1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 4 1/2" Bds Suspension Lift on 2040-cars

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2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4X4

Ice skates are spectacular on frozen water, yet they are dreadful everyday footwear. I consider the Jeep Wrangler equally as specialized.
I recently spent a week with a 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4X4. Introduced for the 2007 model year, the Wrangler Unlimited is a standard JK two-door with 20.6 inches added to its wheelbase and two additional doors bolted to its passenger compartment. While Jeep offers the Unlimited in seven different trim levels, the desirable Rubicon is the most capable when the pavement ends, as it boasts a slew of hardcore off-road tools including front and rear electronic locking differentials and a front sway bar that can be disengaged at the touch of a button for improved articulation. My I-Look-Like-A-Traffic-Cone test model started with a base price of $34,095 (plus $995 destination). Options including a five-speed automatic transmission, Uconnect, tow package and a premium soft top, drove the bottom line up to $38,630.
Driving Notes

Baby Jeep to join Renegade in FCA's plan for new Italian-built models

FCA is boosting its European production, introducing new models that will be built in currently under-utilized manufacturing facilities. Among the new models is a new small Jeep, smaller than the current Renegade, as Automotive News reports. FCA's Mike Manley mentioned the entry-level Jeep model earlier this year, also saying that the vehicle is targeted to European and possibly Latin American customers; in the summer, Autocar placed the launch date in 2022. The new "baby" Jeep would be made in the same factory in Pomigliano, Italy, as the small Fiat Panda, which is a top seller in Italy. The current generation Panda was introduced in 2011; if it gets a replacement in 2022, it could possibly share a platform with the Jeep model — or, the Jeep could be an eventual outright replacement for the Panda. One of Fiat's earlier core products, the Punto hatchback, was canned in August, and that production capacity will be used to make the Jeep Compass instead, at the Renegade-producing Melfi factory in southern Italy. The Compass has not previously been built in Europe. The Fiat model portfolio would be shrunk to just the 500 model family and the Panda — the 500 would also be FCA's key electric vehicle offered in Europe. It is not yet clear whether the electric 500 would be made in Turin, Italy, or in Poland; Turin might also get a Giardiniera-badged wagon version of the refreshed 500. As for the Alfa Romeo brand, it is set to gain an even bigger SUV model than the Stelvio, based on the Maserati Levante's platform. The Levante's sales have suffered recently in China, but Maserati does have light in the horizon: The Alfieri 2+2 grand tourer is still in the cards, with a launch expected for 2020 and both a convertible and an electrified version planned to follow. The Alfieri would be made in Modena, Italy, according to Automotive News' sources. None of these plans namedrop the storied Lancia brand, which has been shrunk to just the Ypsilon hatchback, based on the same platform as the current 500 and Panda. Despite that, the Ypsilon was again the second-bestselling car in Italy after the Panda in October. It is unlikely that FCA will be able to ignore this, but it is just as unlikely that any development money will be afforded to come up with a replacement for the Ypsilon, which is as similarly old as the Panda. Perhaps official announcements expected on Thursday will also clarify what will happen to Lancia.

Jeep Patriot replacement adopts tiny Grand Cherokee styling

After almost a year out of the spotlight, we've finally snagged our second set of images of Jeep's new CUV. Set to replace both the Patriot and Compass, these latest images reinforce what we originally thought about Jeep's newest model – it's a baby Grand Cherokee. These 15 images provide the best look yet at the new sheetmetal, details, and interior. Starting with the skin, it's like Jeep's designers scaled down the Grand Cherokee's profile to fit on the new crossover's stretched Renegade platform. The headlights, grille, and taillights looked like shrunken items from Jeep's flagship crossover, too. This is good news – even after its 2011 facelift the Compass was a homely little thing, and the Patriot was boxy at a time when CUVs were going for smoother, more aerodynamic lines. Jeep's new CUV is avoiding those mistakes by aping one of the company's most popular designs. Only the driver's seat, steering wheel, and center stack appear in the interior images, so we can't tell how the stretched chassis impacts rear-seat legroom compared to the Renegade/Fiat 500X. But in front, it looks like a Jeep – FCA's corporate steering wheel and HVAC controls are present and accounted for, but the usual touchscreen display looks bigger the expected 8.4-inch unit. That could just be the camera angle playing tricks on our eyes. We can't make any judgments about the material choices, but we'd expect quality to be on par with the larger Cherokee. Under hood, our spies report that FCA's nine-speed automatic will be the only transmission choice. FCA will call on its new 2.0-liter, Hurricane four-cylinder engine, the spies claim, but we also expect the less powerful 2.4-liter, four-cylinder from the Renegade and Cherokee. Apparently, production will begin by the end of the year. Short of a shotgun launch immediately after a Detroit debut, that virtually guarantees a debut in Los Angeles (or possibly Paris). Related Video: Featured Gallery Jeep C-Segment CUV: Spy Shots View 15 Photos Image Credit: CarPix Spy Photos Jeep Crossover Off-Road Vehicles jeep compass jeep patriot