2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara on 2040-cars

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FCA Recalls Jeep in Wake of Wireless Hack | Autoblog Minute

Carjacking has gone wireless, as automakers and Congress scramble for a solution. Adam Morath reports on this edition of Autoblog Minute.

We test the latest Easter Jeep Safari off roaders in Moab

The Easter Jeep Safari began as a play for tourism: in 1967 the Moab Chamber of Commerce invited "the Jeeping community" to ride a single trail on the Saturday before Easter. The attendees were mostly members and friends of the Chamber of Commerce. Now, 52 years later, the nine-day Safari takes place on more than 40 trails and lures thousands of Jeepers, who put on one of the biggest and best modified Jeep shows in the world. Cue the designers at Jeep and Mopar, who mastermind new ideas every year for what a modified Jeep could look like, with inspiration from the experiences they have and the mods they see at the Safari. We flew to Moab to drive the seven newest concepts, and start the recap with the disappointments: The B-Ute and the 4-Speed, but only because we couldn't drive them. Before the day had properly begun, those two designer treats had tapped out. The Renegade – internally codenamed B Utility, hence the "B-Ute" name – always feels like The Little Engine that Could when placed next to its halo Wrangler brother. In addition to the cosmetic changes, designers put the arcane caption "Lt. Jenkins" above "FWD1337" (explanations of those two memes here and here). The B-Ute would have been nice to drive if for no other reason than shouting "Leeeroy Jenkins" all around the course. View 16 Photos We rued missing out on the 4-Speed. The blue wonder is the third of a conceptual trio called "The Lightweights," focused on nimble trail handling provided by weight savings. The first of the Lightweights, the 2011 Pork Chop concept, cut 900 pounds from a standard Wrangler Sport. The 2013 Stitch concept lopped 1,100 pounds. The 4 Speed omits 900 pounds. Jeep brought both earlier concepts, and they were revelations. The Stitch was a throwback to stripped-out Dukes-of-Hazard-style Jeep romping. Round vents at the edges of the instrument panel act as side mirrors, Fiat Abarth seats grip occupants, the lemon-hued bikini top sewn from a transparent welding curtain bathes the cockpit in yellow light. Daisy Duke drove a 1980 CJ-7 that had 87 horsepower to move 2,700 pounds. The Stitch weighs about 3,200 pounds, but gets 290 hp. The Stitch skimmed over rocks and floated over sand, so light on its feet that Jeep lead designer Mark Allen told us the 35-inch Mickey Thompson MTZ tires were inflated to a mere 3 psi. The 4-Speed concept's pretty close to the Stitch weight thanks to carbon bits and lighter four-cylinder engine.

FCA facing class-action lawsuit over Grand Cherokee shifters

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is now facing a multi-million-dollar class-action lawsuit over the recalled shifter design in the 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the 2012 to 2014 Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300. Grand Cherokee owners, galvanized by Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin's fatal accident, filed the suit. According to The Wall Street Journal, the owners allege that FCA concealed the shifter's problems. On top of restitution, the class action suit is demanding a court order force FCA to issue a do-not-drive warning to owners of affected vehicles until it fixes the problem. FCA started distributing a software fix to dealers last week – according to the WSJ, the update will add more warnings about the shifter's position and will automatically kick the vehicle into park if the driver steps out. FCA's shifter problems have been bubbling under the surface as part of the company's recall issues. The US government dinged FCA with a $105 million fine last year for its recall practices (or lack thereof) last year, but things have exploded this week after Yelchin's death. The 27-year-old, best known for playing Ensign Pavel Chekov in the rebooted Star Trek film series, was killed after his 2015 Grand Cherokee rolled down his driveway and pinned the actor against a security gate. According to Jeep CEO Mike Manley, the company will dispatch engineers to analyze Yelchin's vehicle. Related Video: