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2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel and SRT climb onto stage

This is indeed a case of not knowing how much we wanted something until it arrived. We've been big fans of the Jeep Grand Cherokee ever since the new model arrived a couple of years ago, and while the update you see here might seem just a slight refresh, it's actually much more than that.
For starters, the 2014 Grand Cherokee marks the return of a diesel model here in the States, with Chrysler's new 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 under the hood, churning out 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Of course, all of the Grand Cherokee's usual off-road goodies are on hand, with moderate tweaks to make it an even more capable vehicle when the going gets rough. Both the gasoline-fed 3.6-liter V6 and 5.7-liter V8 get the new eight-speed auto, as well.
The high-performance Grand Cherokee SRT also trudges on into the new model year, with very subtle tweaks found underneath the aggressive, slightly redesigned sheetmetal. The 6.4-liter Hemi V8 also gets eight-speed gearing, which Chrysler says will improve not only 0-60 times, but mid-range performance as well. Bring it on, we say.

Jeep Renegade configurator switches on

Less than a week after letting loose with pricing information for its 2015 Renegade, Jeep has powered up the configurator for its new compact CUV, giving us our first complete look at pricing for the model's healthy options catalog. If you've messed around with any of FCA's other online configurators, the Renegade's will be immediately familiar. Pick a trim, interior and exterior color, optional extras and packages, and you're done. Of course, we don't write these posts just to let you know about a configurator going live. We do them because it gives us an excuse to mess about with all the different varieties of a new model, and, on occasion, to build something surprisingly expensive or cheap, just to see if it can be done. The Renegade certainly has no issues when it comes to the former. If you want the priciest model, you'll need the $25,995 Trailhawk, which can be priced up to $33,330. We got to that figure by adding the $1,495 Trailhawk Premium Group (heated, powered leather seats, dual-zone climate control, heated steering wheel, 40/20/40 split-rear seats), the $595 Safety and Security Group I (blind-spot monitoring with cross-traffic assist and an alarm), the $395 Trailer Tow Group, the $1,395 powered MySky system, a $150 hood decal (which might mean that you can get a Trailhawk without a black stripe), a $1,295 navigation system with satellite radio, a $495 nine-speaker stereo, a $295 push-button starter, a $200 remote starter and a $75 tonneau cover. Will you need all of those options? Not really. But many of them would certainly fall into the "must-have" category for customers. Head over to Jeep's consumer page and mess about with the configurator, and let us know what you think of the full pricing (and what your ideal spec looks like!) in Comments. Related 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