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2018 Hyundai Kona vs other small crossovers: How they compare on paper

The 2018 Hyundai Kona is the hottest new thing in the hottest new segment: subcompact crossovers. Or B-segment SUVs. Or whatever you might want to call this hodge-podge collection of vehicles of vaguely similar specs. Each is pretty much just a raised hatchback in some form (or literally in the case of one entry), skewing the increasingly vague line between car and SUV. If there was ever a segment that deserved the term "crossover" for more reasons than just its car-based unibody architecture, this would be it. Now, for this specs and photos comparison, we lined up the new 2018 Kona with an appropriate variety from that hodge-podge. Most are those that people are actually cross-shopping the Kona against — the Honda HR-V, Toyota C-HR and Subaru Crosstrek — while the Kia Soul and Jeep Renegade line up well in other regards. There are certainly others we could've included, but we're frankly a little pressed for spreadsheet space, and if you really want to know how a Chevrolet Trax, Fiat 500X or Ford EcoSport would've stacked up, you can always use our Compare Cars feature. (You can also check out our Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross comparison that includes a few larger choices) Performance, fuel economy and drivetrains Immediately you can see how all over the map this segment is. True, all but the Jeep come with a standard naturally aspirated four-cylinder and fairly comparable horsepower. Torque differs, but not wildly so. Then things get nuts. Some are automatic only, the Toyota is CVT only, the Honda and Subaru come with a manual standard and offer a CVT as an option. The Renegade's base engine is manual-only ... in 2018. Of course, then things flip-flop with the Renegade's upgrade being naturally aspirated and the Hyundai and Kia offering turbocharged mills. The Korean corporate cousins also come with automated manuals, whereas the Renegade has a box with nine gears selected by a lethargic monkey. Then there's the drivetrain. The C-HR is front-drive only, which pretty much cements the Soul's place in a segment it arguably created despite not offering all-wheel drive. That's the only way to get the Crosstrek, while the Honda and Hyundai offer a typical option of a part-time system. In Jeep fashion, the Renegade's "four-wheel drive" systems differ by trim level.

Sunday Drive: Rendering the future at Jeep and Ford

Last week brought us quite a wide variety of automotive news nuggets, and judging by the response of our own readership, the Jeep Wrangler pickup truck led the way. It's not expected to hit the sales floor until April of 2019, which means we've all got an entire year to wait, but that just means we have lots of time to anticipate its arrival. And we do so today with a series of renderings that show what the so-called Scrambler may look like in a few different colors. Another set of renderings depicting a hotly anticipated new vehicle follow just behind. The Baby Bronco – will Ford ante up to the retro-inspired table and call it the Bronco II? – will be one size smaller than the regular-grade Bronco, and we think it'll compete with the Jeep Renegade as a subcompact crossover with some real off-road chops. Moving onto some tuners, both old and new(er), we first present a sweet old Dodge Ram pickup truck tuned by none other than Carroll Shelby himself. The blue and silver striped truck looks so period perfect that it stands out as a star even alongside a quartet of vintage Shelby Mustangs with which it will share space at the Bonhams auction in Greenwich, Conn., this June. And finally we turn our attention to the Hennessey Veliciraptor, an absolute behemoth of a truck. Based on the most excellent Ford Raptor, the Velociraptor ups the crazy quotient with six wheels and 600 hundred horsepower. As always, stay tuned to Autoblog this week for all the latest automotive news. Jeep Wrangler pickup renderings: Latest imaginings of the Scrambler Ford Baby Bronco comes alive in these exclusive renderings Bonhams to auction Carroll Shelby's prototypes and personal cars Hennessey VelociRaptor 6X6 First Drive Review: The incredible hulk

Jeep Wrangler pickup renderings: Latest imaginings of the Scrambler

The Jeep Wrangler-based JT pickup, which everybody refers to as Scrambler (boy, we're sure going to be surprised if that isn't the real name), doesn't hit the showroom floor until April 2019. That is a long time to wait. What's an impatient nation of Jeep fans to do in the intervening year? Speculate on what it looks like, of course. Jeep Scrambler Forum has sent renderings of the truck our way, shown in the photo gallery above. They depict the Scrambler in two scenes and in four classic colors: Sarge Green, Hella Yella, Sting-Gray and Firecracker Red. The illustrations, we're told, are based on "spy photos, CAD leaks and insider tips we've received." View 7 Photos Like the coming Ford Ranger, the Jeep truck stands to make a huge splash in the hot midsize pickup market, with Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne saying he expects to see 100,000 Wrangler pickups sold each year. Compare these latest renderings with a set of renderings that ran back in June on JL Wrangler Forums. (We're reprising a gallery of them below, along with a gallery of spy shots.) You'll note some differences between them and the latest renderings, a key one being the seeming absence of that kink (Jeepmeister kink?) where truck cab meets bed. See what other differences you can spot. It'll be a good way to help pass the time until next April. Jeep Wrangler Pickup View 14 Photos View 21 Photos Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

