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Nearly 1.3 million Mercedes-Benz vehicles in the U.S. are under recall for a problem that could send emergency services to incorrect locations in case of an accident.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) defect report says the problem is in the emergency communication module software. It can be fixed in many cases with an over-the-air update, and in others through a visit to the dealership.
The problem affects various Mercedes vehicles from the 2016 through 2021 model years.
Mercedes-Benz is recalling almost 1.3 million vehicles from the 2016 through 2021 model years to fix a problem with the communication module for the eCall emergency call system. Affected vehicles could indicate the wrong location to emergency services when used in case of an incident on the road. One such incident was reported in Europe and none to date in the U.S., according to a chronology of the investigation.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in its recall notice, says the problem is expected to affect 100 percent of the 1,292,258 Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes-AMG vehicles subject to the recall by Mercedes-Benz USA. Among them are the A-, B-, C-, E-, GT-, S-, SL-, and SLC-class; CLA- and CLS-class; and G-, GLA-, GLB-, GLC-, GLE-, and GLS-class. All were made between 2016 and 2021, but specific model years for various products differ, so owners should check the NHTSA recalls site to see if their vehicle is included.
A change will be made to the vehicles’ communication module software. It can be done at the dealership or, in cases of vehicles with the Mercedes Me subscription, through an over-the-air update. The recall is set to begin on April 6.
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Land Rover’s Classic Division has released a limited run of 25 of the retro Defender Works V8 Trophy shown here, based on the now defunct old-school Defender.
Among those produced will be both two-door (90) and four-door (110) models, all in the Eastnor Yellow color reminiscent of Camel Trophy entries of the 1980s and 1990s.
Not surprisingly, this old-school SUV won’t be sold in the U.S.; Defender fans here will have to shop the 2021 Land Rover Defender instead.
Breaking up can be hard to do. Land Rover seems to be finding it particularly tough to split up with its most iconic model, launching another new edition of the Defender that officially retired five years ago. This is the limited-run Defender Works V8 Trophy.

Tested: Nowhere Bound in a 1995 Defender 90

Tested: Eight-Way 1997 Off-Road Challenge

Don’t think that this is an alternative to the new and much more advanced Defender that went on sale last year. The Works V8 Trophy is a product of Land Rover’s Classic Division, and the limited run of 25 will all be based on existing chassis. In other words, they’re aftermarket conversions. Both short-wheelbase two-door 90 and long-wheelbase four-door 110 station wagons will be produced, with power coming from a naturally aspirated version of JLR’s 5.0-liter V-8 making 399 horsepower and 379 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic gearbox will also be standard, something no original Defender left the factory with.

Land Rover

The new power output is similarly non-prototypical. Most of the original Defenders were sold in Europe with a variety of four- and five- cylinder turbo-diesel engines, but the U.S. did get a version fitted with the long-lived 3.5-liter pushrod V-8 that Rover acquired from Buick in the Sixties. So equipped, the 1997 U.S. spec Defender had 182 horsepower and drove through a four-speed automatic gearbox. Land Rover has previously offered this 5.0-liter conversion with the Defender Works V8, which we drove in the U.K. back in 2018, and which the company claims is capable of dispatching the zero-to-60-mph benchmark in just 5.6 seconds in short-wheelbase form.

From 2018: We Drive Land Rover Defender Works V8

The obvious difference between the earlier Works V8 and the Works V8 Trophy is the custard yellow paint scheme of the new car referencing the Camel Trophy that ran between 1980 and 2000, and which Land Rover supplied vehicles for. The cigarette sponsorship has obviously gone—and the color is now referred to as Eastnor Yellow, after Land Rover’s English test center—but the connection to the adventurous event is further emphasized by a substantial external roll cage and additional underbody protection, a raised air intake, and an electric winch. Other mechanical changes from the base Defender include bigger brakes and new telescopic dampers.

View Photos

Land Rover

Sadly for U.S. buyers, the Works V8 Trophy won’t be sold here, due to the base Defender’s lack of federal approval. For U.S. buyers looking for a reworked classic Defender, there are several options using cars old enough to be legally brought into the country. British tuner Twisted produces both a version powered by a 6.2-liter GM V-8 and a fully electrified version.

