This JEEP moves as good as it looks

That the term "JEEP" presently ha negative connotations for many Jamaicans made our discovery at the ADA Motorshow all the more pleasant.

Firstly, the JEEP brand, as iconic a 4WD vehicle s there ever was, is back in Jamaica officially. This time being represented by Kingston Industrial Garage KIG. But wait! - there's more! the new Jeep Cherokee and Wrangler are being offered in Right Hand Drive. Yes, the Americans have decided to accommodate persons who drive on the left side of the road (though our personal preference is still toward LHD).

2015 Wrangler Unlimited

For 2015, the upgraded Wrangler Unlimited comes standard with an Alpine audio system, Mp3 adaptability, and a dual hardtop-softtop roof among others. The Cherokee comes with touch-screen navigation, wireless charging pad and steering wheel controls.

The soft top is manually actuated, but you can always get the hardtop version, in which case the canopy will be stored in the cavernous boot at your convenience.

Welcome back, Jeep. One (or two) to watch.

The $40M Ride?

I

f greenlit, the proposed G65 will likely come around to dealers near you (in the US, of course) sometime in 2016. Although the current G63 carries a price tag of $135,000, it’s likely the G65 with its upgrades will double that figure, but when you have 737 lb-ft of torque at your disposal, are you really going to care how much it costs?

"Get With This" The Kia Soul: A Crossover You SHOULD Cae About

OK, so you might not have any knowledge (or interest) in vintage hip-hop (in this case, the Black Sheep's "The Choice is Yours" and you may even care less about animatronic hamsters in car ads. And that's okay.

But you do care about things like fuel economy, carrying space and overall performance, or at least you should. If our assumptions are correct, then you should be turning your attention to the crossover that beat the Nissan Cube into submission(the model is being pulled due to disappointing sales), and which Car & Driver declared the "winner of the box-car wars"

Well, the Soul isn't exactly a box, but its design is on the quirky side, and in fact, that's in keeping with the general flow of ideas in the compact market - we've already reviewed Nissan's Juke, which is emblematic of the segment in a somewhat different way.

But back to the Soul. Even local dealers Kia Jamaica have sold their last in-stock unit this past week, the model did not exactly fly off the lot in the way it has in the US, where Soul sales have helped propel Kia to its best year ever.

The aformentioned style quirks and the offbeat marketing may partly attribute to that, but for whatever reason, the Soul is not to be slept on (and note: we have yet to fully test the vehicle; that will come with the next batch)

But one figure does jump out: 54, as in 54 miles to the gallon (Mpg) - that's what the folks at Kia are claiming forthe unit, although the auto publications we have read thus far peg it closer to 35; but even at the lower figure, that's still more than respectable, meaning a trip to Montego Bay and back to Kingston can be accomplished on roughly have a tank, good for mile-logging mmedia types like us.

Anther media-friendly feature is the over 240 cubic feet of carrying space, with the rear seasts fully folded down. This means work trips need not call for the hiring of a separate vehicle.

Reports on handling and overall road-worthiness will have to wait for our test drive, but in the meantime, if your looking for a capable cross-over at a convenient price (US manufacturers list for the Soul Plus variant is around $17K, so figure somewhwere in the J$3-4million range; we'll confirm soon) then you should , as the rappers say "get with this".


roomy

54mpg

Nissan Juke: The "Punch" line is....value

So, those who know this blog know we're more than a little immune to auto industry hype. Renault-owned (that's French if you were wondering) Japanese car maker Nissan has been quite active in this sphere of late, having developed somethign of a specialty for quirky named vehicles (Qashqai anyone?) and its overarching "SHIFT" camapign. The electro-hybrid compact leaf has gotten the lion's share of media attentio since its introduction, but in this region, its the SUV line that's grabbing headlines. The newest addition to that line is the appropriately catchy Juke. The 4-door crossover is surely an eye-catcher on the outside: rally-inspired headlights, and abold mix of curves and edges add up to a far-from-static curbside presence.

