Jeep confirms Wrangler pickup, Hellcat-powered Grand Cherokee

Jeep didn’t unveil any new models at the 2016 Detroit Auto Show, but it still made some big news.

Executives from the company confirmed that both the long-anticipated Wrangler pickup and high performance Grand Cherokee SRT Hellcat are on the way.

Jeep CEO Mike Manley told The Detroit News that the pickup will be based on the next generation Wrangler, which is expected to debut next year. He didn’t say if it would be one of the launch models, or follow the Wrangler SUV at a later date, but his boss, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne, added that the pickup version would be built at Jeep’s factory in Toledo, Ohio, alongside the rest of the Wranglers.

Manley has been talking about the possibility of bringing a pickup back to its lineup for several years. The last one was the Cherokee-based Comanche, which went out of production in 1992, although Jeep does offer a do-it-yourself conversion kit for the current Wrangler Unlimited that turns it into a 2-door pickup.

As for the Grand Cherokee, automotive journalist Brian Makse asked Manley if the 707 hp supercharged Hellcat V8 would fit in the SUV, to which he answered: “not only can I put a Hellcat motor in one of those for you, I’m going to bring that to market by the end of 2017.”

Manley offered no additional details on the vehicle, but if the horsepower rating stays the same, it would be the most-powerful SUV in the world. That is if you don’t count the all-electric Tesla Model X P90D, which is rated at 762 hp.

Despite the comments from Manley and Marchionne, however, Jeep has not yet made a formal announcement about either vehicle.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/

Dodge Challenger and Charger Plum Crazy Purple Sales Extended, New Stripes Added

The 2016 Dodge Challenger and 2016 Dodge Charger in Plum Crazy purple proven to be so popular that the Chrysler Group management has decided to extend the order window for this striking exterior shade through the end of this month for most models – from the V6 SCT Plus to the 707hp Hellcat packages.

While the start of the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit didn’t bring about any new power or packages for the Dodge Challenger or Dodge Charger, the company had an example of the sport sedan and the brawny muscle car in the stunning new Plum Crazy purple hue. This color was announced last year for the 2016 model year and it formally went on sale (became available in the order banks) late in the 2015 calendar year, but the company had planned to only offer it during the first few months of 2016 Challenger and Charger orders. However, the reception for Plum Crazy purple Challengers and Chargers has been so strong that the company has extended the ordering window, which will officially come to a close at the end of January.

Plum Crazy Purple 2016 Challenger and Charger
The offering of Plum Crazy purple for the 2016 Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger is different from past Plum Crazy packages, as you can get this color on almost any new Dodge muscle car. In past years, you could get Plum Crazy with some specific packages like the Challenger R/T Classic package or with the Dodge Charger R/T Daytona, but you in the years where it was offered over the past decade, buyers were limited in terms of trimlines and options on purple cars.

The company changed that for the 2016 Dodge Challenger and Charger, making it available for nearly every trimline in both of those model lines, with only the Challenger SXT and Charger SE – both of which are base models – lacking the Plum Crazy option.
Not surprisingly, opening up the availability of Plum Crazy purple across most of the 2016 Charger and Challenger trimlines has made it incredibly popular. This has likely been multiplied by the fact that there is no upcharge for this eye-catching color on most trimlines of the Challenger and Charger, giving buyers the option of grabbing this historic Mopar color without the usual “fancy paint price increase”.

New Hellcat Stripes
While the Hellcat Challenger and Hellcat Charger are relatively unchanged for the new model year (shy of the Plum Crazy paint and standard premium leather interior), the company has rolled out a set of carbon fiber full length body stripes for both of the 707 horsepower Dodge muscle cars. These stripes will be available throughout the rest of the 2016 orders and they carry an MSRP of $995.

- See more at: http://www.torquenews.com

Watch the Airlift Drift Hellcat rev up for its big break

Pennzoil begins 'Joyride' campaign

You may remember a cool Pennzoil commercial from earlier this year with a yellow Dodge Challenger Hellcat drifting around a piece of concrete suspended by four helicopters. It was obviously a little movie magic -- a lot like the BMW "Ultimate Racetrack" video, which was made to look like it was shot on an aircraft carrier.

This clip is called "Before Airlift Drift," also from Pennzoil, and it follows the fictional driver before he ascends to the sky on the aforementioned floating piece of concrete. It's probably better than the actual commercial with its quick cuts, great audio and some halfway decent driving to boot.

The company says more videos in the "Joyride" series will follow in 2016.

Check out the original commercial below, too.

Source: http://autoweek.com/

Jeep reveals Grand Cherokee SRT Night, Wrangler Backcountry

Another major car show is almost upon us, and you know what that means. That's right, boys and girls – another pair of custom Jeeps. Far be it from us to complain, though, especially when the pair of SUVs that debuted at the LA Auto Show last month aren't just for show. These will actually be offered to the public as new special editions.

In one corner we have the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Night edition, with all the brightwork replaced with black. The roof, rear spoiler, front grille bezels, pillars, and window surrounds are all done up in gloss black, while the wheels – custom 20-inch jobs – as well as the front appliqué and badging have all been given a satin black treatment. The interior, as you might have guessed, is also predominantly black, with black leather, black chrome bezels, and silver stitching. Buyers will be able to choose between deep red, silver, or dark gray exterior colors, but either way they'll be getting the same 6.4-liter V8 – all 475 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of it.

