First look: Chrysler has high hopes for Aspen

AMERICANS, it must be said, love their SUVs. If you did not know better you’d swear it was a country built on the back of these automotive juggernauts.

Which is why Chrysler’s new Aspen SUV almost went unnoticed last week, as the 2006 Detroit motor show featured a proliferation of new off-road wagons.

Boasting elegant Chrysler styling, the 2007 Aspen is the latest addition to the Chrysler brand showroom - a premium SUV to rival the Mercedes-Benz M-class and BMW X5.

Chrysler claims the Aspen is more fuel-efficient and manoeuvrable than other SUVs and offers better interior packaging and luggage room.

It will be offered with a choice of two V8s, including the 5.7-litre HEMI V8 featured in the 300C sedan, as well as all-wheel drive. The V8 boasts the fuel-saving Multi-Displacement System.

Designers have not forgotten about occupants either.

The Aspen offers interior LED lighting, one-touch electric windows, a full-screen navigation radio, heated first and second-row seats, and a rear-seat DVD entertainment system.

In addition, a new one-touch lane-change feature, borrowed from Mercedes-Benz and now commonplace in luxury vehicles, allows the driver to quickly activate a three-blink indicator signal when changing lanes.

Other safety features include an electronic stability program, electronic rollover mitigation, parking sensors, a tyre pressure monitoring system and side-curtain airbags for all three rows.