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The Sting of Truth

by Gualberto Ranieri

July 10, 2012 11:52 AM
The story leading up to a Swedish magazine’s scurrilous accusation against the 2012 Grand Cherokee reminds me of the 1973 movie, The Sting.

Both involve cheating. But unlike the movie, the magazine won’t win any Oscars and the Swedish characters can’t match the professional genius of Paul Newman and Robert Redford.

The movie is divided into scenes that have names such as “The Set-Up,” which describes the criminal enterprise the characters use to target their mark.

The magazine’s mark was the 2012 Grand Cherokee. And the vehicle was definitely “set up,” which is nothing short of criminal.

There’s nothing wrong with evaluating the most acclaimed SUV in history. We at Chrysler Group welcome such scrutiny! But by the admission of test-driver Ruben Börjesson, the vehicle used to perform the extreme maneuver was overloaded by 110 lbs.

No vehicle should be operated in an overloaded condition, especially by a publication that purports to promote driving safety.

Not so oddly enough, when U.S. blog Jalopnik.com approached Swedish magazine Web Editor Mattias Rabe about the load weight, he – I quote – “couldn't remember the weight of off the top of his head.” Mr. Rabe didn’t remember such a negligible (!) detail. Hilarious, isn’t it? I kindly recommend Mr. Web Editor get some phosphorous tablets, “a well-known supplement to support brain and memory.” (I quote from Wikipedia.com.)

Another of the movie’s scenes is “The Shut-Out,” which has a shameful parallel to the magazine’s story. Not only are its readers denied the truth – that the uncharacteristic result is counterfeit – the magazine also slammed the door on the time-honored practice of allowing fair comment, a fundamental building block of journalistic principle.

Chrysler Group was advised of the magazine’s “findings” only after its pages were printed. The offer was then made to include our reaction in the publication’s next edition.

What were they afraid of? The truth, apparently.

Chrysler Group sent engineers to Sweden to witness the magazine again perform the aggressive maneuver, even though it is not used by any regulatory agency to establish safety ratings.

This time the Grand Cherokee was loaded properly. (Because we were watching, perhaps?) And the atypical outcome observed previously could not be repeated. Despite numerous attempts.

Expect the magazine to maintain its innocence, even though its editors have been caught red-handed. Because the truth doesn’t just hurt. It stings.

Tags: Grand Cherokee

Comments [9]

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9 Comments

iguffanti Jul 10, 2012, 10:22 PM

I am not an expert in the matter, but did anyone notice the driver appears to swerve back a little earlier than he should have? Once the vehicle went on 2 wheels the right side tires passed right over the last cone. Assuming the vehicle would have not done this, the right hand side wheels would have run over the last and possibly forlast cones. Maybe had he gone back to the initial path a fraction of a second later the forces applied to the vehicle would have stabilized enough.

Demonyte Jul 11, 2012, 9:49 AM

Dear Gualberto, What about the seven tests when tires were ripped off from the rims and the vehicle was loaded by Chrysler's engineers? You conviniently didn't mention anything about that while being busy to distract everyone with movie references - somebody could hint something about a smoke screen.

Mike Driehorst-Chrysler Jul 11, 2012, 9:55 AM

@Demonyte: Below is our response to your question:

The Grand Cherokee is an award-winning SUV with an exemplary safety record. The magazine used an overloaded vehicle in its initial evaluation. Chrysler Group takes seriously any safety concerns and continues to analyze data from the second evaluation, but the wheel-lift seen in the first round did not reoccur.

