2017 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon on 2040-cars

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Jeep celebrates with 75th anniversary editions [w/video]

Jeep is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year. That's one heck of a milestone, and it's celebrating with a special edition. Not just one special edition, either. The all-American off-road brand has wheeled out six – one for each model in its lineup. Though the specifications for each of these 75th Anniversary Edition specials differs from model to model, they each feature an available green paintjob, wheels in a low-gloss bronze finish, orange trim, interiors upholstered in a unique mesh fabric, and (of course) special badges inside and out. They also each feature some manner of open-air aperture, from the fully convertible roof on the Wrangler through the fabric roof panel on the Renegade to the more conventional power sunroofs on the Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Compass, and Patriot. The shades of green paint depend on the model. The Compass, Patriot, Cherokee, and Grand Cherokee offer Recon Green, the Renegade a brighter Jungle Green, and the Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited can be had in Sarge Green. If you don't dig the verde approach, you can still order yours up in a different color. The Wrangler special naturally comes the most prepared for off-road duty, packed with rock-crawling equipment like Dana axles with a choice of axle ratios. For more details, you'll want to delve into the press release below, and for a closer look you can scope them out in the accompanying image gallery and video footage. The 75th Anniversary editions are set to hit dealers within the next few months, with prices starting at $22,475 (plus $995 destination) for the Patriot. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. THE JEEP® BRAND CELEBRATES 75 YEARS OF LEGENDARY HISTORY WITH FULL LINEUP OF NEW SPECIAL-EDITION MODELS - New 75th Anniversary models available across entire Jeep® lineup - Special-edition vehicles feature unique available Jeep Green exterior, Satin Bronze wheels, Bronze and Orange exterior accents, unique interiors, open-air freedom and 75th Anniversary badging - Available in Jeep dealer showrooms first quarter 2016 January 6, 2016 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - Born in 1941, the Jeep® brand celebrates 75 years of 4x4 leadership, military history, and open-air freedom and adventure in 2016. As a tribute to this diamond anniversary celebration, Jeep is creating distinctive, 75th Anniversary special-edition models of each vehicle in its lineup.

Lexus gets top brand marks from Consumer Reports; Ford, Jeep hit hard

Consumer Reports has released its 2014 Car Brand Report Cards, with Lexus again reigning at the top and doing so with the same industry-topping score of 79 that it registered in last year's Report Cards. This year, the institute credited its lineup for being "usually quiet, comfortable, and fuel-efficient," noting it's the only brand on the list "to achieve an excellent average overall reliability score." The Car Brand Report Cars list is meant to rank the best all-around vehicles based on CR testing and reliability results tallied by subscribers it surveyed. Each brand included must have sufficient test and reliability data for at least three models, a standard which left out 11 marques including Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover and Porsche.
This 2014 Brand Report Cars edition is the first of a new format in which sub-brands have been broken out from their parent brands, with Acura using this year to move up the leaderboard into second place with a score of 75 for its "reliable, well-finished and somewhat sporty models." The top three was rounded out by Audi, climbing from eighth to third by scoring a 74 for "well-crafted interiors, nice handling and good gas mileage." Audi scored highest in the road-test portion, its improved reliability aiding its rise. The top nine was completed by Subaru, Toyota, Mazda, Honda, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz.
Ford and Jeep weighed in at the other end of the rankings, Jeep taking the lowest overall score in the road tests and hampered by "a mix of spotty reliability." Ford was sunk by reliability issues with its MyFord Touch infotainment system which consumers found troublesome enough to negate its cars earning "solid test scores" for being "very nice to drive." Perhaps the rumored switch from Microsoft to Blackberry's QNX for the next generation SYNC will help them out. Cadillac's score also took a hit for infotainment reasons after it was the leading US brand last year, the CUE system in the XTS dragging Cadillac to the bottom of all General Motors brands.

FCA's shifter fiasco proves novel gear selectors are a bad idea

What's wrong with PRNDL? Why are automakers trying to overly complicate the simple task of selecting gears? If there's any lesson to learn from the recent news that NHTSA is investigating 853,000 Fiat Chrysler vehicles over its problematic gear selectors, it's that the trend of fancy shifters needs to stop. Now. Last year, NHTSA opened an investigation into Jeep Grand Cherokee models, and has now expanded this probe to include the 2012-14 Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. The problem? The shifter – assembled by ZF – is confusing for many drivers. "Testing ... indicates that operation of the (electronic) shifter is not intuitive and provides poor tactile and visual feedback to the driver, increasing the potential for unintended gear selection," a NHTSA document states. More than 100 crashes and over a dozen injuries are linked to this problem, according to The Detroit Free Press. To us, the problem isn't just limited to FCA. These unnecessarily novel gear selectors are spreading like wildfire across the industry. Honda and Acura use a weird pushbutton setup. Lincolns have buttons on the dashboard. Jaguar's shifter electronically raises out of the center console. Mercedes uses a stalk with up-for-Reverse, down-for-Drive, push-for-Neutral arrangement. And what the hell is BMW thinking with its M cars? FCA has since abandoned the confusing shifters in question. The 300, Charger, and Grand Cherokee now use the rotary shift dial that's quickly proliferating across the company's brands. Simplistic gear selectors might not be sexy, but no one ever complained about not being able to find the right gear in a Hyundai Sonata. What's most interesting is that this NHTSA investigation could push FCA – and possibly other automakers – to redesign vehicle functions that otherwise operate as designed. Just because most people will never have a problem putting a Dodge Charger in Reverse doesn't mean there isn't a flaw with the design. But perhaps a more simplistic solution – good ol' PRNDL – would have prevented these issues from the start. Related Video: News Source: The Detroit Free PressImage Credit: Copyright 2016 AOL Government/Legal Chrysler Dodge Jeep FCA shifters