2018 Jeep Wrangler Custom Fully Built 1-owner Unlimited Sport on 2040-cars

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Star Trek actor's death may be linked to Jeep shifter issue

The tragic death of Anton Yelchin on Sunday may have resulted from a known design flaw with his Jeep Grand Cherokee. The 27-year-old actor, best known for playing Pavel Chekov in the latest Star Trek movies, was reportedly crushed when his vehicle rolled backwards down the driveway in front of his house, pinning him against a brick pillar and metal gate. The 2014-15 Grand Cherokee was one of three models (alongside the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 sedans) that Fiat Chrysler recalled this past April due to roll-away risk. The vehicle was equipped with an unintuitive "e-shifter" that didn't deliver the usual tactile response of being shifted into position, leading to numerous drivers exiting the vehicle mistakenly thinking that it was in Park. The problem was reported to have resulted in 41 injuries – and now possibly Yelchin's death as well. The manufacturer stated at the time of the recall that "the vehicles involved in these events were inspected and no evidence of equipment failure was found." It determined that while the vehicle warned occupants if the driver's-side door was opened while the engine was running and the transmission not in the Park position, such measures may have been insufficient. Its remedy for the problem involved updating the vehicle software to better warn drivers in such an event, and changing the design for subsequent models. "Regarding the recall," an FCA spokesman told Autoblog, "I can confirm notices were mailed to affected customers. Included in those notices were tip sheets describing proper operation of the shifter. This supplemental information echoes the instructions in the owner's manual." Yelchin was born March 11, 1989, in St. Petersburg, Russia. His parents were a figure-skating pair, and defected to the United States when Anton was just six months old. In the prime of his career, Yelchin had several films currently in development, including Star Trek Beyond, set to reach theaters next month. His body was reportedly discovered by friends when he didn't show up for rehearsal. Related Video:

2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Off-road Review | Earning our trail rating the easy way

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — When all 4,145 pounds of Jeep slams down on the rock, the BANG! cuts the tranquility of California's Sierra Nevada mountains, echoes off the surrounding hillsides, and travels for miles through the thick unmolested forest of ancient pines. The brutality of the impact sends a shutter though the Wrangler's chassis, compresses our spines into its seat padding, and momentarily yanks my hands from its leather wrapped steering wheel. Then comes the high-pitch screeching as the torque of the Jeep's 3.6-liter V6 and the frenetic clawing from its knobby BFGoodrich All-Terrains as it violently drags the steel of the Wrangler's floorpan along the rock's face. There's a groan from the front suspension as it reaches max articulation and the inevitable crunch when the solid mass mangles the thin gauge stainless steel of the JL's tailpipe. With the first obstacle cleared and 16 miles of America's most challenging off-road trail still ahead, I realize the Rubicon Trail Foundation has a lively sense of humor. Flip open the organization's printed map of the "world-famous Rubicon Trail" and the first thing you see is a quick list of tips to help you get from one trailhead to the other safely and responsibly. Right under where it advises you to pack out all trash and use the portable toilets, it states, "High clearance vehicles recommended." LOL. ROTF. LMAO. Bwaaaaahaaaaaaaa. That's a good one. But I guess it takes just one jerk in a Camry to ruin it for the rest of us. Jeep Jamboree USA, an organization famous for its off-road events on the trail, makes the point with a little less comicality, "A minimum of 33-inch tires, front & rear lockers, tow points, skid plates, rocker panel protection and CB Radios are mandatory requirements for the Rubicon Trail Jeep Jamboree," states its website in oversized bold letters. Our 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, the latest ultimate off-road factory Jeep on the new JL chassis, has all of it with the exception of the CB radio, which is unfortunate since black bears are easier to come by on the Rubicon than cell service. Our iPhones are as useless out here as mechanical sympathy for our steed. "Don't even try it," says one of our trail guides as he watches me fish my device from my luggage. "There's no service until we get back to Tahoe." That's a big 10-4. Lake Tahoe's crystal blue waters and charming downtown are about 30 miles from the Rubicon's eastern most trailhead. It's our finish line.

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.