Jeep® Grand Cherokee Wins Green ALV Award, Ram 1500 Rebel Earns Best Value Off-Road Award at 13th Annual Carspondent.com Active Lifestyle Vehicle Competition

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Oct 26, 2016, 02:30 ET

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Jeep® Grand Cherokee Summit EcoDiesel wins "Green ALV" category
Ram 1500 Rebel wins "Best Value Off-Road" category
More than 50 athletes and outdoor enthusiasts evaluated the vehicles and voted for the winners

The Jeep® Grand Cherokee Summit EcoDiesel took home the Green ALV award while Ram 1500 Rebel earned Best Value Off-Road honors at this year's Active Lifestyle Vehicle (ALV) awards.

The 13th annual Carspondent.com "Active Lifestyle Vehicle of the Year" awards competition was held at San Marcos Golf Resort in Chandler, Arizona.

A panel of national and local media, including Phoenix Automotive Press Association (PAPA) members, spent the first day of the competition evaluating cars, crossovers, SUVs and trucks. The second day brought more than 50 athletes and outdoor enthusiasts from all over the country to evaluate the same vehicles.

"Individuals with active lifestyles don't want the vehicles they drive to limit where they travel, or the amount of gear they can carry," said Nina Russin, ALV co-founder. "Ram Truck and Jeep proved that their vehicles perform equally well on- and off-road and offer spacious, configurable cargo areas that fill the squares for buyers who like to venture off the grid, carrying their bicycles, kayaks and camping equipment with them."

The Active Lifestyle Vehicle competition is unique because it's the only annual awards program where outdoor enthusiasts, athletes and the automotive media come together to pick the winners. The evaluation process includes navigating an off-road course and on-road driving, too.

The ALV awards were co-founded by Bob Babbitt, a member of the Ironman Hall of Fame, and Jim Woodman, longtime journalist, triathlete and founder of Active.com, as well as Nina Russin, longtime distance runner and auto journalist.

About Jeep Grand Cherokee
Jeep Grand Cherokee is the most awarded SUV ever and the vehicle that has long defined what a premium SUV should be. The Grand Cherokee Summit models receive added features, as well as a Summit California Edition appearance package that further enhances Summit's premium exterior aesthetics.

Legendary Jeep capability comes courtesy of three available 4x4 systems, Jeep's Quadra-Lift air suspension system and class-leading Selec-Terrain traction management system. Grand Cherokee boasts best-in-class towing of 7,400 pounds and a crawl ratio of 44.1:1.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is available in six trim levels: Laredo, Laredo E, Limited, Trailhawk, Overland and Summit.

About Jeep Brand
Built on 75 years of legendary heritage, Jeep is the authentic SUV with class-leading capability, craftsmanship and versatility for people who seek extraordinary journeys. The Jeep brand delivers an open invitation to live life to the fullest by offering a full line of vehicles that continue to provide owners with a sense of security to handle any journey with confidence.

The Jeep vehicle lineup consists of the Cherokee, Compass, Grand Cherokee, Patriot, Renegade, Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited. To meet consumer demand around the world, all Jeep models sold outside North America are available in both left- and right-hand drive configurations and with gasoline and diesel powertrain options.

About Ram 1500 Rebel
The Ram 1500 Rebel brings a one-of-a-kind off-road design to the full-size truck segment, offering customers a custom truck with capability.

Equipped with factory lift, 33-inch tires, Bilstein shocks, skid plates, tow hooks and other off-road-ready features, Rebel drops right into a core segment of the truck market with unique design cues and can-do attitude backed by Ram Truck engineering. Ram 1500 Rebel also takes advantage of exclusive air suspension in order to offer increased ride height.

New front grille design and "RAM" branding offer a new styling signature for Ram Truck. Rebel is also distinguished by unique interior colors and materials, including Radar Red and Black seats with tire tread-matching patterns.

The Ram 1500 Rebel is available in three short wheelbase Crew Cab configurations with a standard 4x4/3.6-liter Pentastar V-6/TorqueFlite 8 combination, delivering 305 horsepower and 269 lb.-ft. of torque; a 4x2 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 with variable valve timing, fuel-saver technology and 395 horsepower/410 lb.-ft. of torque mated to a TorqueFlite eight-speed transmission 4x2; or HEMI-powered 4x4.

About Ram Truck Brand
Since its launch as a stand-alone division in 2009, the Ram Truck brand has steadily emerged as an industry leader with America's longest-lasting line of pickups.

Creating a distinct identity for Ram trucks has allowed the brand to concentrate on core customers and the features they find valuable. Whether focusing on a family that uses a Ram 1500 day-in and day-out, a hard-working Ram 3500 Heavy Duty owner or a business that depends on its Ram ProMaster commercial van every day for deliveries, Ram has the truck market covered.

In order to be the best, it takes a commitment to innovation, capability, efficiency and durability. Ram Truck invests substantially in its products, infusing them with great looks, refined interiors, durable engines and exclusive features that further enhance their capabilities.

Ram continues to beat the competition in the most sought-after titles:

Longest-lasting line of pickups
Best-in-class ride and handling with exclusive link coil rear and auto-level air suspensions
Best-in-class fuel economy and longest range with exclusive EcoDiesel – 29 mpg and 754 miles with Ram 1500
Best-in-class gas towing -- 16,320 pounds with Ram 2500
Highest snow plow rating -- Ram 2500 and 3500
Most interior space with Ram Mega Cab
Most capable fullsize off-road pickup -- Ram Power Wagon

Truck customers, from half-ton to commercial, have a demanding range of needs and require their vehicles to provide high levels of capability. Ram trucks are designed to deliver a total package.

About FCA US LLC
FCA US LLC is a North American automaker with a new name and a long history. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, FCA US is a member of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) family of companies. FCA US designs, engineers, manufactures and sells vehicles under the Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram and FIAT brands, as well as the SRT performance vehicle designation. The company also distributes the Alfa Romeo 4C model and Mopar products. FCA US is building upon the historic foundations of Chrysler, the innovative American automaker first established by Walter P. Chrysler in 1925; and Fiat, founded in Italy in 1899 by pioneering entrepreneurs, including Giovanni Agnelli.

FCA, the seventh-largest automaker in the world based on total annual vehicle sales, is an international automotive group. FCA is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "FCAU" and on the Mercato Telematico Azionario under the symbol "FCA."

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