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Jeep Grand Cherokee S is handsome dressed in all black

FCA loves to roll out limited- or special-edition variants of its vehicles. Just take a peek through all the different versions of the Ram 1500 and Jeep Wrangler that were available over the years. Generally, most of those models are tailored for the U.S. or completely U.S. exclusive, but that's not always the case. In Europe, there's an awesome looking new Grand Cherokee S. Too bad this murdered-out variant of Jeep' flagship isn't coming here. While many of us lament the popularity of black, silver and white paint colors, there's always something particularly charming about a completely blacked-out vehicle. Ditch all the chrome trim, paint the wheels and tint the lighting. The Grand Cherokee S (for Sport) has a new Low Gloss Granite Crystal color on its badging, grille surround, step pads, tail lamps and 20-inch wheels. The grille itself is painted a deep gloss black. Same goes for the trim around the windows and the exhaust tips. The interior follows the same general form. Most of the trim is done up in either anodized grey or black wood. The SRT seats are covered in black Nappa leather with black stitching. One rare bright spot is the shiny metal pedals. It's not all just looks with the Grand Cherokee S. The model comes standard with an 8.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system with the latest iteration of UConnect. That means both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come at no additional running costs. Other features include a 7-inch configurable display in the instrument cluster, an Alpine audio system with a subwoofer and active noise cancellation, a panoramic sunroof, dual zone climate control, heated and ventilated front seats and heated rear seats. Additionally, the Grand Cherokee S gets a sport suspension and Jeep's Quadra-Drive II four-wheel-drive system. It adds a limited-slip differential, a five-mode (auto, snow, sand, mud and rock) selector for optimal traction on rough surfaces. Add on a number of active safety features, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee S gets just about everything available on Jeep's range-topper. Unfortunately the Grand Cherokee S doesn't have a direct equivalent in the U.S., but hey, we get the Trackhawk. We think the Europeans might draw the short straw on that one. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Jeep Design/Style Jeep Crossover SUV Off-Road Vehicles

Jeep hackers return to take over your steering wheel

Last year, security researchers Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek made headlines by remotely hacking a Jeep, killing the transmission and applying the brakes while Wired reporter Andy Greenberg was behind the wheel and driving in traffic. The hack led to a 1.4 million-vehicle recall for Fiat Chrysler and new jobs at Uber's Advanced Technology Center for Miller and Valasek. Despite the cushy new gigs, the two of them apparently aren't done hacking Jeep Cherokees for sport. In their latest exploit, the pair can gain even more control over a vehicle, but it would also be extremely difficult to pull off in a real-world setting. Here's the harrowing part first: Miller and Valasek can do more than just apply the brakes at low speed or cut the transmission this time around. Now they can turn on the parking brake, mess with the cruise control and hijack the auto-parking system to jerk the steering wheel a dangerous 180 degrees while the car is in motion. It looks about as frightening as it sounds: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Although it's not hard to see how that would make for a very terrifying drive, there's a big grain of salt that comes along with it: Miller and Valasek actually used the same model 2014 Jeep Cherokee as the original demonstration, but without the software patch applied. Or, as Wired put it, "imagine an alternate reality," where a fix had never been made. Unlike before, the latest hack requires a physical connection plugging their laptop into the Jeep's OBD-II diagnostic port under the dash. The team also had to update the Jeep with their own firmware to disable some of the car's built-in safety checks before they could get much control. In other words: In order to get hacked, Jeep owners would first need to roll back their car's firmware to an older version, invite someone to remove security features and then also let them ride shotgun with a computer. Or, as Engadget's resident security expert Violet Blue wrote on Twitter, it's sort of a non-threat. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. That said, The Verge points out that it may still be possible to exploit OBD-connected wireless dongles like the Metromile Tag, Automatic Link or other similar devices currently marketed by insurance companies.

NHTSA investigating why Jeep recall fix is taking so long

Jeep's saga with the National Traffic Safety Administration and the voluntary campaign to repair 1.56 million vehicles for allegedly unsafe trailer hitches, is getting yet another chapter. The controversy appeared to finally be over in January when the automaker found a supplier for the replacement parts. Nothing is ever that easy, though, and the government regulator is now requesting documents from the company to clarify why the repairs are taking so long to begin.
Jeep parent company Chrysler has until July 16 to submit documents and answers to NHTSA explaining the situation. The regulator claims that despite its compromise to inspect and repair the models with improper hitches in June 2013, Chrysler didn't find a part supplier until December and didn't order the replacements until January. The government agency believes that the first components weren't manufactured until May of this year and vehicles may not actually be repaired until as late as August. According to the report, if the Chrysler doesn't supply what NHTSA is asking for, the agency could "take additional appropriate action as warranted."
Throughout this entire process, Chrysler has asserted that the vehicles met the applicable crash test standards of the time, and it has kept NHTSA abreast of the repair activity. In a recently released statement it said that the regulator analyzed eight rear impact reconstruction tests and found the replacement hitch to be safe. To keep up with the high demand for replacements, Chrysler is working with multiple suppliers, and they are running three shifts, six days a week to get the parts ready as soon as possible.