We test the latest Easter Jeep Safari off roaders in Moab

The Easter Jeep Safari began as a play for tourism: in 1967 the Moab Chamber of Commerce invited "the Jeeping community" to ride a single trail on the Saturday before Easter. The attendees were mostly members and friends of the Chamber of Commerce. Now, 52 years later, the nine-day Safari takes place on more than 40 trails and lures thousands of Jeepers, who put on one of the biggest and best modified Jeep shows in the world. Cue the designers at Jeep and Mopar, who mastermind new ideas every year for what a modified Jeep could look like, with inspiration from the experiences they have and the mods they see at the Safari. We flew to Moab to drive the seven newest concepts, and start the recap with the disappointments: The B-Ute and the 4-Speed, but only because we couldn't drive them. Before the day had properly begun, those two designer treats had tapped out. The Renegade – internally codenamed B Utility, hence the "B-Ute" name – always feels like The Little Engine that Could when placed next to its halo Wrangler brother. In addition to the cosmetic changes, designers put the arcane caption "Lt. Jenkins" above "FWD1337" (explanations of those two memes here and here). The B-Ute would have been nice to drive if for no other reason than shouting "Leeeroy Jenkins" all around the course. View 16 Photos We rued missing out on the 4-Speed. The blue wonder is the third of a conceptual trio called "The Lightweights," focused on nimble trail handling provided by weight savings. The first of the Lightweights, the 2011 Pork Chop concept, cut 900 pounds from a standard Wrangler Sport. The 2013 Stitch concept lopped 1,100 pounds. The 4 Speed omits 900 pounds. Jeep brought both earlier concepts, and they were revelations. The Stitch was a throwback to stripped-out Dukes-of-Hazard-style Jeep romping. Round vents at the edges of the instrument panel act as side mirrors, Fiat Abarth seats grip occupants, the lemon-hued bikini top sewn from a transparent welding curtain bathes the cockpit in yellow light. Daisy Duke drove a 1980 CJ-7 that had 87 horsepower to move 2,700 pounds. The Stitch weighs about 3,200 pounds, but gets 290 hp. The Stitch skimmed over rocks and floated over sand, so light on its feet that Jeep lead designer Mark Allen told us the 35-inch Mickey Thompson MTZ tires were inflated to a mere 3 psi. The 4-Speed concept's pretty close to the Stitch weight thanks to carbon bits and lighter four-cylinder engine.

2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee vs. midsize crossovers and SUVs: How they compare on paper

In a world full of SUVs and crossovers all competing for similar buyers in similar segments, there are still some models that find their own little niches that lack such fevered fighting. The Jeep Grand Cherokee is one of those vehicles. It's an oddball in the sense that it's a midsize crossover SUV with a unibody chassis and independent suspension, but it still uses rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive systems and has some off-road capability. It's also a midsize crossover, but only offers two rows of seats. Despite the Grand Cherokee's odd nature, we did come up with a few crossovers and a classic SUV that seem to match the Jeep in size and pricing. We looked at the numbers to compare them on paper. You can find the raw data in the chart below and deeper analysis after that. As always, this is just a comparison of specifications and you'll want to check out our driving impressions of each car if you're getting serious about one or all of these vehicles. And if you want to compare any of these against other vehicles, be sure to check out our comparison tool. Engines and Drivetrains When comparing base engines, the Jeep Grand Cherokee's 295-horsepower is the clear power winner, beating the next most powerful 4Runner by 25. But in torque, the 4Runner takes the laurels with 278 pound-feet, narrowly edging out the Edge's (no pun intended) turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder's 275. That four-cylinder in the Edge will also be picking up another 5 horsepower for 2019, but it still won't win this power contest. Both Ford and Jeep also have another advantage in the fact that you don't have to settle for the base powertrain. Ford has two other engine options, a naturally aspirated V6 and a twin-turbocharged V6, the latter of which outguns the Grand Cherokee's gasoline V6 in both power and torque. That engine will also be bumped up to an impressive 335 horsepower and 385 pound-feet of torque. View 20 Photos The Jeep has the most engine options, though, and it's the only to offer V8 and diesel options. On most Grand Cherokees, the options include a 5.7-liter V8, which is only available with 4WD. It makes 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, outperforming even the 2019 Edge's twin-turbo V6. The diesel engine doesn't make much power with just 240, but it makes up for it with torque at 420 pound-feet. And of course there are the SRT and SRT Trackhawk models with even bigger and supercharged V8 engines respectively.

