2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara on 2040-cars

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2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Jeep appears to have nailed it this time. After two decades of assembling its Grand Cherokee sport utility vehicle, the American automaker has finally delivered a world-class off-roader capable of taking on everything in its segment - and more - with a high likelihood of coming out on top.
And if you drove last year's model, it's time to climb behind the wheel again as Jeep has significantly updated the SUV for 2014 with a bold new exterior appearance, an upgraded interior with enhanced electronics and a new transmission that completely transforms the way it drives.
We recently spent a full week with a dark blue 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4, a well-optioned model fitted with the standard gasoline-fed V6. While it didn't have the punch of the range-topping V8-powered SRT8, or the fuel-sipping economy of its new EcoDiesel sibling, the high-volume variant left us quite impressed.

Jeep Cherokee Trail Carver is a more rugged Trailhawk

We briefly mentioned the Jeep Cherokee Trail Carver that was heading to SEMA last week when discussing the Mopar lineup set to be shown in Las Vegas. At the time, though, we weren't able to dive too deeply into details. But with SEMA in full swing, we were able to sneak over and grab some snaps of one of the first modified Cherokees we've seen. The Cherokee is, after all, kind of an unknown quantity in the modification department, being so new and featuring such a polarizing design. We were quite interested to see what Mopar could come up with.
Starting with the Trailhawk 4x4 and its 3.2-liter V6, the engine is fitted with a Mopar cold-air intake and a new exhaust, although it's not clear what sort of power boost has resulted. We'll admit, we were hoping Jeep and Mopar would get a bit more aggressive with the Cherokee's suspension (has anyone thrown a few-inch lift on the new Jeep yet?), but there's no mention of upgrades beyond the knobby, off-road tires. Those should do some good when the going gets rough, while rock rails are there to protect the Auburn Pearl paint on the body.
Speaking of that paint, it's complemented by an interesting graphics package in contrasting black and Crush Orange. The cabin sports Katzkin Amaretto leather seats, along with tech-friendly items like a wireless charging system for cellphones and wireless internet.

Fiat Chrysler prepares to produce plug-in hybrid Jeep Renegade

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler (FCA) said on Monday it's preparing to begin production of a plug-in hybrid version of the Jeep Renegade as the carmaker pushes ahead with its electrification drive to meet tougher emissions rules. The world's seventh-largest carmaker said in June it would invest 9 billion euros ($10.3 billion) in electric and hybrid cars over the next five years to become fully compliant with emissions regulations across regions. It also pledged to phase out diesel engines in European passenger cars by 2021. The Jeep Renegade plug-in hybrid, expected in the market in early 2020, will be produced at FCA's Melfi plant in southern Italy, which is already churning out the combustion engine version of the model and the Fiat 500X crossover, FCA said. More than 200 million euros will be spent on the new engine, the company said, adding workers would be retrained for the new technology and the plant modernized. By 2022, FCA plans to offer a total of 12 electric propulsion systems, including battery electric vehicles (BEV), plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and full hybrids, it said, adding 30 different models would be equipped with one or more of these systems. Former FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne had long refused to embrace electrification, saying he would only do so if selling battery-powered cars could be done at a profit. He even urged customers not to buy FCA's Fiat 500e, its only battery-powered model, because he was losing money on each sold. But Tesla's success and the need to comply with tougher emissions rules forced Marchionne to commit to what he used to refer to as "most painful" spending. Marchionne died unexpectedly in July after succumbing to complications from surgery, but his successor, Mike Manley, vowed to continue the strategy laid out in June. ($1 = 0.8719 euros) Reporting by Agnieszka Flak