QOTD: Wishing for Something Hotter?
Once upon a time, the vehicles populating high school and college student parking lots were a rangy mish-mash of beat-up hatchbacks, faded hand-me-down family sedans, the odd minivan (daughters beware!) and the obligatory Mustang or Camaro. Soon, it’ll be a sea of crossovers. Maybe it already is — your author, understandably, doesn’t make a habit of cruising by such locales at low speed in the interest of checking out rides.
As vehicular variety decreases, the need to stand apart from the crowd hasn’t. Maybe that explains this week’s Chevrolet Blazer SS thought experiment. Sure, a hotter two-row crossover, especially in Blazer form, might not turn your crank, but that doesn’t mean there’s no audience for such a vehicle.
Is this segment in need of more muscle?
Gone are the days in which a low-priced coupe or sedan could play host to a myriad of ever-larger powerplants, sending tooth-rattling power aft to the rear wheels through beefed-up trannys and differentials borrowed from the OEM’s parts bin. Beancounters took over. Then the public started demanding an alternative to coupes and sedans.
Ford’s Edge ST seeks to upset the idea that mainstream crossovers can’t be the object of desire for the go-fast crowd. Okay, maybe just for members with family obligations. Its 335 horsepower and 380 lb-ft of torque, retuned suspension, and bigger brakes seeks to entice the buyer who wants everything in one package. It isn’t crazy that some feel the need for a GM rival.
While Fiat Chrysler is more than happy to sell you a Dodge Durango or Jeep Grand Cherokee with monster V8 power, today we’re focusing on front-biased, high-riding unibodies.
Is there, um, utility in fielding a hot crossover? And, if you feel there is, which crossover on the market today would you like to see turned into a legitimate fire-breather?
[Image: General Motors]
More by Steph Willems
Comments
Join the conversation
I literally just bought a 17 focus ST. I don't begrudge Ford for using the name on other models simply because they are ceasing north American sales of the 2 previous models to which the moniker applied. As long as said ST models are a true performance step up from the standard versions. A manual transmission would be nice, but I know I'm living in the past and the computers can shift faster than my slow inferior human motor function (pun intended).
Of course there are already hot crossovers, albeit at a higher price point. A friend of mine just bought a BMW X3 M40i, which has the 3.0 L6 turbo with 355 hp and 365 lb-ft of torque, and does 0-60 mph in 4.6 secs. Hot enough? It does list for $56K though.