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The Jeep Patriot is one of the more affordable, if not the most affordable, sport-utility vehicle in North America.

It arrived on the scene in 2007 with its sibling, the Compass, but is considered more of an SUV than the Compass, which is considered more of a crossover.

They are both based on the same platform, which is also shared with the Dodge Caliber car.

So expect a very car-like ride from the Patriot.

Two four-cylinder engines are offered, a 2.0-liter with 158 horsepower and a 2.4-liter with 172 horsepower. These are connected to either a five-speed manual transmission or continuously variable transmission (CVT).

The base Patriot is front-wheel drive. Two four-wheel-drive systems are optional.

The first is a mild system called Freedom Drive I that is mostly for on-road use.

The second, called Freedom Drive II, is better suited for some off-road use, able to better split torque between the front and rear axles.

The Patriot's advanced Electronic Stability Program, all-speed traction control, hydraulic brake assist and electronic roll mitigation all work together by applying selective wheel braking and engine throttle control to help maintain directional stability.

The front suspension has MacPherson struts while the back suspension is an independent multi-link arrangement.

Inside, the Liberty is available with stain-resistant fabric seats and leather seats (heated up front). The rear seats fold flat for better cargo-carrying versatility. Limited and Sport E-package models come with standard reclining rear seats for enhanced comfort.

Other interior amenities include a 458-watt Boston Acoustics audio system with fold-down liftgate speakers, power sunroof, UConnect Bluetooth cell-phone connectivity, satellite radio, DVD navigation system and more.

Chrysler Sebring Sedan

The Chrysler brand has dramatically simplified the Sebring lineup to create the segment value leader with the Chrysler Sebring Limited sedan. The Chrysler Sebring Limited sedan features standard leather interior, heated seats, power front driver seat and tortoiseshell accents, as well as chrome and brushed trim accents, all at the price of the previous Chrysler Touring model — $23,380 (including $740 destination) with the fuel-efficient 30 mpg, 2.4-liter I-4 engine. Add the 3.5-liter V-6 engine, six-speed Auto Stick transmission, dual exhaust tips and 18-inch chrome wheels for a MSRP of $25,630 (including $740 destination).

Chrysler 300

The Chrysler 300 lineup has been simplified with the Touring Edition becoming the new entry-level model. The MSRP remains at $27,415 (including $750 destination), yet the new base model includes the “Touring” interior and exterior as standard equipment, the more fuel-efficient 2.7-liter V-6 engine and a new front grille. The WPC Touring Signature Edition features a new lower MSRP of $31,825 (including $750 destination) and includes 18-inch chrome clad wheels, touring ride control, 60/40 rear folding seat, power adjustable pedals, Unlimited Powertrain Warranty, as well as available all-wheel drive, navigation and side airbags. The 300 Limited now features the same 300C exterior and interior looks with the fuel economy of the 3.5-liter V-6 engine with a MSRP of $36,035 (including $750 destination). The 300C offers the same legendary 5.7-liter V-8 performance with a MSRP of $37,585 (including $750 destination). With the 300 Limited and 300C, customers now have the choice of a V-6 or V-8 engine without compromising vehicle appearance.

MileOne 2008 American Cancer Society Wrap-Up

October 26, 2008: MileOne Automotive joined the fight again by participating as a flagship sponsor in the 7th Annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in Baltimore, MD.  As a flagship sponsor for The American Cancer Society, MileOne provides additional monetary support and guarantees at least 100 walkers each year for the event. This year, with the help of all MileOne employees, friends and family, nearly $18,000 was raised to support the foundation.

In order to reach the donation and participation goals set forth by the American Cancer Society, MIileOne depends on 11 team leaders from the various dealership locations to collect donations and recruit walkers. They sold everything from danglers to bracelets to gift baskets, car maintenance packages and candles while also holding luncheons and “Power Pink Thursdays” to surround everyone with the feeling of hope during the month of October.

