Jeep Wrangler, Grand Cherokee and other concepts showcased
Jeep has officially dropped the details on six new concepts the company crafted for this year’s ‘Easter Jeep Safari’, including the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Concept.
Jeep has officially dropped the details on six new concepts the company crafted for this year’s ‘Easter Jeep Safari’, including the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Concept.
Back in January, Jeep boasted off a fully blacked-out, stealthy version of the new Grand Cherokee at the 2012 Houston Auto Show, which they said was intended for production. Following that, the company set up a ‘Name My Ride’ contest in the States to find the perfect name for their latest creation.
We’ve never been to an event before where we drove so many different cars at once that all the names did not fit in the title of a story. At the recent “Mopar Power Drive” media event at the Dubai Autodrome, we drove the 2012 editions of the — in one big breath — Chrysler 300C V8, Chrysler 300 V6, Chrysler Grand Voyager, Dodge Durango, Dodge Challenger V6, Dodge Charger V6, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Compass, and finally, to throw a curve-ball, the Fiat 500.
Our Jeep went for its last service back in November. While it has been a great car, decently reliable despite misgivings about Chrysler quality, we were fine with the cost of regular servicing because we could afford it. But then we realised that the dealer service charges were only slightly less than that for Mercedes-Benz. That got us a bit peeved, and we decided that we might as well get a better car to pour money into.
The Jeep Jamboree is an annual event held in various parts of the world, where Jeep owners get together and go offroad over the course of a day. The UAE edition, of course, involves a whole lot of sand, and we were one of the few media peeps invited for the 2011 run, us being actual Jeep owners notwithstanding. While the general public had to bring their own Jeeps, we were given a factory-fresh 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, the one with the new “Pentastar” 3.6-litre V6. We were really looking forward to driving that one, and we were getting to do it straight where it belongs.
There I was, letting my Jeep collect dust as I tested various other cars. Then I hear from a friend of a friend about a new detailing shop that he’d opened in Dubai recently, and was looking to make his mark in the industry. The place is called Farba Guard, and after speaking to Mohsin, the owner, and seeing his passion for detailing cars, I figured I could give the new place a shot and hand over my stagnant Jeep for a complimentary full detail for this story.
Chrysler continues to revamp all their models, and steadily finding their way back into the race. Previously, we told you about the “new” 2011 Wranglers with an upgraded interior as well as the option to get painted roof and fender panels. Now, Jeep has moved onto another phase of revamping the Wrangler.
The all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee had debuted only this year, and now the 2012 model seems to be coming with a few changes, the major one being price — at least in the U.S. market.
The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 has just debuted at the 2011 New York Auto Show. The fastest Jeep ever built is based on the all-new 2011 Grand Cherokee that was released last year, and the SRT8 version seemed inevitable, even with fears of cancellation during Chrysler’s brief bankruptcy.
We’ve been using the 2011 Infiniti QX56 long-termer as our daily driver for the past two months. But if you’re wondering whatever happened to our 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee, it’s still around. Late last summer, we took a trip down to Sharjah and bought parts worth Dhs 1300 or so to make it look new again.