Automotive history is full of shiny diamonds that originally hit dealer lots looking a lot more like coal before the market forced them to refresh and try harder to draw consumer attention away from superior competition. When Jeep dropped pictures of the latest Compass refresh coming our way for 2022, the classy modern interior trim and large high-res screen on the dash reminded us that this particular rock has spent a long time in the tumbler before anyone started labeling it desirable. Read more…
Renegade. The name may come from Jeep’s past, but it just as well could describe the nature of the brand’s newest and smallest offering. The first Jeep to be imported to the United States, rather than built here, the Renegade dares to take the brand into new places. The Renegade’s base engine is a turbocharged 1.4L 4-cylinder coupled to a manual transmission. A larger 2.4L and a 9-speed automatic are also available. Hard core Jeep fans may scoff at the origins and FIAT-based architecture, but others may find the Trailhawk version appealing for its off road capability with a 4WD low setting as well as snow, sand, mud, and rock selectable terrain settings. Experience open air freedom with the Renegades two-piece removable ‘My Sky’ roof panels.
If we were keeping a list of long-in-the-tooth vehicles most in need of a refresh, the Jeep Grand Cherokee would not be on it. After all, it debuted as a 2011 model and impressed everyone enough to earn the distinction of being the most awarded SUV ever. So we were a bit surprised when Jeep rolled out a refreshed Grand Cherokee lineup for 2014 at their Monday morning press conference. Not that we’re complaining. With new features like an 8-speed automatic and a modern 3.0-liter diesel joining the powertrain lineup, the Jeep marketers can now advertise the dickens out of a 30 mpg highway rating. The changes don’t stop there as the front and rear receive noticeable improvements in the form of new lighting elements with LEDs, a shorter and higher grille, new foglights and wheel designs plus a host of interior refinements. The most significant of which is the 8.4” center screen and 7” screen in the middle of the gauge cluster. They can be programmed to display just about anything and work very well. SRT fans won’t feel left out either, since their 2014 Jeep is benefiting from most of the cosmetic tweaks and the 8-speed automatic comes along to dramatically boost real-world passing times and fuel efficiency. There is also a one button Launch Control system to make sure your stop light drag races go off without a hitch. Look for these in showrooms in the Fall. Read more…
That thing gotta HEMI? Actually it has two! A 5.7L V8 is mounted in the front AND rear of the Jeep Hurricane concept for a total 670-hp and 740 lb-ft of torque on tap. The Hurricane is equipped with a sophisticated four wheel steer which will allow the vehicle to make tighter turns by turning the front and rear tires in opposite directions or lock all wheels in the same direction for crab steering the vehicle out of tight spaces. And this Jeep will spin like a top (or a Hurricane) thanks to the skid steer or toe steer feature! Come to think of it I believe this was the only vehicle we saw at the 2005 NAIAS that didn’t need a turn table to show itself off.
For 2011 Chrysler wisely decided not to let it’s Jeep Grand Cherokee, the flagship of its legendary off-road brand, get stale. This marks the fourth generation of the model, which took over the place of the ancient Grand Wagoneer after its departure in 1991. Read more…
About mid-April, DaimlerChrysler dropped off a new Grand Cherokee for us to run around in. So, unlike any good soccer mom (more like dad), we loaded up and hit the trails with our V6-powered runabout. Nope, no HEMI in this dude. Someone back at DCX PR headquarters missed the page on the order sheet titled: Options. Read more…
You’ve got to love Jeep. At a time when most SUVs are becoming watered down, carlike “crossover” vehicles, the Jeep Liberty is staying true to its roots as a real off-road machine.
Jeep probably could have sold more SUVs if the Liberty were designed for shopping malls and freeways — places where comfort takes precedence over ruggedness and off-road dependability — rather than building an SUV to tackle the Rubicon Trail. But Jeep continues to look to its heritage, making the biggest changes for 2005 to the Liberty’s most rough-and-tumble model, the Renegade. Read more…
At a time when SUVs are becoming more like cars with each passing year, it’s refreshing to drive one that hasn’t lost touch with its off-road roots.
Driving the 2004 Jeep Wrangler feels like piloting a mountain goat — a capable, noisy, bumpy, unrefined beast that’s more at home in the wilderness than in the city. It stands in stark contrast to the cushy, modern SUVs that seem like sissies with their quiet cabins and spongy rides. Read more…