Twisted Makes Land Rover Defender into an EV

Tested: Defender 110 Refines an Off-Road Icon

This Defender Is Unlike Any Land Rover Ever Made

But, in those parts of the world that will be able to buy it—Europe, Africa, parts of the Middle East, and Africa—it will cost a substantial $270,000 at current exchange rates. That is a significant increase over the approximate price of $210,000 that Land Rover Classic charged for the last Works V8, although buyers will have the chance to drive the vehicles at a three-day event at Eastnor, which the company says will help them to “create their own stories, battle scars, and patina.” That’s some expensive patina.

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After senior editor Joey Capparella took last week off, the Window Shop regulars reassemble to take up a challenge from a viewer: Find the best badge-engineered car for under $15,000. The objective turns out to be more difficult than expected, and we spend a fair amount of time arguing over the definition of “badge engineered.”
Contributing editor Jonathon Ramsey ventures to the Land Down Under and returns with a Pontiac G8 GT. In a textbook case of bringing a modified gun to a knife fight, he touts the aftermarket bits added to Pontiac’s performance sports-sedan swan song—like six-piston calipers and a Corvette badge—and then tries to sell the idea of an email tune for the automatic transmission. If you have never heard of an e-mail tune, consider yourself lucky.
Fresh from his week off, Capparella attempts to convince us that choosing a Mercury Mystique is a great idea because it’s actually a badge-engineered car twice over, being a Europe-market Ford that became a U.S.-market Ford that became a Mercury. If that’s confusing, watching the video isn’t any better.
Deputy testing director K.C. Colwell finds a Lincoln Blackwood, which leads us to ask several questions: When is a Lincoln not a Ford? When is a Suzuki a Nissan? Is that wood? And is it Mr. Vader or Lord Vader?
Contributor John Pearley Huffman puts forth a legitimate example of badge engineering, but his internet skills yield two near-death project cars. Huffman continues his fruitless search during the show until we finally force him to stop. Finally, deputy editor and ringleader Tony Quiroga surprises the Zoom room with yet another Oldsmobile. His pick features deafening power locks, deer whistles that appear to have worked, and power locks that sound like a bolt-action rifle. In the end, we have some laughs, a winner is crowned, and we advance the culture.
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Jeep has released pricing for the new three-row version of the Grand Cherokee, the 2021 Grand Cherokee L.
It starts between $2775–$8080 higher than the equivalent two-row Grand Cherokee models.
The Grand Cherokee L will go on sale this spring.
If you want more Grand Cherokee, you’re going to have to pay more. The new, larger 2021 Grand Cherokee L with three rows of seats is predictably more expensive than the existing two-row version, with prices starting at $38,490 and rising to over $60,000 for the top trim levels. Depending on model, the L costs between $2775–$8080 more than the equivalent two-row; but remember, the L is also the first representative of the Grand Cherokee’s new generation, while the two-row version of the new design won’t arrive until the 2022 model year.

2021 Grand Cherokee L’s Four Trim Levels Explained

What the Jeep Grand Cherokee Lineup Has in Store

How Does the Jeep Grand Cherokee L Stack Up?

The L starts off with the Laredo trim, which comes standard with rear-wheel drive and a 3.6-liter V-6. Jeep has yet to release option pricing for the available all-wheel-drive system or any available packages. The next model is the Limited, which starts at $45,490 and adds features such as a power liftgate, leather seats, and heated second-row seats.

View Photos

Grand Cherokee L Summit
Jeep

The Overland starts at $56,490 and offers a 5.7-liter V-8 as an optional upgrade (pricing for the engine isn’t available yet). It also comes with features such as a power-folding third row of seats, a cooling function for the second-row seats, and an upgraded audio system. The $60,490 Summit, appropriately enough, sits at the top of the lineup and has extras such as 20-inch wheels, four-zone climate control, nappa leather seats, and massaging front seats.
Jeep says the 2021 Grand Cherokee L start arriving at U.S. dealerships in the spring, and we’ll update this post as more detailed pricing information becomes available.
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