2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited on 2040-cars

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Jeep shows off Moab Easter Safari concepts crawling the red rocks

While most brands are busy showing off in New York, Jeep headed out to Moab for the Easter Jeep Safari with the company's fleet of 2013 concepts. This year saw the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk II, Wrangler Mopar Recon, Wrangler Stitch, Wrangler Sand Trooper II, Wrangler Flattop and Wrangler Slim Concepts tackle the rocks and sand, and Jeep was kind enough to bring along a camera crew to film the machines rolling over a few obstacles. The result is the video below, though don't expect to see too much hardcore off road action.
Instead, the quick clip features more than a few interviews with Jeep executives, including Jeep Head of Product Design Mark Allen, explaining what makes the Easter Jeep Safari so important. You can check out the quick clip below for yourself, and be sure to thumb through our galleries of the concepts as well.

2014 Jeep Patriot and Compass ditch CVT for six-speed auto

It was reported in Automotive News a few months ago, but a new report on Allpar.com adds some details to news that the 2014 Jeep Compass and Patriot will get a six-speed automatic to replace the CVTs they currently use. According to a tip provided to Allpar, the 2014 models will begin production in March and be on sale sometime in the summer. The Jatco-sourced CVT in use until now - Jatco is owned by Nissan and Mitsubishi - has been often criticized, and many won't be sad to see it go.
The incoming six-speed automatic is said to be an all-wheel-drive cog-swapper that's the work of Hyundai and Magna and has been paired with the DynaMax AWD system used in the Hyundai ix35 and Kia Sportage. It won't be the only Chrysler product using a transmission with ties to Hyundai: the six-speed automatic in the Dodge Dart comes from Powertech, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hyundai. With the Patriot and Compass said to be driving down the trail for the last time this year, it will be a short run for the new tranny and the rumored addition of a backup camera and power rear liftgate on the Compass.

Jeep Moab Concepts, Rumors, And More | Autoblog Podcast #470

Episode #470 of the Autoblog Podcast is here. This week, Dan Roth, Chris Bruce, and Brandon Turkus talk about this year's concepts for the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, rumors of a mid-engined Subaru sports car and the looming reveal of the next Impreza. We also cover more rumors of a simpler Acura NSX, and some other tidbits, including Ford's movie projector patent and the Opel Astra winning the European Car of the Year award. As always, we start with the Autoblog Garage and wrap up by answering your questions. Check out the rundown with times for topics, and thanks for listening! Autoblog Podcast #470 The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics 2016 Easter Jeep Safari concepts Mid-Engine Subaru rumors Non-hybrid Acura NSX 2017 Subaru Impreza to be revealed at NYIAS Ford patents in-car movie projector Opel Astra is 2016 European Car of the Year In The Autoblog Garage 2016 Mercedes-Benz C450 AMG 2016 BMW X1 xDrive28i Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Bruce, Brandon Turkus Rundown Intro and Garage – 00:00 Jeep Concepts - 21:57 Mid-Engine Subaru - 38:45 Acura NSX - 43:18 Subaru Impreza - 44:59 Ford Projector - 47:48 Astra ECOTY - 49:50 Q&A - 52:09 Total Duration: 58:11 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show in iTunes Podcasts Acura Ford Jeep Subaru Opel easter jeep safari acura nsx type r