Sunday Drive: Classic American nameplates and one exciting new German

Our look back at last week's biggest automotive stories focuses first on the Jeep Wagoneer, an unequivocal American classic. Not only did the Wagoneer play a pivotal role in kicking off America's current love affair with the sport utility vehicle, it legitimized the Jeep brand in the mind of consumers looking not just for something to ably take them off the beaten path, but to do so in comfort, with the entire family along for the ride. So it comes as little surprise that Jeep decided to take one vintage Wagoneer, modernize it with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine, and put the thing on display as part of its annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari. We're in love. Our next two stories focus on Cadillac. First up is news that the striking Escala Concept is headed for production in 2021 to serve as the brand's flagship luxury sedan. The second story involves Caddy's current top rung, the CT6, which gets a new twin-turbo V8 engine as part of its V-Sport package. And finally, we round out this look at last week's headlines with the 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe and Cabriolet. We're mighty keen to try out Benz's new AMG-fettered turbocharged inline-six engine, and the C Coupe looks like a fine point of entry. As always stay tuned to Autoblog this week for all the latest automotive news. Jeep delivers basketful of concepts for the Moab Easter Jeep Safari Cadillac's striking Escala concept is reportedly headed for production Cadillac CT6 V-Sport wants to take prisoners with 550-hp 4.2L TT V8 2019 Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe and Cabriolet revealed ahead of New York

Jeep Wrangler pickup expected to hit dealer showrooms April 2019

Automotive News, after speaking with Fiat- Chrysler dealers after the one of the carmaker's meetings last week, found out the coming Jeep Wrangler pickup should hit dealers in April 2019. The dealers said that was the only new bit of information in the hour-long confab. We know Wrangler pickup production begins in the fourth quarter of this year, but we don't know when we'll get our first look at the bedded Jeep. With fully-camoed prototypes still roaming the streets less eight weeks ago, a public introduction could wait until this year's LA Auto Show, one year after the standard Wrangler broke cover and in the same place. Nor do we know exactly what we'll be seeing yet, and that goes for the name, too; Jeep has kept an admirably tight lid on leaks. Based on all of the spy shots so far, we're looking at a four-door Unlimited with a short bed. Previous speculation about a two-door Wrangler pickup appears to have gotten no further than speculation, at least for now. It's easy to assume that the Jeep utility vehicle will come with the same three engine choices as the rest of the lineup - the 268-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, the 285-hp 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, and the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 with 442 pound-feet of torque. Fiat-Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said he expects to see 100,000 Wrangler pickups sold each year, which is about 56 percent of the Wrangler's current U.S. and European volume, so it makes sense to put everything on the menu. Jeep made the Comanche pickup until 1992, but that was based on the Cherokee; the last Wrangler pickup was the 1986 CJ-8 Scrambler. Come April 2019, the cargo-centric Wrangler will enter a growing segment already humming with the Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Ridgeline, and Nissan Frontier, and awaiting the much anticipated Ford Ranger and brand new Frontier. The Wrangler would be the only member of the club to offer a convertible top, though. People are still keeping an eye on Ram, too. It wasn't so long ago that Marchionne said "Ram needs to be in that space." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2019 Jeep Scrambler Spy Shots View 21 Photos News Source: Automotive News - sub req'd via Carscoops Auto News Jeep Truck SUV Future Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles jeep wrangler pickup jeep scrambler

