Have you thought of this awesome car hack?

Road Trip Game!

There are many variations of license plates games you can play, but here is one:

If you're going on a long road trip, try to see how many different state license plates you can spot! Bring a note pad to write down the states you see so you don't forget which ones you've already seen. Tip: Semi-trucks are a great way to spot a license plate from a far away state!

How much ‪horsepower‬ do you want? Have a great weekend!

Have you been off-roading this summer?

‎Wallpaper‬ Wednesday! Here's a cool ‎Dodge‬ image for your desktop.

Jeep Cherokee to get high-power SRT workup

Listen, there's no doubt that not everyone is sold on the radical, snarly new look of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee. But one thing's for certain, its crimped-in-the-middle seven-slot grille and squinty headlamps will look decidedly intimidating filling up rearview mirrors nationwide – at least on upper-end models like the Trailhawk shown above. But the reborn Cherokee may well become even more intimidating if new rumors have a foundation in reality. According to the generally very-well-connected Chrysler fansite Allpar, an SRT variant is coming.

It's probably safe to assume that all-wheel drive and the company's new nine-speed automatic would be part of a high-performance Cherokee, but what gets wedged in the engine bay is a matter of discussion. Allpar hypothesizes about everything from a force-fed 3.0-liter Pentastar V6 with 375 to 410 horsepower (depending on whether it goes single or twin turbo), or even a 400+ horsepower application of the 3.0-liter twin-turbo engine from Maserati, but it's hard to envision the beancounters approving such a scenario. There's also the possibility of this Jeep getting a version of the company's 2.4-liter turbo four with 300 horsepower, but the 3.2-liter Pentastar V6 that will be available in the standard Cherokee already makes 271 horsepower, and SRT has a history of making sure its models have greater power differentials than such a drivetrain scenario would suggest.

High-power, road-biased utility vehicles are nothing new for Jeep (or the industry at large), but a Cherokee SRT would appear to have no natural competitive set to line up against. If the hi-po Cherokee gets the green light, it will be interesting to see whether that turns out to be an advantage or an impediment to the model's chances for success.

Courtesy of Auto Blog. 

4th of July Photography Tip!

Who's excited for 4th of July festivities?! Here's a little photography tip for capturing fireworks:

Choose a vantage point upwind from the blowing smoke. This makes for more comfortable shooting conditions, and from the right vantage point, the reflective quality of the smoke can add an element of interest to the shot.

Jeep: No. 1 of 25 most 'patriotic' brands

It's the brand known for winning World War II, for providing reliable transportation for American G.I.'s under the toughest conditions for generations. And lately, it has come to symbolize American ruggedness and a sense of adventure.

So perhaps it's appropriate that Chrysler Group's Jeep brand is named in a survey as the most patriotic brand from 197 famous brand names in 35 categories.

Heck, Jeep even beat out Coca-Cola, Levis, Harley-Davidson and Disney in the top 25.
The survey of 4,500 consumers was conducted by a New York-based branding researching firm, Brand Keys, with the results released just in time for the Fourth of July holiday, the most patriotic day off of them all.

Jeep was only one of two auto brands in the Top 25. The other was Ford in 16th place. Interestingly, no General Motors brands are on the list including Chevrolet, which used to heavily hit patriotic American themes in its ads.

Jeep topped all others with a score of 98 out of 100 on a scale representing consumers' emotional engagement expectations, according to Brand Keys.

"As marketers traditionally operate on the Independence Day theory that a patriotic, flag-waving call-to-emotion will motivate consumers to behave more positively toward their brands, we wanted to see which brands actually led when it came to that particular value," says Robert Passikoff, president of Brand Keys, in a statement.

He says having consumers view a brand as patriotic goes way beyond trying to create flag-waving ads. It's ingrained -- "more a question of whether that value is seen to part of the brand's equity, whether it's truly acknowledged on a deeply emotional and engaging basis."

Here's the Top 25 list:

1. Jeep (98%)
2. Hershey's (tie, 97%)
3. Coca-Cola (tie, 97%)
4. Levi Strauss (tie, 95%)
5. Walt Disney (tie, 95%)
6. Colgate (94%)
7. Zippo (93%)
8. Wrigley's (92%)
9. Ralph Lauren (91%)
10. Kodak (tie, 90%)
11. Gillette (tie, 90%)
12. New Balance (tie, 89%)
13. Harley-Davidson (tie, 89%)
14. Budweiser (tie, 88%)
15. Marlboro (88%)
16. Ford (86%)
17. Louisville Slugger (tie, 85%)
18. Smith & Wesson (tie, 85%)
19. General Electric (84%)
20. John Deere (tie, 82%)
21. L.L. Bean (tie, 82%)
22. Walmart (81%)
23. Craftsman Tools (tie, 80%)
24. Wilson Sporting Goods (tie, 80%)
25. Wrangler apparel (tie, 80%)

Courtesy of USA Today.