2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited on 2040-cars

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2020 Jeep Gladiator configurator is live for you to play with

The 2020 Jeep Gladiator is getting closer and closer. The truck, which was revealed last month, is now up on Jeep's site, ready to be configured to your liking. Pricing isn't yet established on the building tool, but you get to click through all the configurator goodies. The models available in the configurator tool are Sport, Sport S, Overland and Rubicon. Sport S adds aluminum wheels on top of the base level Sport specification, as well as a convenience package comprising power windows, power heated mirrors, power door and tailgate locks along with keyless entry, and a 7-inch touchscreen with Uconnect 4 infotainment and Apple CarPlay / Android Auto support. The Overland model, available with leather, ups the wheel size an inch to 18, introduces side steps and body color fenders and gives the option of choosing LED lighting along with adaptive cruise, collision warning and active braking assist. The touchscreen on Overland is also bigger at 8.4 inches. Finally, the Rubicon is what Jeep calls "The most off-road capable midsize truck ever," with its Rock-Trac 4x4 system with up to 84:1 crawl ratio. The Dana 44 axles are lockable front and rear, shocks are upgraded to Fox units, and the fender flares give more room to accommodate 33-inch off-road rubber. The sway bar on the Rubicon can be electrically disconnected, the hood is Rubicon-specific, and the cab and bed have steel rails. There's also an option for a "TrailCam" off-road camera, but it's part of the LED lighting group and also necessitates the 8.4-inch touchscreen. We're also waiting for beefier towing options than the Trailer Tow package that adds improved cooling together with the hitch — tow rating is class-leading at 7,650 pounds max. Only the Pentastar V6 is on offer so far. On all models below the Rubicon, you can choose a Trac-Lok rear differential; standard transmission is a six-speed manual with an available optional eight-speed auto. With tops, there's an availability of a dual top package, giving the buyer both the three-piece hardtop and a soft top; the hardtop is available in black and body color. All in all, the Gladiators can be well optioned to specific tastes, and the configurator is sure to provide you with hours of fun — even before the official pricing is announced. Related Video:

Watch a Jeep CJ get disassembled and reassembled in minutes

Movie buffs! Remember the scene in the James Bond film 007: The Living Daylights where Timothy Dalton's character slices the floorpan off a police Lada using a laser, and when the driver hits the brakes the Lada's body simply jumps off its axles? That scene was immediately brought to mind as I watched this clip of eight Canadian mechanics disassembling a slightly modified Jeep in a matter of seconds. Having driven the Jeep to a complete stop, the technicians start unbolting it until the body lifts off the frame and the engine can be hauled away. It only took half a minute to turn the Jeep into just a chassis on wheels. As repair manuals say, refitting is the reversal of removal. Apparently the technicians have now honed their mechanical choreography to the point that the Jeep can be disassembled and reassembled in two minutes and 39 seconds; while I expect a great number of bolts having been removed beforehand and the likelihood of the Jeep falling to pieces with a sharp braking being significant, it is definitely impressive. It also reminds me of someone driving an old, dodgy car, having learned all its kinks to be able to keep it running. According to a Reddit thread, the pre-modified "Jifty Jeep" has been built (and taken apart, and rebuilt) by the School of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) for exactly this purpose. The team travels all around Canada to practice their show, trying to shave seconds off their record. There are worse hobbies.

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel and SRT climb onto stage

This is indeed a case of not knowing how much we wanted something until it arrived. We've been big fans of the Jeep Grand Cherokee ever since the new model arrived a couple of years ago, and while the update you see here might seem just a slight refresh, it's actually much more than that.
For starters, the 2014 Grand Cherokee marks the return of a diesel model here in the States, with Chrysler's new 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 under the hood, churning out 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Of course, all of the Grand Cherokee's usual off-road goodies are on hand, with moderate tweaks to make it an even more capable vehicle when the going gets rough. Both the gasoline-fed 3.6-liter V6 and 5.7-liter V8 get the new eight-speed auto, as well.
The high-performance Grand Cherokee SRT also trudges on into the new model year, with very subtle tweaks found underneath the aggressive, slightly redesigned sheetmetal. The 6.4-liter Hemi V8 also gets eight-speed gearing, which Chrysler says will improve not only 0-60 times, but mid-range performance as well. Bring it on, we say.