That still leaves 42 to come. Naturally, all of this is subject to change. Chrysler-Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne called the plan "a living document," the Detroit News reports.

Here's how it breaks down:

2013 Chicago Auto Show: What to Expect

The Windy City is considered one of the fan-friendliest destinations during auto-show season, and to that end the 2013 Chicago Auto Show is unlikely to disappoint. This show will give visitors a first glimpse of a few new vehicles along with a closer look at a host of exciting cars that made flashy debuts at the Detroit auto show.

The 2013 Chicago show — the 105th time the event has been held since 1901, according to organizers — will be open to the public 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Feb. 9-17 and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 18, with media and charity previews Feb. 7-8, at McCormick Place, 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive. Organizers promote the Chicago show as the largest in terms of exhibit space used, as it occupies 1 million square feet of floor space and hosts about 1,000 vehicles.

For those most interested in the latest thing, the Chicago show will host the world debuts of the redesigned 2014 Toyota Tundra full-size pickup truck and the Kia Cross GT Concept. That's in addition to the North American reveal of the new Chevrolet Cruze Diesel. The 2014 Ram ProMaster van and the custom Superman-inspired Kia Optima Hybrid also are expected to be unveiled.