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Jeep Renegade refresh spied with big infotainment screen

Based on these recent spy shots, it looks like the littlest Jeep is getting a little makeover soon. They show a Renegade with camouflage on the front and rear, indicating there will be some changes to the outside. Whatever those changes are, they're extremely subtle. The headlights and taillights look untouched. The grille may have slightly wider slots than the current one, and the available fog lights look a little bigger. The biggest change appears to be inside. Sitting in the center stack is a massive touchscreen. It's bigger than any available on the current Renegade. It also pushes physical buttons and knobs for controls lower down in the stack, instead of surrounding the screen. The lower part of the center stack has also been redesigned for this new button layout, which includes driver assist buttons, stereo controls and climate controls. Fans of manual transmissions will also be happy to see this newer Renegade features a stick-shift. Part of that could be because this Renegade is probably a European model, based on where the images were taken. But seeing as this is a light refresh, and Jeep already offers a manual here, it should still be available on U.S. models, too. Also, considering how mild this update is, we would expect to see it revealed by the end of this year. Related Video:

Top horsepower-per-dollar cars in 2017

Bang for the buck. That quasi-scientific statistic is bandied about by motor heads everywhere from classrooms to barrooms, though the truth of the matter is that it's exceedingly complex to measure. A fair performance-per-dollar index would include something like cross-referencing MSRP (Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price) with point-to-point times on a track or driving route, which is obviously hard to do comprehensively. But, for the sheer joy of talking about cars and playing with a big spreadsheet, there's always the horsepower-per-dollar index, which is more straightforward, albeit hilariously flawed. There are vagaries even with this simple formula, of course: MSRP for vehicles can change at a moment's notice, to say nothing of the bottom-line shifting that happens with local deals or showroom negotiation. For this list we're running with the straight MSRP wherever possible, and as recently reported as we can get it. All the vehicles on this list are 2017 models, and all trims are reported where the lowest price and differing power levels intersect. Some choices were made for personal preference and some for sanity, avoiding things like all 48 trim levels of the Ford Transit, all with the same horsepower). If this list were a simple top ten, or even a top fifty, you'd be bored to tears with all the red, white and blue that is represented. Following perfectly with conventional wisdom, American cars really do lead the world where hp/$ is concerned. So, for the sake of variety (and the sheer joy of seeing a minivan 'win' one round of this thing) I've sorted out some top five and bottom five lists for broad power categories. Let's dive in. Less Than 100 Horsepower Okay, okay, this is hardly a category we'll grant you. But we've often tried to click off all the sub-100-hp cars on sale in the US, and making this list gave us an excuse. It also illustrates that none of these smallish vehicles bring cheap horsepower to the table - for that you'll need a motorcycle. The segment-leading Chevy Spark (above) asks just over $139 for each hp, and that Smart Fortwo Electric Drive has hp on sale for about the same price as its very distant family cousin, the Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG (insert your favorite Smart joke here... we know you want to).

Here are the latest renderings of the new JL Jeep Wrangler

Our friends at JL Wrangler Forums have been very kind to us. While we've seen plenty of spy shots of the new Jeep Wrangler, until recently these renderings from JL Wrangler Forums provided our best look at the new model. Today, we have a new batch of the traditional short-wheelbase, two-door Wrangler. We just hope the full production model doesn't stray too far from this. The design, like every new Wrangler, is simply an adaptation of what came before it. These new renderings pull some new cues seen on the most recent set of Wrangler spy shots. The new model packs LED headlights, taillights and running lights. The Rubicon model looks to have fog lights embedded into the bumper. The vented Rubicon hood looks like it carries over. The Sport model is the entry level Wrangler. As such the renderings ditch some things like body-color fenders and roof and alloy wheels. The JL Wrangler has been in development for years, so expect to see the full production model sometime in the next few months. Related Video: