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The Grand Wagoneer is ambitious, but luxury comes naturally for Jeep

The good life is coming easy for Jeep, or perhaps I should say, naturally. The rough-and-tough off-road brand that can credibly claim it helped win World War II is offering a level of luxury that borders on decadent in its latest line of SUVs. After a weekend in the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer, I can reiterate that Jeep’s status as a luxury good producer is legit. Really, JeepÂ’s upward mobility is nothing new. Anyone who has driven a Grand Cherokee in a top trim in the last decade will tell you the materials and layout rival premium brands of all stripes. But jumping up into the Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer (here's our First Drive Review) territory means a different kind of fight for Jeep. ItÂ’s facing off against vehicles like the GMC Yukon, Cadillac Escalade and Lincoln Navigator. The Grand Wagoneer Series III like I tested starts at $104,000, and mine had plenty of options. At this point, Jeep is also taking aim at Mercedes, BMW and frankly anyone who makes a six-figure SUV. ItÂ’s not a Bentley Bentayga rival, but with huge touchscreens, soft saddle brown leather, rear infotainment, massaging seats, and silky McIntosh speakers, the Grand Wagoneer is one of the most well-appointed vehicles IÂ’ve tested. Will consumers pay six figures for a Jeep? Is it a luxury good? My sense is yes to both. Built just north of Detroit, the Grand Wagoneer offers an authentic Team USA vibe that works for things like Shinola and L.L. Bean. Jeep has been named the “most patriotic” brand in the U.S. for 19 straight years, and the Grand Wagoneer and Grand Cherokee L have small flags on their flanks, so thereÂ’s substance to support the marketing and mythology. The Grand WagoneerÂ’s only obvious downside is its fuel economy, which seems woefully behind the times, even for a hulking SUV. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer Interior Review | Autoblog Short Cuts Other News and Views: The Lamborghini Countach LP 500 is back Well, sort of. An ‘important collectorÂ’ commissioned Lamborghini to recreate a one-off replica of the original 1971 prototype that presaged the Countach. While the actual car was destroyed in crash testing in 1974 — things were different back then — Lambo painstakingly recreated the car that debuted at the '71 Geneva Motor Show using archival documents and original spare parts. It created new bodywork with modern tactics to get the details spot-on.

Is a Jeep Renegade Hybrid coming soon?

We've known that Jeep is working on an updated Renegade. We've seen prototypes with updated front and rear fascias and with updated interiors. But it seems that the next Renegade will have more than just cosmetic updates. One of our spy photographers caught Jeep testing a Renegade Trailhawk that looks like a normal current one, but it has an electric shock warning sign in the window. Can we therefore assume it'll be a Jeep Renegade Hybrid? This sign seems to indicate that the Renegade will offer some sort of electrified powertrain. And its use on a lifted, off-road oriented Renegade Trailhawk seems to indicate that it'll be available throughout the trim level lineup. The question is, will it really be a hybrid or something like the Wrangler four-cylinder that features a 48-volt electrical system and a starter/generator for mild electrical assistance? This system is becoming more and more common as a way for car companies to eke out a few more mpg as well as adding some performance gains. Then again, we never saw this sign in any prototype Wranglers, so it could be possible this Renegade is using a more traditional hybrid system like you would find in a Prius or Ioniq. FCA certainly has experience with full hybrids, as evidenced by the Pacifica PHEV. The Wrangler will be getting a PHEV iteration, too. We probably don't have long to find out what sort of electrification the Renegade will receive. The visually updated prototypes we've seen aren't radically changed, so it likely won't take long to finish testing and release them. We're expecting to see the little SUV revealed by the end of the year, and probably on lots early in 2019. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery Jeep Renegade hybrid spy shots Image Credit: KGP Photography Green Spy Photos Jeep Crossover SUV Economy Cars Hybrid Off-Road Vehicles jeep renegade

Four Wheeler crowns Ultimate Factory 4x4... who wins?

Nearly every automaker doing business in the SUV or pickup truck segments offers a package designed to improve the off-road capabilities of its wares. But, of course, not all such factory kits are created equal. How, then, to separate the wheat from the chaff? Gather each of them up and put them through their paces, naturally.
The folks from Four Wheeler and PickupTrucks.com joined forces to run just such a comparison test, with the winner named the Ultimate Factory 4x4. A total of seven vehicles showed up to the fight: the 2012 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, 2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2012 Nissan Frontier PRO-4X and Xterra PRO-4X, 2012 Ram Power Wagon, and 2012 Toyota 4Runner Trail and Tacoma TRD T|X Baja Series.
With the contestants in place, the whole crew put each vehicle through a battery of tests that included skidpad and acceleration measurements, a hillclimb, a rocky stairstep course and a rock garden. Considering the nature of the beasts, on-road ride and comfort were not part of the routine.