In addition to those funds raised by the support of great flagship sponsors like MileOne, many other volunteers contributed to a combined total of over $450,000 raised in the 2008 Making Strides Against Breast Cancer initiative. The donations will support life-saving breast cancer research, education, and advocacy and patient services to those lives which have been affected by this disease.

MileOne has already agreed to be a flagship sponsor again in 2009 and will begin planning for the 2009 Relay for Life event next spring. With the partnership MileOne will donate a New Saturn Aura to the American Cancer Society to be raffled off at the last Relay for Life event in the Baltimore area. Tickets will begin selling shortly after the new year. Check online to see how you can get involved in your area and possibly become the next lucky winner of a brand new 2009 Saturn Aura from MileOne Baltimore Area Saturn Retailers.

Special thanks go to all the 2008 MileOne Making Strides captains: Candice Lloyd (Allstate Auto Rentals), Barbara Bentley (Heritage Volkswagen Subaru Owings Mills), Louise Fisher and Linda Cromwell (Heritage Chrysler Dodge Jeep Chevy Buick Mazda Owings Mills), Pete Martin (Heritage Honda Westminster), Jackie Huber and Susanne Mackenzie (Heritage Cadillac Mazda Jeep Bel Air), Brianna Hickey (Mercedes-Benz Annapolis), Paul Amick and Marie Cavey (Herb Gordon Subaru, Volvo, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Tischer Audi BMW Porsche), Valerie Mettee (Baltimore Area Saturn Retailers), Erica Frey (Heritage Chrysler Jeep Volkswagen Parkville), Penny Novak (Heritage Honda Parkville and Towson Service Center), Robyn Schuerholz (Corporate offices) and Jeannetta McGettigan (overall team leader and event manager).

My Garage, With Jay Leno

Ken Gross

Jay Leno, popular host of The Tonight Show, may be one of America's funniest comedians, but he is also a serious car enthusiast. His three garages near Burbank are packed with sports and special-interest cars, antiques and classics, old motorcycles, oil company signs and "automobilia." He hasn't counted everything up recently, but he owns more than 50 cars and about as many vintage and modern bikes.

When you walk in, you don't know whether to dive for the bright yellow 1913 Mercer Raceabout, complete with monocle windshield, or ogle his five stunning Duesenberg Js, parked together in a row. Further on, there's a rare 1915 shovel-nosed Franklin with a California-built body by Earl (as in Harley Earl and his father, before the younger Earl headed to Detroit to start GM's Art and Color department).

Is there a theme in his collection? "If there is a theme," Leno says, "it's probably a car that's ahead of its time. Everything here does a hundred with a few exceptions. There are no Model Ts. I like a reasonable level of performance."

Among other vehicles, the Leno garage houses a 1939 Lagonda V-12, a brace of Bentleys, including a handsome Speed Six, a dignified 8-liter sedan and a 1926 roadster with a twin-turbocharged eight-liter Bentley engine. Built especially for Leno by a team of British craftsmen, it'll light up its skinny rear tires in any gear. Ask Leno what the horsepower is and he just grins: "Probably over 500," he says.

No car or bike in Leno's collection is a museum piece; he drives everything and nearly everything runs at all times. Blessed with an assigned parking space at NBC Studios, Leno takes a different vehicle to work every day.

Two full-time mechanics help keep things in shape, although Leno (who once worked at Foreign Motors of Boston, near his hometown of North Andover, Mass., before his comedy career took off), likes to do things himself. He's capable of starting and running even the ancient machinery, like his two Stanley Steamers, which require a delicate combination of priming, heating and lighting--like starting up an old-fashioned furnace.

While Leno isn't averse to modern cars, he doesn't own many. There's a Turbo R Bentley and a pair of mildly modified Dodge Vipers, plus a stealth car--a souped-up Renault LeCar with a Ford Taurus SHO motor and a nitrous setup.

Leno likes horsepower, lots of it. While he'd never admit to being a hot rodder, there are vehicles here that could only be called hot rods. Take his Cobra replica. It started life with a pushrod 427 side-oiler. Now it has a gleaming 429 SOHC Ford V-8 under its hood.

