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2019 Jeep Renegade gets new turbo engine and new styling

We told you about the European-spec 2019 Jeep Renegade in June, but today we have the low-down on what the U.S. can expect from the refreshed crossover. New for 2019 is a 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that makes 177 horsepower and 200 pound-feet of torque. That means the 1.3-liter boosted four is actually more powerful than the outgoing 160 horsepower 1.4-liter. This engine will be standard on Limited and Trailhawk models but optional on the Sport and Latitude — those cheaper trims will get the carryover 2.4-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine standard. If you option the 1.3-liter, it'll come with stop-start tech as well. Regardless of engine choice, you'll be getting a nine-speed automatic transmission because the existing six-speed manual is MIA for 2019. As a refresher from what we learned before, the Italian-built Jeep crossover gets new front and rear fascias plus new wheel designs to differentiate it from 2018. You can even get 19-inch wheels on Latitude and Limited trims. An available full LED lighting package brings LED headlights, daytime running lights, fog lamps and taillights. Driver assistance features including adaptive cruise control, parallel/perpendicular park assist and front parking sensors are optional as well. There aren't any pictures of the new colors yet, but you can get Slate blue, Sting grey and Bikini paint on your Renegade ... interesting name choice on the last one. Of course, the Renegade will be offered in both front-wheel and four-wheel drive, with the Trailhawk being the most capable of the bunch off-road. Jeep hasn't released official fuel-economy numbers for the 1.3-liter turbo, but it says the smaller engine and active grille shutters should yield an improvement over 2018. Pricing and availability remain a mystery, but we don't imagine it'll be much longer until that information is available. Featured video:

Mahindra fights FCA's Jeep infringement claims

The Indian manufacturer Mahindra is fighting tooth and nail to keep building its Roxor off-road vehicle to sell in the United States. In early August, Jeep mother company FCA filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission to stop Roxor sales in the U.S. FCA claims the Roxor design is an intellectual property infringement on Jeep design, meant to undercut FCA's own Jeep products on the market. Now Mahindra has released a statement to the commission saying that FCA's complaint is without merit. While FCA stated in its claim that the Roxor is "an imported low-quality knock-off kit car," Mahindra points out that the vehicle took several years to develop and is manufactured in Michigan. Mahindra intends the Roxor to be an off-road vehicle only, and says it does not compete with Jeeps. The Roxor isn't road legal, only comes with a diesel engine and reaches a top speed of only 45 mph. However, it has to be said that the uncomplicated Roxor is far closer to the original ethos of WWII-era Jeeps than the Jeeps FCA currently manufactures. Mahindra also states that FCA agreed in 2009 not to bring about infringement claims as long as Mahindra used a grille design that FCA approved — going with a grille design that clearly differs from the classic Jeep trademark grille. The matter might partially muddled by the fact that the grille agreement was made with 2009's Chrysler instead of today's FCA. Looking back several decades, the entire Mahindra Roxor appearance is at its core based on a 1940s license agreement made with Willys, the original Jeep manufacturer. Mahindra's statement addresses FCA as "Fiat," and it should not be forgotten that Fiat itself manufactured a Jeep lookalike, the Campagnola, from 1951 to 1973 — also with a different grille. Fiat Industrial subsidiary Iveco's history page says the 1951 Campagnola was constructed "according to the Willys mould". Mahindra claims that FCA is using the complaint to create negative publicity to damage Mahindra's reputation. The Indian manufacturer reminds us that it is the first automotive OEM to set up a new manufacturing operation in southeast Michigan in over 25 years — in Auburn Hills, not far from FCA's U.S. headquarters. Related Video: Featured Gallery Mahindra Roxor Image Credit: Mahindra Design/Style Government/Legal Fiat Jeep Automotive History SUV Diesel Vehicles Off-Road Vehicles FCA mahindra

Jeep Wrangler pickup's rear suspension is inspired by Ram

Although we've learned about all there is to know about the new Jeep Wrangler, there is still more to discover about its upcoming truck sibling, such as the rear suspension. We knew it would be coil-sprung, but these new spy shots also indicate that the suspension is more similar to what's under a Ram 1500 than the Wrangler SUV. In the gallery above, the first two images compare the rear suspension of a new-generation 2018 Wrangler (left) and the Wrangler pickup (right). Immediately obvious is that the shocks on the Wrangler SUV are mounted at the back of the axle, while the truck's shocks are mounted at the front. It's also possible to see that the anti-roll bar on the SUV is mounted quite high up, while the truck's bar sits much lower, near the base of the rear axle. The third image shows a Ram 1500 on the left and the Wrangler pickup on the right. Here we can see that the Ram shares the same sort of low-mounted anti-roll bars and forward-mounted shocks, along with a Panhard rod. The two aren't quite the same, though. For one thing, the Wrangler pickup's rear axle looks more like the Wrangler SUV's than the one on the Ram. It's possible that these suspension changes were made in an effort to boost the Wrangler truck's payload capabilities. It's also possible that there are some handling quirks to the long truck body style for which a Ram-style suspension was better suited. We'll look forward to learning more about the differences when the truck is revealed, likely in early 2019. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.