2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Sport Utility 2-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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Crawling Moab in the 2015 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk [w/video]

The funny thing about the Renegade Trailhawk is that Jeep still feels the need to defend it. For the past 20 years, automakers have sent emissary vehicles outside the citadel walls surrounding their brand niche. In doing so, these companies found buyers eager to join the cult instead of an angry horde. With the kingdom successfully expanded, automakers had to build new walls to contain this broader identity. This is the story of Jeep's modern expansion, growing with new models while the faithful at the brand's center howl at every quest into broader market segments. Thirteen years after it busted out the Liberty and eight years after birthing the Compass and Patriot, you'd think the resistance to new Jeeps would subside. But no. It's 2015, and while nobody makes the slightest tantrum over BMW's new minivan (except for Sniff Petrol), the Renegade still has to fight its way through pitchforks and torches. Which is a long way of saying that this author is guilty of brand prejudice, too. When the company told us that we'd spend the first day of the Easter Jeep Safari driving seven awesome concepts and the second day driving the Renegade Trailhawk on Dome Point Trail, we could only think, "They giveth excitement, and they taketh it away." Our pessimism was later proven to be incorrect. Sharing the sentiment our colleague Brandon Turkus expressed after his Quick Spin, we found the Renegade to be "in a word, impressive." Dome Point will not trouble a kitted-out Wrangler, but in a compact SUV with on-road tires the rocky sections were chunky enough to require close attention to your lines or use a spotter. As instructed, we put the little 4x4 into the Selec-Terrain's Rock mode, and with common sense plus one eye on the man directing us with hand signals the Renegade climbed over everything with some wheelspin but little fuss. At the first rest point, we turned the car off to wait for vehicles behind. Not realizing that this resets the drive mode to Auto, we crawled through the next two rocky jumbles in the default setting. The result was the same: a bit of wheelspin climbing over thick steps, but an altogether drama-free passage. Auto mode can't use the engine throttle maps unique to each Selec-Terrain setting, but it doesn't hamper the Renegade's capability by much. On a steep bit of trail with a crest capped by stacked stone plinths, it took three tries to find the right line, but that's on us – the Renegade did more than expected.

Jeep teases Trailcat and other Easter Safari concepts

Update: It's confirmed. The Trailcat is a Hellcat-powered Wrangler concept. Stay tuned for more details. Ahead of the 50th annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, the company is teasing two of the seven concepts it'll be taking along. There are virtually no solid details about these two Jeeps, save that they exist. But just reading the word scrawled across the Jeep Wrangler Trailcat concept's hood gets the blood pumping. We've been hearing about Hellcat-powered Jeeps for a while now. The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk has been the subject of a steady drum-roll of rumors and reputed confirmations, and even a spy video. But that's the Grand Cherokee. But a Wrangler? The aftermarket has been fooling with it. A company called Hauk will stuff one in a Wrangler for you, and surely other companies will follow. For Jeep itself to stuff one into a concept vehicle seems like a great way to fire up the diehard Wrangler folks. The other concept is called the Jeep Crew Chief, and it looks like an update of the Jeep Chief concept from last year. That incredible, retro design recalled the SJ-generation Jeep Cherokee of the 1970s and '80s. Last year's Chief was based on a Wrangler Unlimited, with the rear doors slightly disguised to emulate its two-doored forbearer. Based on the "Crew" part of the name, we can surmise it might be a crew-cab pickup conversion with the wonderful Chief front end. Expect it to be a hit, as well. Related Video: Jeep Truck SUV Off-Road Vehicles easter jeep safari

2013 Jeep Wrangler Moab Edition

There will forever be a soft spot in my heart for the Jeep Wrangler. The last one I owned was red, and, as a 1990 model, had the square headlights derided by Jeep enthusiasts who grew up on the Civilian Jeeps that descended from their General Purpose military ancestors. As a teenager, I couldn't have cared less what shape its headlights happened to be - to me, a Jeep Wrangler represented freedom; a carefree do-it-all machine equally at home with the top stowed away in the summer or with the heater on full blast in the snowy clutches of Old Man Winter. In Dr. Seuss parlance, my square-headlighted Sneetch was just as worthy as any round-headlighted Sneetch.
All that said, I'll be the first person to advise against buying a Jeep Wrangler of any sort for owners who don't plan to use it as its makers intend. There's no good reason to punish yourself with a stiff and springy ride, a loud and somewhat drafty (though generally water-resistant) interior or the poor fuel economy expected of a block-shaped vehicle if you don't enjoy its other, more exciting benefits.
Of course, Jeep has done its darndest over the years to make the Wrangler as civilized as possible while keeping it as capable as federal law will allow. The 2013 Jeep Wrangler Moab edition is one of Jeep's latest attempts to attract attention from the upper reaches of the active lifestyle set, and I spent a week with one to see what makes the Moab special.