1977 Jeep Wagoneer 4 Wheel Drive on 2040-cars

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Hendrick wants to put Jeep Wranglers back on the battlefield

The Jeep Wrangler could be headed back to the battlefield. According to reports, negotiations are currently under way with the US Army to adapt the iconical American off-roader for military use. The Wranglers would serve as inexpensive, lightweight, unarmored vehicles that could be more easily airlifted into remote locations than costlier, heavier, and bulkier options. The proposal is not being fielded by the Jeep brand itself or its parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, but by Hendrick Dynamics. The Charlotte-based offshoot of NASCAR racing team Hendrick Motorsports calls its modified Wrangler the Hendrick Commando. Instead of the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 found in most US-market Wranglers, the Commando version employs the 2.8-liter diesel four built by VM Motori, modified to run on any type of diesel fuel or on JP-8 jet fuel to maximize its deployment versatility and comply with the Army's Single Fuel mandate of 2012. It would also support a variety of modular attachments for specific jobs, ranging from machine gun mounts and counter-mine rakes to radar arrays and advanced communications equipment. Hendrick says the Commando could also be deployed by helicopter or in cargo planes. And because it's based on a civilian platform, the Commando would also benefit from the latest advancements introduced by its manufacturer, the parts and service network already in place, and the thorough testing that's already gone into developing the Wrangler for civilian use. Hendrick has reportedly built 14 prototypes to date, including the two-door Commando 2 (based on the standard Wrangler), the four-door Commando 4 (based on the Wrangler Unlimited), and even a pickup conversion called the Commando S. It is not, however, the only company adapting Jeep Wranglers for military application. Israel-based Automotive Industries Ltd has been producing successive versions of the Wrangler-based Storm for use by the Israel Defense Forces and other militaries overseas since 1990. If the US Army awards the contract for the Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) vehicle to Hendrick Dynamics, it would bring the iconic Jeep back to the battlefield where it got its start. The brand and its most prolific model trace their roots back to the Willys MB, launched in 1941 on contract from the US Army for deployment in World War II.

China-market Jeep Grand Commander coming to U.S. as a Chrysler?

There's nothing like winding down the year with news to spin heads, eh? Allpar cites "sources" as suggesting the Chinese-market Jeep Grand Commander will come to the U.S. as a Chrysler. This Speculation with a capital "S" has several rationales. The late Sergio Marchionne said Chrysler will focus on utility and not sell cars, making it fit for a new three-row crossover. The road-focused Grand Commander couldn't live up to U.S. perceptions of Jeep values, which is why the lateral brand move. A new model would give the Pentastar a second nameplate alongside the Pacifica, since the 300 sedan dies come 2020. And a big Chrysler school runner would allow the near-immortal Dodge Journey to end its life with something approaching dignity. The Grand Commander, a stretched version of our Cherokee with three rows, uses a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 231 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The 192-inch long SUV is ten inches longer than the Cherokee, and 2.2 inches longer than the Grand Cherokee. Carmakers bring a host of not-for-U.S. metal over here, so this doesn't signal production intent, but sharp eyes caught the Grand Commander on Michigan streets in March. The white high-rider carried its Chinese badging, and was bereft of camo other than tape over the door handles. Allpar says a domestic version wouldn't be built in China, but either in the Belvidere, Ill. plant that builds the Cherokee, or in facilities in Windsor, Canada or Toluca, Mexico. Should these events come to pass, Chrysler would soon have four models: Pacifica, a production version of Portal concept, a crossover based on the Pacifica, and the rebranded Jeep. Ready for more? Allpar also says there are "rumors of a Chrysler-badged crossover version of [the Dodge] Charger." FCA leaving Chrysler and Dodge out of the FCA five-year roadmap earlier this year leaves a vacuum ripe for, shall we say, Chinese whispers. We're not saying all of this won't happen, but put these prognostications in one place and it starts to read like a wrinkle in time, it's all so fabulous. Remember, the last we heard about the Dodge Journey, it was going to become an Alfa Romeo-based performance crossover headed to dealerships next year. The best we can suggest for now is to stay tuned. Related Video:

BMW tops Consumer Reports 2023 Brand Report Card

Feels like we wrote about Consumer Reports' 2022 Brand Report Car and 10 Top Picks a few weeks ago, but it was last April. So the mag is back with a ranked roster of 32 brands and 10 vehicles in four categories for your debating pleasure. Starting with the brands, last year's top three were Subaru, Mazda and BMW. This year, the Munich crew climbed two spots to win the prize thanks to "Superb road test scores and solid results in CR’s reliability and owner satisfaction surveys." Subaru narrowly fell to second, maintaining its four-year run in the top three. Mini, eighth last year, jumped five spots to get the last step on the podium. The rest of the top 10 were Lexus (up one spot from last year), Honda (down one spot from last year), Toyota (up three), Genesis (up 12), Mazda (down six), Audi (down three) and Kia (up eight). The magazine and testing outfit says its Brand Report Card "[reveals] which automakers are producing the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles based on CRÂ’s independent testing and member surveys," and that "Brands that rise to the top tend to have the most consistent performance across their model lineups." Last year's top 10 had six automakers from Japan, three from Germany (giving Mini credit for England), none from the U.S. or South Korea, and five luxury brands. This year's list counts five makes from Japan, two from Germany because Porsche fell out of the top ten, two from South Korea, still none from the U.S., and four luxury brands. Buick again ranked as the best domestic, dropping to 12th after being 11th last year. The big mover was Lincoln, its 10-place jump up to 16th attributed to better reliability from the Corsair and Nautilus. Tesla's improved overall reliability saw it climb six spots to 17th. Dodge climbed one spot to 15th. Jeep got out of the penalty box in last to come second-to-last. Land Rover fell three places into the penalty spot.  CR's top 10 vehicle models The 10 Top Picks list is practically a new list. Only two holdovers made it to 2023, those being the Subaru Forester and Kia Telluride.