Jeep sales are down. They're way down, in fact, posting a 44-percent drop in their daily sales rate last month. Though the larger 'utes are really dragging down sales, even the once-untouchable Wranger has been feeling the sting of escalating fuel prices, as its blocky shape and 3.8-liter V6 engine conspire to deliver awful fuel mileage. Also selling rather slowly are the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Nitro, which are assembled at the same plant in Northwest-Ohio. In an effort to save costs, Chrysler officials are considering reducing the work-week at the Toledo plant from the normal five days down to four and allowing its workers to stay on for ten-hour shifts. While that total still equals the forty-hours from a five-day, eight-hour per day work-week, Chrysler believes it can save on energy and fuel costs by shuttering the plant for an extra day.
Now that the newly-designed Wrangler has gained an optional extra set of doors, those wanting a little extra passenger-carrying capability with their off-road ready rough-and-tumble ride have been able to get it in the Unlimited model. Of course, there has been an important unanswered question looming ever since: how many people can fit inside comfortably? Sure, the standard answer might be four, with five being the limit in an absolute pinch, but some enterprising people in Poland had a bit more ambitious ideas in mind. In fact, a total of thirty-two intrepid souls upped the ante by cramming themselves inside a green Jeepie Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, setting some sort of offbeat Polish record in the process. While thirty-two people in any vehicle is impressive, it pales in comparison to what's been done in the lowly Beetle, not that we recommend trying to replicate any of these stunts yourself.
Chrysler LLC should be credited with making a strong push for diesels in the U.S., having sold oil burners like the last-gen Jeep Liberty CRD and current Grand Cherokee CRD for the past few years already. People who prefer crawling rocks to carrying kids, however, are clamoring for a diesel motor in the Wrangler. Though Jeep has no plans of which we're aware on offering a diesel Wrangler in showrooms, Jeep Performance, a division of Mopar, is reportedly working on an engine swap kit that would allow owners to install the 2.8L diesel four-cylinder from the last-gen Liberty CRD in their Wranglers. The 2.8L four-cylinder produces 160 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and while it was good for 21 mpg city/26 mpg highway in the Liberty, Wrangler owners are probably more interested in its prodigious torque that's well-suited for off-road excursions than its frugality with fuel. Jeep is throwing an excursion of its own for the media in Moab, Utah while we'll be covering the New York Auto Show next week, but more information is promised by the source of this info, 4Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Magazine, afterwards. Thanks for the tip, Robert!
Chrysler is issuing a recall for 80,894 examples of its hot-selling Jeep Wrangler and not-so-hot Dodge Nitro. The recall will require the power module for each vehicle be reprogrammed to prevent a situation that could cause a brief interruption of electrical power to the engine and instrument panel. This interruption has been reported to cause stalling in 180 separate complaints that have been received by Chrysler. It's only a brief stall, however, and if the vehicles are moving at the time, their engines will reportedly immediately restart. Of course, owners will not be charged for the service to their vehicles, and Chrysler expects to get the world out to them all by the end of the week. Hopefully Greg, the winner of our Autoblog Celebration Sweepstakes featuring the All-New 2007 Dodge Nitro, didn't get one of the 80,894 being called back.
The 1997 Jeep Wrangler's torquey 4.0L inline six-cylinder engine was well suited to the machine's superb rock crawling abilities. That's doesn't mean all room for improvement has disappeared from underneath the hood. One owner looked across the aisle to General Motors for a new motor that would significantly improve the Wrangler's power-to-weight ratio. Said owner shoehorned an LS1 V8 from a Corvette behind that trademark seven-bar grille from Jeep and created a Wranglevette that's currently up for grabs on eBay.
The LS1 V8 itself has been officially rated at anywhere from 305 to 350 horsepower, though aftermarket add-ons can push those power numbers significantly higher. The eBay auction doesn't mention the specific output of the LS1 motor in this Wrangler, nor very much about the vehicle at all, except that the transplanted engine resulted in a salvage title.
We imagine one could immediately bypass crawling rocks with this Wrangler and instead just jump them. At the moment, the high bid is $10,000 with 11 bids on record and about 5 days left to go.
So you have decided to take the family on a rugged outdoor adventure. Hunting, fishing, and four-wheelin' are all part of the plan. Sounds like you need a Jeep, probably a Wrangler. But you happen to have six kids and no minivan in the world will get you where you want to go. You really long for something that offers the legendary Jeep off-road prowess, but with seating for eight. Well, my friend, step right up. Back Country Journal, the self-proclaimed "finest hunting and fishing on the web" is here to answer your prayers.
