In this week’s list of recalls, we have two somewhat goofy ones and two from Mopar. In the goofy category we have Nissan’s “collapsing” ignition keys (2014-20 Rogue, 2017-22 Rogue Sport) which can stall the car; and we have Dodge Durangos (2021-23) whose rear spoiler may fly off while driving.Spoiler recall on Durangos might or … Read more
If you have a Jeep Wrangler that you take off-roading, you have likely dealt with the cleaning out the interior after a day in the dirt or mud. As modern vehicles go, the Wrangler is easier to clean out, but if you get into a situation where mud of flying into the cockpit, cleaning the … Read more
Last year, Dodge announced that the new Hurricane inline-six would join the Direct Connection crate engine lineup, alongside various Hemi crate engines. Those who can’t get over the possible demise of the Hemi refuse to see any upside to the new Hurricane engine, but for those who are happy to have an internal combustion engine in the future of the brand, this engine presents an opportunity.
If nothing else, the fact that Dodge is discussing this engine is proof that the brand doesn’t plan to go all-electric in the immediate future. The trio of Hurricane crate engines, one of which is slated for the next generation Drag Pak car, shows that these engines will pack a serious punch.
The first production application of the Hurricane inline-six engine family was the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. In the big Jeep, the “base” Hurricane pushed out 420 horsepower and 468 lb-ft of torque while the Hurricane 510 in the Grand Wagoneer delivers 510 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque. Those engines effectively replace the 5.7-liter Hemi in the Wagoneer and the 6.4-liter Hemi in the Grand Wagoneer, and each of the smaller engines pack more power than the V8s that they are replacing. The 5.7-liter Hemi in the Wagoneer offers 392 horsepower and 404 lb-ft of torque while the 6.4-liter Hemi in the Grand Wagoneer delivers 471 horsepower and 455 lb-ft of torque, so there are significant increases in both horsepower and torque when comparing the Hemi to the Hurricane in the Wagoneer line.
On last week’s media day for the 2023 Chicago Auto Show, the Jeep brand introduced their most capable SUV ever in the form of the Wrangler Rubicon 20th Anniversary Edition Level II. The name is a mouthful, but this package can be fitted to the hybrid 4xe model or the wicked 392-powered model and with … Read more
Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler vehicles took home a number of awards this week, while Fiat got a prize for affordability.The Jeep Grand Cherokee was named Best SUV of 2023 in cars.com, the first vehicle ever to win the award, which was instituted this year. The editors noted the wide range of Grand Cherokees, in two … Read more
Stellantis has announced that both the Jeep and Ram brands will have 60-second advertisements during Super Bowl LVII, being played on Sunday, February 12th between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. Best of all, the brief press release explained exactly what both commercials would run during the broadcast of the game, so if … Read more
The new trailer claims that Forza Motorsport will have 500 vehicles at launch, over 100 of which are new to the franchise—at least 100 cars, trucks, and SUVs that have not been featured in Forza Motorsport 1 through 7. The list of performance vehicles in Forza Motorsport 7 is so lengthy that it is hard to come up with more than a hundred cars, trucks and SUVs for the new game, but we can think of a few models from Dodge, Ram and Jeep that would fit nicely into the next generation Forza title.
The Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator share a suspension which is fairly unique today, though common when the wartime jeeps were created. It combines solid axles in front and rear, a design which is easy to modify and capable off-road, but not necessarily ideal for on-road driving. When the steering and suspension parts are worn, they … Read more
When the 2023 Jeep Compass was first announced, the transmission was a mystery: it was an eight-speed, which could have been the ZF nine-speed with programming that ignored the top gear, or an Aisin, or any number of others. Then Jeep made it clear that it was a true physical eight-speed, not a nine-speed with … Read more
The 2023 Jeep Compass has a new version of the GME 2.0 liter turbocharged engine, finally providing the torque and horsepower one would expect; the sole transmission is an eight-speed, dubbed 8F30, likely supplied by Hyundai. The Compass Limited lists for $35,495; all Compass trims now have standard all wheel drive.The turbo engine produces 200 … Read more
The 2023 Jeep Cherokee will have no V6 version, with the 3.2 liter engines made only for that model already out of production. Instead, buyers will have a choice of two models; the Altitude LUX has the old 2.4 liter four-cylinder while the Trailhawk has the new 2.0 liter turbocharged four-cylinder. (An earlier announcement suggested … Read more
It has been reported by multiple outlets and confirmed by the Jeep brand that the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 is not available in the 2023 Grand Cherokee in its shorter, two-row form. The only engine available in the “Build and Price” feature on the Jeep website for the Grand Cherokee is the 3.6-liter V6, although the … Read more
Stellantis announced recently that it would idle the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois, which makes Jeep Cherokees, on February 28, 2023. While Stellantis blamed the idling of Belvidere on multiple factors, including COVID-19, the microchip shortage, and electrification, a gap between the build-out of the existing Cherokee and its replacement was inevitable. U.S. Cherokee sales for the first nine months of 2022 were just 30,852, nowhere near enough to justify its existence when the Compass and Grand Cherokee were reasonable bookends.
A set of Illinois tax breaks targeting EV production will go into effect in 2025, and that is likely when the plant will reopen to make new vehicles based on STLA Medium or STLA Large.
Earlier this year, Stellpower noted that the Cherokee would be leaving in mid-2023. It seems mid-2023 is coming early this year, with Stellantis choosing to idle the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois on February 28, 2023. That is the only factory making Cherokees—and Cherokees are all the factory makes.The news was just reported by Automotive … Read more
Software issues can cause 4xe-equipped 2021-2023 Jeep Wranglers to stall out. Around 63,000 Wrangler 4xes from these model years are being recalled in the US. Similar recalls are usually conducted globally.Affected vehicles were made from September 2, 2020 through August 17, 2022. The software in question is part of the transmission controller. Jeeps without PHEV hybrid … Read more
The battery-electric Wagoneer S might be coming, but the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are already on sale. They started out with 5.7 and 6.4 Hemi engines, but these have largely been replaced already by two varieties of the “Hurricane” twin-turbo straight six. The standard output variety produces more power and torque than the 5.7 Hemi … Read more