"Yep, that's the cammer-motor," he says, lifting the hood, with a knowing leer. "It pulls like a train. I got this engine out of a powerboat. It's a much better engine than the 427. And it runs a lot cooler. You ever heard one-a these things go to eight grand? Oh geez... 'Whee, whee, wheeeeeeeeee!'" Leno expertly imitates the noise. "It's a frightening sound," he says.

Although Leno's a stickler for originality on his Pebble Beach Concours-winning Duesenbergs and his two real Bugattis, he also owns two replica Bugattis: a Type 37A that's all Bugatti parts but they didn't all come from the factory at the same time, and a stunning Type 57SC Atlantic that you couldn't tell from Ralph Lauren's Pebble Beach prize winner, except for the paint color. And who really cares? The real thing (they only made three) is arguably too valuable to drive.

If you want to see Leno get really enthusiastic, just ask him for a ride in his 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II with its 1,000-horsepower Merlin V-12. His eyes light up like Mr. Toad's in The Wind in the Willows: "I mean it's so stupid!" With Leno, stupid is sometimes a compliment. "It's got 1,806 pounds of torque. There's nothing like it. That's real power."

Does it have some sort of tank transmission to handle all that torque? We're surprised to learn it's a Moss four-speed, just like on a 1950s Jag XK120. "It's pretty strong," says Leno, "But you're not dumping the clutch. Once you're rolling, you put your foot down and Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!; it just keeps pulling like a train."

Leno would rather hang out in the garage than do almost anything else--except write and tell jokes. So his spare time is spent tinkering with his cars, or riding his bikes. He turns up at local car shows, rides one of his bikes up to the Rock Store on Sundays and often invites friends over to look at new acquisitions.

Leno's passionate about his cars, but ask him which one is his favorite and he gives you that sideways look familiar to so many fans of The Tonight Show. "Which one of your children is your favorite?" he retorts.

However, Leno is partial to Duesenbergs. "This car is not a myth," he insists, pointing to a J. "Any 70-year-old car that can keep up with modern traffic in L.A. and drive like a normal car is pretty amazing. At a time when the speed limit was 45 mph, a Duesenberg could go 120 mph."

How does he decide what to buy next? "I just see something. If it catches my eye, it's like a pretty girl...But I'm quite happy with everything I have. I don't lust for new things. But, if I do see one and think, 'Oh, that's nice...' Well, that's cool, too."

And his wife, Mavis, is tolerant of this passion? "Yes. It's cheaper than hookers and cocaine," he jokes. "Most guys in Hollywood have 20 girlfriends and one car and I have 20 cars and one girlfriend. She always knows where I am. I'm here in the garage.

"'What's that fragrance?'" Leno says in a fake falsetto voice? "'It's gasoline, honey. It's not cheap perfume.'"

"Having these cars is great fun," Leno says. "And there's a sense of history to all this stuff. We don't really own these cars, we just keep them for the next owners."

See answer under Car Doctor.

Your Blizzard Emergency Kit

Many of us can recall news stories of families stranded in their cars in heavy snow. Some motorists, in desperation, have abandoned their vehicles, tried to walk and died. Others, equipped with an emergency kit, have survived the ordeal. In addition to a good spare tire (properly Inflated and a working jack, your trunk might Include some or all of the following:
Bottled water
Matches & candles
Blankets
Window scraper
Paper towels
Spare wiper blades
A red flag or cloth
Flashlight w/spare batteries
Basic tools (screwdriver, pliers, adjustable wrench)
Extra windshield washer fluid
Traction chains or a bag of salt or sand
Canned fruits or nuts and a can opener
An emergency supply of any medication needed regularly
Extra warm clothes (mittens, overshoes, and ski caps)
Transistor radio with spare battery
First aid kit
Flares
Jumper cables
Small shovel

The Maryland state fish is Rockfish, also known as the striped bass. It became the state fish in 1965.