Originally Posted by ppro

So he's one of those "I Love You Man!" kind drunks... Either that or his inhibitions fell away (or he forgot which company put the change in his bank account)...

The point is, drivers get used to what they drive most. Take them away from that to drive something different and most likely they will not initially like what they are "testing out". This is especially true of people who have a vehicle that for them represents no compromise. They have the means to get exactly what they want, cost no object, and feel in their heart of hearts there is no better vehicle on the planet. It takes a very mature reviewer to be able to distance themselves from their own vehicle and make objective evaluations of cars being reviewed. I do not think Jeremy is such an individual. It also seems if he is in a bad mood, he is even more critical - another sign he should be announcing Wrestling matches and not reviewing cars.

My own experience helped me reach this conclusion:

I used to think one could be objective in assessing vehicles. I have found that after driving one or another of the three cars in our household that going to another car initially surfaces what appear to be shortcomings in the vehicle I change to.

For example, after driving the Crossfire for days or even weeks, I get into the Jeep Commander. WHAM! This thing "corners like a truck". Well, yeah, it is a truck... This thing has seats like benches on a picnic table. They certainly don't hug my fat a$$ like the Crossfire. I feel like I'm sitting on top of a large rock. Well, at three tons and with the 4WD suspension, of course... One thing that doesn't disappoint is the response from the "go" pedal. The HEMI throws that thing forward like it was weightless. And what happened to the clutch pedal...

Then I might end up driving the Wrangler for the weekend. Oh boy. Where'd the power go? (It's got a 6-cyl 5sp but the vehicle is heavily armored, has oversized tires, and 1:4.56 gears...). The interior is as soundproof and weatherproof as a railcar. The lockers make every application or discontinuance of power a true adventure. Sometimes I forget myself and go looking for sixth gear (Crossfire habit) where they put Reverse in the Wrangler...

But something funny happens. After driving for an extended period, I find that all the handling "quirks" dissolve. I can throw the Commander around corners without noticing the lateral G's. The seats start to feel really good. In the Wrangler (which I purpose-built for aggressive off-road use) I can literally "Go Anywhere - Anytime", and nobody seems to be very interested in tailgating an armor-clad civilian war wagon.

Which brings me back to the Crossfire. After driving either one of those two, getting into the Crossfire is like getting into a cocoon. The seats wrap, the whole interior envelopes. It's like putting on a tailored suit. The responsiveness on power feels much better than the other two because of the lower weight and different gearing. The cornering is so much better it makes going around most corners at 2X recommended speed feel like a non-event.

Depending on the mood I'm in, I could on any given day tell you one of these three is my favorite vehicle. Yesterday I went on a drive up to Ohiopyle State Park. I had been driving the Jeep all weekend and wanted to have some fun driving curvy roads. I was not disappointed. Brand new pavement and well maked road lines and I was in restrained heaven. Then I got to Ohiopyle and suddenly I was bemoaning the fact that the 4WD lever and the gears and armor were missing because an interesting trail was calling me...So I turned the Crossfire around and squirted back home to make myself forget - and it worked. I had a big smile all the way.