‘Star Trek’ actor's family settles with Fiat Chrysler over his death

LOS ANGELES — The family of late "Star Trek" actor Anton Yelchin has settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV over the rollaway crash of a Jeep Grand Cherokee that killed the up-and-coming actor almost two years ago. Terms of the settlement, which was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, were not disclosed. The lawsuit filed by Yelchin's parents, celebrated Russian figure skaters Victor and Irina Yelchin, is believed to be the first wrongful death complaint filed over Fiat Chrysler's April 2016 recall of more than 1.1 million vehicles due to a rollaway risk. Yelchin, 27, best known for playing navigator Pavel Chekov in the "Star Trek" movie reboot, died in June 2016 when his 2015 Grand Cherokee rolled backward in the steep driveway of his Los Angeles home, pinning the actor against a brick wall and fence. Yelchin's final role was in the indie film "Thoroughbreds," which was released this month. In a statement, Fiat Chrysler said on Thursday the company is "pleased that we've reached an amicable resolution in this matter. ... We continue to extend our deepest sympathies to the Yelchin family for their tragic loss." Messages left with Yelchin family attorney Gary Dordick seeking comment were not immediately returned. The lawsuit also accused Fiat Chrysler of negligence, product liability and breach of warranty. Dordick said when he filed the lawsuit that Fiat Chrysler had mailed a recall letter to Yelchin that was received seven days after his death. Final recall notices were sent during that time, but interim notices had been mailed at least 17 days before Yelchin's accident, Fiat Chrysler said. At the time of Yelchin's death, the rollaway problem had been tied to at least 68 injuries, 266 crashes and 308 reports of property damage. Drivers complained they would exit vehicles with the engine running falsely believing the vehicle was in park. Fiat Chrysler furnished a software upgrade to the affected 2014-2015 model year Jeep Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle as well as 2012-2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans.Reporting by Eric KelseyRelated Video:

Jeep delivers basketful of concepts for the Moab Easter Jeep Safari

It's Easter time, and that means it's time for the 52nd Annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari, held March 24 through April 1, where thousands of off-roaders crawl, scrape and scramble over the rugged trails of Moab, Utah. And that brings us to this year's colorful collection of Jeep concepts, custom-built by FCA for the occasion. Jeep Wagoneer Roadtrip View 7 Photos This year there are seven Easter treats — including one called Wagoneer and one called Jeepster. All are decked out in Mopar parts. (Mopar already has 200-plus parts and counting for the all-new 2018 Jeep Wrangler.) Here then, is this year's Easter pageant of Jeeps: Jeep 4SPEED This year's lightweight concept is meant to bolster off-road performance through extensive weight savings. It's powered by the all-new 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 engine with an eight-speed automatic. Carbon fiber abounds — the stuff is used for the hood, fender flares and the rear tub, which also features aluminum perforated panels. It gets an "aggressively swept back" look via raked windshield, longer door openings and a custom cage. It's also 22 inches shorter with improved approach and departure angles, though the wheelbase remains unchanged. And it gets Dana 44 front and rear axles with a 4.10 gear ratio and 18-inch lightweight monoblock wheels with 35-inch tires. Inside, there's a custom instrument panel, custom seats and deleted back seats. Footwells are perforated aluminum. The 4SPEED is so much lighter than stock, it rides two inches higher. Jeep Sandstorm This one's inspired by Baja desert racers but can still be used as a daily driver. It gets an extreme-duty suspension system capable of both tasks. The front axle has been moved forward four inches and takes a heavy-duty longarm four-link suspension and track bar. The rear axle has been moved back two inches and gets a triangulated trailing arm four-link suspension. The longer wheelbase provides better high-speed stability. The front wheels — 39.5-inch tires on 17-inch beadlock wheels — get custom coilovers and bypass shocks that allow 14 inches of travel in front and 18 in back. It gets Baja styling cues such as a vented carbon fiber hood, vented high-clearance fender flares and a cage with lay-down spare tire carrier. There are no exterior door handles, and the rear doors have been chopped.

Jeep Wrangler won't get those cutout half doors after all

Let's just make one thing clear right off the bat: If you want to go off-roading and you want an open-air experience, a Jeep Wrangler is probably the right vehicle for you. Really, the Wrangler has always been about enjoying the outdoors with as little between its occupants and the great outdoors as legally possible. That's why the top comes off, the doors stay home, and the windshield folds flat. All that said, however, one cool bit of show-car desirability reportedly won't make into production. Those crazy cutout doors that caught so much attention at the Wrangler JL's debut at the L.A. Auto Show won't be available from Jeep. For now we're reporting this as a rumor, but the report from Jalopnik seems legit. We have a request for comment in to Jeep and will report with confirmation when we hear back. Apparently — and despite the fact that the doors appeared on otherwise production-spec Wrangler models shown to the media and public show goers — Jeep says the cutout half doors were "always a prototype." In the end, traditional half doors were deemed the best option for production. We don't really disagree with the notion that traditional half doors are a better idea than the "prototype" cutout doors, especially considering how much effort went into making the JL Wrangler's doors easier to remove than past versions. Plus, the aftermarket is rife with accessory doors and panels to choose from if the regular or optional half doors aren't to your liking. Still, we're sure some Wrangler JL intenders were looking forward to those unique donut-style metal doors, and so we must pass the disappointment in their direction. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.