Thank you,
-Mike Driehorst
Editorial Director-Online Media
Chrysler Group LLC

Michael, Sweden Jul 12, 2012, 9:45 AM

Mr Ranieri, That magazine have been doing that test since the 70s, they have been through this before with ridicule when Mercedes A-class overturned, it ended with Mercedes had to remake the whole car, they are real pros, know what they are doing. the sting of truth? yes for jeep cherokee, read the mags response here, please se link: http://www.teknikensvarld.se/jeepmoosetest-part3/ T

DanielJGC Jul 12, 2012, 9:45 AM

Dear Mike, I am sure there are many JGC owners (such as myself) who will wait to see what the results of this investigation find, I just hope they are released. I am still very disappointed in the perfomance of the JGC in the latest Euro NCAP safety tests where the Drivers Seat Rail Failed - and the response from Jeep was that the defect would not be adressed in current vehicles.

Groot Jul 16, 2012, 9:55 AM

This kind of response will not bode well with the public. Corporations need to understand that you don't come out fighting with insults. It makes the corporation look bad. A much better repsonse would have been to acknowledge the test and simply state that Chrysler disagrees with the results and will post results of their own. This instead has now become a media debacle on the part of Chrysler. As a contrast, Mike Driehorst's reply here is much more calculated and proper. Gualberto Ranieri has made a huge PR mistake with his comment and Chrysler will suffer from this child-like public response to a magazine that has had a lot of credibility for decades. What's even more odd that is that Chrsyler knew what the outcome was for Daimler with the A-Class yet still played the 'game.' It's unfortunate and hopefully Chrysler will overcome this extremely bad publicity by responding in a much more mature matter. Although the damage is pretty well done since Ranieri decided to make this juvenile retort for the auto industry media to pick up and to ridicule.

mikejgc Jul 22, 2012, 6:25 PM

As a 2012 JGC Overland owner, I would have found it more reassuring and credible if Mr. Ranieri would have directly and factually responded to the magazine's reported results, without the clever parallels to "The Sting". Also, I would feel more confident of a satisfactory identification and resolution of any real problems and owner concern if Mr. Driehorst acknowledged (or denied) the bead seperation that ocurred when Chrysler engineers observed the second evaluation. As it stands, Mr. Driehorst's response to Demonyte sounds evasive at the worst, and incomplete at best. These responses sound more like public relations than problem identification and resolution, to me. This is my 1st Chrysler product after Acura's, Volvos, Cadillacs, etc, and I have been very impressed until now. I hope the focus is on problem resolution, open communication and transparency going forward.

rlfmendes Jul 31, 2012, 12:53 PM

As a Jeep customer (4 Jeep vehicles in the last 6 years) and a 2012 GC owner, I feel that Chrysler response to tis issue is far from reassuring. To blaime the vehicle weight, when the Magazine run the tests again with Chrysler engineers, and there were tire blows captured on video it's not a good excuse. Please look at this video again: To all the executives that own the GC program: would you put your family in this vehicle after watching the video on the following link: http://www.teknikensvarld.se/jeepmoosetest-part4/

Mike Driehorst-Chrysler Jul 31, 2012, 1:52 PM

We definitely appreciate everyone’s interest in this story. You should know that a prominent German publication (Auto Motor und Sport) has since conducted its own test. Below is the statement on our media site regarding the results. If you visit the Chrysler Group media site, you’ll find a link to Auto Motor und Sport’s test writeup and an English translation:
http://media.chrysler.com/newsrelease.do?id=12795&mid=2

An evaluation of the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee by Germany-based magazine Auto Motor und Sport (AMS) found the vehicle – including its advanced safety systems – performed successfully and as designed. The Grand Cherokee completed multiple repetitions of an evasive maneuver sometimes known as the “moose test” or “elk test.” The maneuver was performed by an AMS driver at an automotive test site in Germany that is sanctioned by the Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club (ADAC). Course dimensions and layout, checked and approved by AMS, were those set out by the International Standards Organization (ISO). The result reaffirms the Grand Cherokee’s place among the safest vehicles on the road today, evidenced by its listing as a “Top Safety Pick” by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety – one of the honors that made it the most awarded SUV ever.

-Mike Driehorst
Editorial Director-Online Media
Chrysler Group LLC