Jeep Wrangler BackcountryIn the other corner is the Jeep Wrangler Backcountry. This one's based on the Wrangler Sahara and features a special off-road front bumper, powder-coated rear bumper, and the 17-inch wheels and rock rails from the Wrangler Rubicon. The interior features piano-black trim, leather and mesh seats, vinyl accents, nine-speaker Alpine sound system, and more. It'll be available in five colors – blue, black, white, gray or purple – with special graphics (because nothing says "backcountry" quite like neon pink decals on a purple Jeep) and a standard black (or optional body-colored) hardtop.

The Wrangler Backcountry will be reaching dealers around the same time as its live debut towards the end of this month. Don't expect to see the GC Night edition on the streets until early next year, though.

Source: autoblog.com

Longer Jeep Wrangler on the way

A pair of Jeep Wrangler powertrain mules caught testing this month show the extended chassis needed to convert the off-roader to an eight-speed automatic transmission from its five-speed gearbox.

Visible on the two-door Wrangler and four-door Wrangler Unlimited test vehicles are extensions of about 10 inches in front of the A-pillar to accommodate the longer eight-speed.

The mules also show changes in the Wrangler's suspension geometry, including a redesigned rear axle and rear differential, and excluding a rear track bar.

The next-generation Wrangler is expected in 2017 for the 2018 model year.

Source: http://www.autonews.com/

Which Roars Harder: Dodge Challenger Scat Pack or Hellcat?

Over the past year, I have had the great pleasure of putting miles on all of the 2015 Dodge Challenger models, but my two favorite have been the R/T Scat Pack and the mighty SRT Hellcat. The consumer market has also found these two to be the best of the 2015 offerings, as both the Scat Pack and the Hellcat sold out during the 2015 model year. Each of these high performance muscle cars has a unique exhaust system that allows them to roar like few other new cars sold in the USA, but with 707 horsepower, you would expect the Hellcat to be the louder of the two, right?

Maybe not.

Scat Pack VS Hellcat Exhaust
While there is no question that at full throttle, the supercharged Hellcat Hemi is louder than the 392 cubic inch Hemi in the R/T Scat Pack, it has been discussed which sounds better at lower RPM. With both cars using a free flowing exhaust system and the Hellcat using a special valved setup, you might expect that the Hellcat just plain sounds nastier in every situation, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

I took two short videos – one of the 2015 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack and one of the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. In each video, the cars fire to life, idle for a while, rev a few times and shut down while sitting in my driveway. I used the same camera situated roughly the same distance from the cars, sitting on the ground in the same way for the Scat Pack and the Hellcat. Remarkably, it seems as though at idle and when revving in park, the 485hp Hemi definitely roars louder than the 707hp Hellcat Hemi.

When watching the videos below, keep in mind that both of these cars have systems in place that prevent you from revving the engine hard in park or neutral, so I was only able to spike the RPMs up to around 4,000rpm, but that is true for both the 392 Hemi in the Scat Pack and the 6.2L supercharged Hemi in the Hellcat Challenger. If I was able to rev both engines to their redline (or at least closer to the redline), I imagine that the Hellcat might be the louder of the two Mopar engines, but at idle and under light load while parked, it certainly seems that the Scat Pack exhaust is louder and raspier than the tubes attached to the mighty Hellcat.

The first video below shows the Scat Pack in the dark while the second video shows the Hellcat during the day, both starting, idling and revving a few times. I also ease into the throttle of the Hellcat a touch, showing how easily the beast smokes the tires – but check out the videos and focus on the roar of the Hemi, as the less powerful model seems to pack more bark than the Hellcat.

Crank up your speakers and enjoy!

Jeep Wrangler Popemobile to ferry Pope Francis on U.S. Trip

The specially-modified vehicles known as “Popemobiles” can attract as much attention as the pontiff himself, and that’s likely to be the case when Pope Francis makes his first visit to the United States next month.

When he visits New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., Pope Francis will travel in a converted Jeep Wrangler, according to Car and Driver. Maybe that’s his way of trying to blend in.
This is not the first time the Pope has used a Jeep. When he visited Ecuador in July, a four-door Wrangler was the Vatican’s vehicle of choice. That particular Wrangler featured a large bit of scaffolding with a glassed-in front and roof and open sides in place of the stock roll structure. A Toyota Land Cruiser was also used on the South American trip.

It’s unclear whether the U.S. Popemobile will be the same one used in Ecuador, or another one with similar modifications. All Popemobiles feature a prominent center rear seat for the pontiff, with varying levels of enclosure. While many recent vehicles had fully-enclosed glass boxes, Pope Francies reportedly prefers his rides to be as open as possible.

As the only four-door convertible currently on sale in the U.S., the Wrangler Unlimited would seem to suit the Pope’s tastes pretty well. His entourage probably wouldn’t fit into the back of a Mustang convertible.

Mercedes-Benz SUVs have most commonly been used as Popemobiles, but in a somewhat more egalitarian move, Pope Francis also took delivery of a Hyundai Santa Fe Popemobile earlier this year. The Jeep has a similarly down-to-earth vibe, and it’s hard to think of anything more appropriate for a visit to the U.S.

The Vatican motor pool has included a wide variety of vehicles over the years, with pontiffs riding in everything from the aforementioned Mercedes models to a Lincoln Continental, Seat Panda, Range Rover, and even heavy-duty trucks and buses.

Source: http://www.topix.com/