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Jeep Renegade refresh spied with big infotainment screen

Based on these recent spy shots, it looks like the littlest Jeep is getting a little makeover soon. They show a Renegade with camouflage on the front and rear, indicating there will be some changes to the outside. Whatever those changes are, they're extremely subtle. The headlights and taillights look untouched. The grille may have slightly wider slots than the current one, and the available fog lights look a little bigger. The biggest change appears to be inside. Sitting in the center stack is a massive touchscreen. It's bigger than any available on the current Renegade. It also pushes physical buttons and knobs for controls lower down in the stack, instead of surrounding the screen. The lower part of the center stack has also been redesigned for this new button layout, which includes driver assist buttons, stereo controls and climate controls. Fans of manual transmissions will also be happy to see this newer Renegade features a stick-shift. Part of that could be because this Renegade is probably a European model, based on where the images were taken. But seeing as this is a light refresh, and Jeep already offers a manual here, it should still be available on U.S. models, too. Also, considering how mild this update is, we would expect to see it revealed by the end of this year. Related Video:

What does Jeep have cooking with this stretched Cherokee?

Chrysler has been spotted testing what appears to be a stretched Jeep Cherokee prototype. Which seems odd, considering that Jeep already makes a Grand Cherokee, and that's an entirely different model. The question then is just what the company has in the works here. We don't know for sure – but we do have some ideas. We're anticipating a new Grand Wagoneer to serve as the brand's flagship model, but stretching the Cherokee's wheelbase to leapfrog the Grand Cherokee's would take more than eight inches – and stretching a "compact" platform to get there wouldn't seem to make a lot of sense. Alternatively Jeep could be looking to wedge a new model into its lineup in between the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee, potentially offering a third row of seats and wearing the Wagoneer name - sans the "Grand" - as part of a new range of seven-seaters. Just what the point would be, however, when the Dodge Durango already offers three rows based on the same platform as the Grand Cherokee, is a bit of a mystery. Another possibility is that it's not a Jeep at all, but rather a Dodge. The brand is in need of a replacement for the current Journey, and we're also waiting to see what FCA does to replace the Grand Cherokee since it unveiled the Chrysler Pacifica to replace the Town and Country. More of a crossover approach could take the Cherokee's Compact US Wide (CUSW) platform as its starting point, but stretched like this prototype to offer more space. Whatever it is, we're sure this won't be the last we'll have seen of it, so watch this space. Related Video:

Petrolicious profiles an heirloom Willys Jeep CJ-3B

Things tend to move pretty quickly in the automotive industry, but some icons that endure. Most of them are off-roaders – the Land Rover Defender, Mercedes G-Wagen, and of course the Jeep Wrangler. The latter traces its roots, of course, to the CJ-model Willys Jeep, built for civilian use in the wake of World War Two where it cut its teeth on the shores of Normandy and kicking off a legend that still endures over half a century later. For its latest video, Petrolicious profiles one such off-roader, and the man who owns it. That man is Larry Shank from California, and his ride is a 1953 Willys Jeep CJ-3B hooked up to a 1947 Ken-Skill Kustom Kamper Model 10. Both belonged to his father before him, and they would take family vacations in the wheeled pair from when he was young. His dad taught him to drive and maintain it, and they bonded over the shared experience. Shank still enjoys driving down the dirt roads and off the beaten paths of the American Southwest, and to hear him speak of it, he wouldn't trade in his Jeep for anything in the world. Watch his story unfold in the eight-minute video clip above to see what an enduring icon looks like. News Source: Petrolicious via YouTube Jeep SUV Off-Road Vehicles Classics Videos petrolicious willys