1997 Jeep Wrangler Se Sport Utility 2-door 2.5l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Weekly Recap For 5.20.16 | Autoblog Minute

Senior Editor Greg Migliore recaps the week in automotive news, including a look at the Aston Martin Vanquish Zagato, two Volvo concepts, and the FCA Jeep airbag recall.

FCA design chief Ralph Gilles uses Jeep to help couple in fiery wreck

Fiat Chrysler's head of design Ralph Gilles recently rendered assistance at a fiery crash scene that left one dead. Gilles helped two people trapped inside a vehicle following a pair of collisions that left them pressed up against a burning vehicle. He used his Jeep Wrangler to nudge a Ford Edge engulfed in flames across the road. The 57-year-old female passenger who was trapped inside the other car was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. The first crash happened early Sunday, Feb. 18, in a rural area north of Detroit when a 2013 Ford Fiesta carrying the woman and her husband collided head-on with a 2013 Ford Edge that had crossed the center line. The driver of that vehicle sustained minor injuries; police said alcohol is believed to have played a role. Gilles was driving home with his wife, Doris, when they came upon the accident, stopped and called 911. He told the Oxford Leader he and the driver of the Edge tried to help the couple in the Fiesta, but none of the doors would open. After Gilles went to move his Wrangler out of the way, he saw a Buick LeSabre broadside the already-crippled Fiesta and push it up against the Edge, which then caught fire. With the couple still trapped inside the Fiesta, Gilles got the idea to put the Wrangler into four-wheel drive and push the Edge to the opposite shoulder using his Jeep. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. "I still have no idea where that (thought) came from," Gilles told the Leader. "The only thing I can remember thinking (is) I've got a Jeep, it's got a bumper on it, I think I can do this. All I could think about were the two people still inside the other car." Firefighters were later able to extract the couple from the Fiesta and transport them to a hospital. The woman was then airlifted to a second hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her husband was listed in stable condition. Gilles posted a short video of the burning vehicle on Instagram and wrote that he was "NOT a hero." "It made us appreciate the true heroes. The first responders, Firemen/women, EMS and Police who deal with this stuff every day," he wrote. Image Credit: Ralph Gilles / Instagram Jeep fire

Happy 50th birthday, Jeep Wagoneer

The Wagoneer got the SUV on the radar of buyers looking for something capable, comfortable and rugged.
The Jeep Wagoneer was introduced 50 years ago, and it's that vehicle we have to thank for the herds of excellent crossovers and SUVs that make up our current automotive landscape. On a personal level, I have always loved the full-size Jeeps and their crisp Brooks Stevens styling, which aged well over their long tenure on the market. The SJs, as they're known among enthusiasts, were the Wagoneer and its two-door counterpart, the original Cherokee. The Wagoneers had become true luxury vehicles by the end of their run, which stretched form late 1962 as a '63 model all the way to 1991, when they were offered exclusively under the Grand Wagoneer nameplate.