The design "tricks" continue inside, with a motorbike-inspired (think Ducati) bridge between the driver and passenger seats. Press the now obligatory START-STOP button and the driving experience begins in earnest. The Juke checks all the expected boxes with regard to handling, smoothness of acceleration, appropriate brake force response. Further, the creature comforts are decent and  the instrumentation meets the feng shui and usefulness demands.

A torrential downpour mitigated against certain aspects of our test drive  so the jury is still partially out, at best, on the Juke's SUV capabilities. And even though I didn't personally sit in the back, the rear leg room appears somewhat less than desired.

Still, the Nissan proposition is as much a value proposition as anything else. Just as its already "legendary" GT-R (the Hon. Usain is reportedly yet to truly push his special edition)has been providing a supercar-killer for about half the typical supercar price, so the Juke (essentially a Z-car reimagined) provides a neat entry point into the crossover segment. For a confessed "Bimmer-guy" like myself, this vehicle presumably would go up against theX1. Though I haven't (yet) driven that vehicle  - and must confess, it generally doesn't excite me - I cant imagine the Germans (BMW, Audi and Mercedes) being that superior in the driving dynamics category so as to justify the price gap.

So, what we have here from Nissan, through local dealers Fidelity Motors, is a practical starter vehicle that is nonetheless visually engaging and basically harmless fun to drive (good mileage too, of course). It will neither castrate the timid driver (apologies, ladies) nor lull the more demanding sort into a bored stupor.
This Juke's got a good steady beat.



Thanks to Fidelity Motors - David Crawford and the entire team - for providing the test vehicle.

4Wheelz goes to Europe

As of Monday, May 16, the 4wheelz blog will be absorbed into my other blog, Island Autobahn.
for updates, you can go to http://www.eurojamcar.blogspot.com

Thanks for visiting our blog, and spread the word to other car and jeep/SUV enthusiasts you know

topless Murano for you

This just in; We have the first official photograph of Nissan's all-new Murano CrossCabriolet, which has not only lost the standard model's top, but also the rear doors. The four-seater model will have its world premiere at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show later this week and go on sale in the U.S. early next year. For the time being, we don't have much in the way of information on technical specs or prices, but we'll definitely keep you updated if anything new pops up. Follow the jump for a higher resolution picture and the official statement from Nissan.

Statement from Nissan:
"The world’s first all-wheel drive crossover convertible, delivers the open-air exhilaration of a convertible while extending the versatility of the Murano in exciting new ways. With room for four adults, space for golf bags or luggage (even with the top down), and a premium level interior, the Murano CrossCabriolet represents a breakthrough in concept and design. Set to go on sale in early 2011."

Chrysler Asnwers "Call of Duty" with new special edition Jeep

As fans wait for the release of the new "Call of Duty: Black Ops" videogame, Chrysler Group LLC is turning out what may be the ultimate in automotive crossovers.

Watch a clip of the video game "Call of Duty: Black Ops".

Journal Community

• discuss

“ No launcher, no deal! ”

—Richard Sullivan

Bolstered by its starring role in the videogame, which comes out Monday night at midnight, Chrysler is shipping a limited edition 2011 Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty: Black Ops model to dealers in the real world. The auto maker plans to build between 2,500 and 3,000 of the limited-edition Wranglers, which feature Black Ops graphics on the roof and front quarter panels along with high-gloss mineral gray wheels. The two-door starts at $30,625, while the four-door is $33,500.
Unlike in the videogame, released by Activision Blizzard Inc., the real Jeep won't come with the TV-guided missile launcher.
"This is the first time we have produced a vehicle based on a videogame and it may be a first for the industry," said Jeep Chief Executive Mike Manley. "The outside looks stunning and although we focused on the outside of the vehicle with the Call of Duty badging and graphics, the limited edition still features the interior improvements we have made in the Wrangler."

-Wall Street Journal