2005 Jeep Liberty Renegade on 2040-cars

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Jeep, Ram tease SEMA builds, and one looks like a Ram 1500 TRX PHEV

SEMA is back this year, and shows no signs of cancellation. And that means a whole new crop of custom builds from not only aftermarket companies, but OEMs such as Jeep and Ram. The two brands released teasers of their modified trucks for the show, and there are a couple of seriously intriguing ones. And the most brow-raising is the silver Ram 1500 TRX that could be a plug-in hybrid. What makes us say that? Well, take a look at the badging. The "RAM" badge in the grille is bright blue. And the front tow hooks are blue, too. Those cues are signatures of the Jeep 4xe plug-in hybrid models. And Jeep isn't the only one to utilize blue badging for electrified models. Ram 1500s with the 48-volt eTorque hybrid assist get blue-highlighted badges. So it seems like a slam-dunk that the wide-bodied desert-stomper in the teaser has a hybrid powertrain. We'd bet on it being the 375-horsepower turbo-four from the Wrangler, but maybe Ram put something unique together. The next curious model is what's quite clearly a variant of the military M715 truck. It's undoubtedly this year's restomod, as Stellantis brands are wont to build. Looking closer, it has a very high roof and center-mounted spotlight. Those are cues shared with the M725 ambulance. We wouldn't be surprised if Jeep took one of the old ambulances and turned it into one beast of an overlanding rig. We're excited to see what sort of other upgrades have been done, such as what engine will be powering it. Then we come to the interior of a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. At first glance, there doesn't seem to be much going on, at least until you look at the roof. The cargo area has a significantly raised section. And there are safari windows letting light in. It will be interesting to see what it looks like from the outside. Finally, we have teasers of what's probably a Wrangler Rubicon 4xe and a Ram 1500. The Wrangler shot is of the front fender, and the Ram is of the rear. They don't show much except what seem to be Mopar accessories. As such, we suspect these are show pieces for the Mopar catalog, and they might each have a couple of concept parts, but are otherwise a bit tame compared to the Jeep and Ram one-offs. All of these trucks will be revealed and on display at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The show will run Nov. 2-5. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2018 Jeep Wrangler four-cylinder fuel economy revealed

Fuel economy numbers for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler with the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder have finally been announced by the EPA. In the city, the two-door model gets 23 mpg, and the four-door Unlimited gets 22. Highway fuel economy for the two-door is 25 mpg and 24 for the four-door. Combined for the two-door and four-door is 24 and 22 respectively. These aren't Prius numbers, but they do make the four-cylinder Wrangler the most efficient version of the off-roader so far. The rest of the Wrangler range with V6 power gets 20 mpg combined, with the exception of the manual four-door, which gets 19. The most efficient V6 models in the city are the automatic models, which, regardless of length, get 18 mpg. On the highway, the best V6 is the manual two-door, which manages 25 mpg, and only loses 1 mpg in the city to the automatic. The question is, is the improved fuel economy worth the price premium of the four-cylinder? The automatic-only four-cylinder engine is an extra $1,000 over a V6 automatic, and $3,000 over a V6 manual. And when looking at the annual fuel cost estimates at fueleconomy.gov, you might only save $50 to $100 each year. The problem being that, while it's more efficient, it also demands premium fuel that the V6 doesn't. So it could be quite a while before the upfront cost is recouped. But if you want a Wrangler that's a little nicer to the planet, it's probably the way to go, plus you get an extra 35 pound-feet of torque over the V6, even if it means sacrificing nearly 20 horsepower. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

BMW M850i Coupe, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and a 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser | Autoblog Podcast #585

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and Senior Editor, Green, John Snyder. This week, they talk about driving the BMW 8 Series Coupe, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and Toyota Corolla Hatchback. Then they talk about the news, including electric Hummer rumors and Tesla pickup timing. Finally, they consider whether or not Greg should buy his neighbor's 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser. Autoblog Podcast #585 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving: BMW M850i xDrive Coupe Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Toyota Corolla Hatchback In the news: Is an all-electric Hummer in the works? Tesla pickup truck is on its way Spend My Money: 1996 Toyota Land Cruiser Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: