2014 Jeep Wrangler on 2040-cars

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This SEMA special drag race is absurdly awesome

The SEMA Show came and went last month, and it showed us a ton of heavily modded goodies to dream about during the long, cold winter. The Motor Trend Channel on YouTube is keeping the party rolling a little longer, though, with a drag race inspired by the aftermarket event. All of the hosts were supposed to borrow a vehicle from the show for the big race, but only two of them actually cajoled companies into lending their wares. Still, the result includes four very cool and extremely different examples of the breadth of the automotive hobby. First up, there's a 1955 Chevrolet with a 535-cubic-inch (8.8-liter) Hemi V8 stuffed under the hood. Appropriately, it's dubbed the Blasphemi, and with skinny tires up front, fat rubber in the rear and a stripped interior, this this is made to go very fast in a straight line. Next, there's a stock Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat boasting 707 horsepower. Plus, host Jessi Lang has her dog riding shotgun for the race. A Chevy Sonic RS with some body mods, downpipe and intake is also competing. Finally, the most bizarre of the quartet is a custom 1958 Jeep Forward Control with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 and treads to replace the wheels. Obviously, the Blasphemi and Hellcat are the only two that really have a chance of winning, but check out the video to see which one crosses the finish line first. News Source: Motor Trend Channel via YouTube Aftermarket Chevrolet Dodge Jeep Truck Coupe Hatchback Off-Road Vehicles Racing Vehicles Performance drag race dodge challenger srt hellcat

New Jeep Wrangler caught nearly uncovered

Finally, after months of seeing Wrangler prototypes carefully covered up, we get a look at some prototypes with the bare minimum of camouflage. Starting from the front, the fascia looks just as it did in previously leaked images. In contrast to the outgoing model, the trademark grille slots are now taller, stretching nearly to the top of the grille surround. The headlights also intersect with the grille slots, resulting in slightly pinched slots at either end. Aside from the grille, we can get a clear view of the new horizontal, fender-mounted turn signals and the traditional exposed hood latches. Moving along the SUV, we find hinges at the base of the windshield, which seems to confirm that you'll still be able to fold it down for maximum wind exposure. And, as we've seen before, the doors have exposed hinges that indicate the doors can come off, too. We can also see that the Wrangler will be offered with both contrasting black plastic fender flares, and with body-colored versions. But unlike past models, the body-colored examples aren't completely painted, leaving a black strip along the edges. Interestingly, the fender vents seen on another fully exposed example of the Wrangler don't appear to be present on these prototypes. They could be covered, or they may be an optional appearance item. At the back, we now get to see the Wrangler's new taillights, which are LED units with an I-beam shape. The exposed gas filler cap is now gone, in favor of a permanently attached filler door. Both the license plate mount and rear window wiper have been moved, too. The license plate now mounts to the bumper, and the rear wiper hides at the base of the rear window behind the spare tire. The rear bumper also gets some red lenses that could simply be reflectors, or possibly rear fog lights. As previously reported, the new Jeep Wrangler is expected to make its debut at this year's LA auto show, with the first deliveries arriving to dealers not long after. It will be available with either a four-cylinder or V6 at launch, with a diesel coming later, and the truck sometime after that. Other new features to the Wrangler could include a roof with power sliding panels, and full-time four-wheel drive. Related Video:

2014 Jeep Cherokee starting price set at $22,995*

Love it or hate it, the 2014 Cherokee is on its way to a Jeep showroom near you this fall. Today, Chrysler announced the different trim levels, features and pricing for its new compact utility with a starting price of $22,995 (*not including $995 for destination), which is $400 less than the 2012 Liberty it ostensibly replaces.
Available in four trim levels - Sport, Latitude, Limited and Trailhawk - the new Cherokee will come standard with Chrysler's 2.4-liter Tigershark inline four-cylinder engine with the upper three levels offering the option of the company's 3.2-liter Pentastar V6. The base Sport is your typical entry-level model, featuring equipment including manual cloth seats and black exterior mirrors and door handles, but it also has a five-inch Uconnect media center, LED taillights and 10 standard airbags. Stepping up from the Sport model, Latitude and Limited trims bring increasing levels of luxury starting at $24,495 and $27,995, respectively. All three of these trims are front-wheel drive in standard configuration and offer varying versions of Jeep's Active Drive four-wheel-drive system.
The range-topping $29,495 Cherokee Trailhawk (shown above) comes standard with four-wheel drive and numerous upgrades to earn Jeep's Trail Rated fender badge. These changes include a unique design that adds an off-road suspension with taller ride height giving more aggressive approach and departure angles, underbody skid plates, distinguishing exterior design elements and a seven-inch, reconfigurable instrument gauge cluster similar to what it found in high-trim Dodge Dart models. Scroll down for a full breakdown of the 2014 Cherokee pricing and trim levels, and let us know what you think of the model's pricing and equipment in Comments.