The company offers a range of Wrangler conversions including 4-door stretches, 4-door pickup stretches, and this-here ultimate family adventure vehicle, the 6-door stretch. The company's Custom Stretch Jeep Conversions are actually available in just about any configuration: "Whether you desire full doors, half doors, soft top, lift kits, winches, custom racks, bumpers, lights or anything else you can imagine. And the best news here is that the conversions start at just $18,500! Gulp. They'll convert your current Jeep or even find a locally available one for you. After the conversion, they'll even deliver it to you, anywhere in the world. We can't personally vouch for how well these stretched Jeeps will hold up to trail rides with that extra 6 feet between the wheels, but they sure look like a whole lot of fun. Click through the read link for a whole gallery of some of their other offerings. And happy trails to you.
SEMA just announced its Design Awards for this year's show. The Design Awards are designed to acknowledge the most accessory friendly vehicles for 2007. There were four categories this year as Hybrids joined Cars, Pickups, and SUVs as eligible segments. Not necessarily the BEST designed vehicles in each class, this being SEMA the focus is on how they can be customized. So recipients might not be what everybody would immediately think of when Best and Design are mentioned together. This year's winners were the Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang, the '07 Toyota Tundra, the 4-door Jeep Wrangler, and the Chevy Silverado Hybrid. And in the People's Choice category, which is just labeled Car, the Honda Civic took the honors.
Our SEMA cup is in the process of spilling over with the release of more vehicles from Chrysler's Skunkwerks program. This particular gem almost makes up for the credibility-crushing Compass that Jeep has forced on consumers, showing that the Trail-Rated brand is still all about rock-climbing and venturing beyond the beaten path.
The Wrangler Rubicon King gets a healthy splattering of pupil skrinking orange and then is hoisted into the air with a four-inch lift, provided by Superlift Suspension. The standard rolling stock is ditched in favor of Mopar/Hutchinson beadlock wheels, wrapped in TA Krawler rubber.
Some of the more trick features include a 9.0 RC winch, fender flares, military-grade tow shackles and a re-trimmed grill. A radio delete gets rid of the tunes, but since the rear seats have been dispatched to make room for the spare, complaining from passengers will be kept at a minimum.
We've got our troops on the ground in Vegas to cover the show, so expect some live shots to follow this week and be sure to check the links below for updated photos and official information about the vehicles we've posted on so far.
Not only is the new Wrangler as capable as ever, it's also less expensive and has more content than the Wrangler it replaces. As part of Chrysler's effort to bring the vehicle's MSRP down closer to its actual transaction price (thus eliminating troublesome incentives), the Wrangler starts at just $18,765, down $285 from the 2006 model and with $1,715 in more content. The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon drops an even more impressive $1,840 while gaining $1,255 in content. Across the lineup, the average Wrangler price drop averages out to around $1,200, and the all-new Wrangler Unlimited 4x4 four-door is just a few grand up from the base two door at $20,410.
Chrysler boasts that more content than ever comes standard, including a much needed engine upgrade thanks to the new 202-hp, 3.8L V6; Jeep's electronic stability program (ESP); Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM); anti-lock brakes; and multiple door and top configurations.
You can find the complete list of trim levels and pricing for the 2007 Jeep Wrangler in the official press release foundafter the jump.
The Dodge Nitro is now rolling off the assembly line at Chrysler's Toledo North Assembly Plant in Ohio, preparing to hit a dealership near you starting later this fall.
The key to the Nitro's production is Chrysler's oh-so-flexible plant, where it shares a line with the Jeep Liberty. Depending upon sales, the line can put out 100 percent Liberty models, 100 percent Nitro models, or anything variation in between. The 150 robots on the line, which replaced expensive tooling that would normally only be set up for the production of one model, are programmed to swap between vehicles.
The plant added a third shift to accommodate the production of 1,157 vehicles per day.
The 1997 Jeep Wrangler's torquey 4.0L inline six-cylinder engine was well suited to the machine's superb rock crawling abilities. That's doesn't mean all room for improvement has disappeared from underneath the hood. One owner looked across the aisle to General Motors for a new motor that would significantly improve the Wrangler's power-to-weight ratio. Said owner shoehorned an LS1 V8 from a Corvette behind that trademark seven-bar grille from Jeep and created a Wranglevette that's currently up for grabs on eBay. 
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