Jeep Patriot News

New Blackhawk range adds street cred to Jeep SUV lineup.Jeep has announced new Blackhawk special editions of all existing models aside from the new Cherokee mid-size SUV.Following Jeep's recent local success - ranking among the top ten brands for the first time in September - plus a 40.5 per cent volume gain year-to-date, the new Patriot, Compass, Wrangler and Grand Cherokee Blackhawk models add variety to the SUV brand's lineup with a distinctly sinister attitude.In a clear nod to the current aftermarket trend of 'murdered out' black SUVs, Blackhawk models feature black detailing inside and out to replace most chromework, plus black wheels and Wrangler and Grand Cherokee Blackhawks feature bespoke seat trim.Jeep Patriot BlackhawkThe 2.0-litre petrol engined Patriot Blackhawk is based on the entry-spec Patriot Sport model with CVT auto.Jeep is offering the Patriot Blackhawk for $27,500 drive-away, which is actually $200 cheaper than the Patriot Sport’s $27,700 list price before on-road costs.In the Blackhawk, the Jeep signature seven-slot grille, roof rails, 17 inch alloys and badging have a gloss black finish. The rear bumper with step pad share the same body colour as the rest of the vehicle.Inside are heated seats, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, voice-controlled audio system with Bluetooth connectivity and a leather wrapped multifunction steering wheel.Jeep Compass BlackhawkThe Compass Blackhawk is also based from the entry Sport variant with CVT auto and is being offered at $29,000 drive-away, which is equals the price of the regular Sport CVT without on-road costs.It has the same 2.0-litre petrol engine and CVT automatic transmission as its Sport sibling.The same gloss black external and internal trim changes from the Patriot are also applied to the Compass Blackhawk.Jeep Wrangler BlackhawkThe Wrangler Blackhawk - based on the mid-spec Wrangler Overland - is available in either two or four-door bodystyles at a $2000 premium over their respective 'plain' variants.In the engine bay is the 3.6-litre Pentaster V6 petrol engine and five-speed automatic transmission of the Overland with the same Trail Rated dual-range four-wheel drive system.As with the Compass and Patriot, the Wranger gets a gloss black grille and badging. The Blackhawk hood decals are matte black, just to change it up.In addition, it also sports 18-inch black alloy wheels, tinted windows, three-piece hard top roof, rear window wiper and defroster, as well as a fuel filler cap with black/chrome screws and black gloss hard spare tyre cover. The seats are black leather with accent stitching.In the cabin are heated seats, floor and cargo mats and piano black interior accents on the door handles, dash grab-handles and vent surrounds. The Wrangler's audio system comes with voice control and remote USB port.Jeep Grand Cherokee BlackhawkThe Blackhawk edition of the popular Grand Cherokee is based on the entry Laredo trim level with four-wheel drive. It comes with the same engine choices of 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 petrol or 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine, with both coupled to the eight-speed automatic transmission.Like the Wrangler, the Blackhawk Grand Cherokees will cost you $2000 more than the regular models. In keeping with the other Blackhawks, the Grand Cherokee Blackhawk has gloss black 20 inch alloys, badges, grille accents, roof moldings, tinted windows, dual chrome exhaust tips, gunmetal headlight bezels and grey satin tail-light details.The front seats are heated and there is an 8.1-inch touchscreen interface coupled to the Uconnect entertainment system.Jeep Blackhawk Edition pricingPatriot Blackhawk - $27,500 (drive-away)Compass Blackhawk - $29,000 (drive-away)Wrangler Blackhawk - 2-door - $45,000 (list)Wrangler Blackhawk - 4-door - $49,000 (list)Grand Cherokee Blackhawk - 3.6-litre petrol - $50,000 (list)Grand Cherokee Blackhawk - 3.0-litre diesel - $55,000 (list)

New Honda Jazz sets new benchmark for rear view cameras: $14,990.

Chrysler's Jeep division used Volkswagen's 2-litre turbo-diesel for duty in its Patriot in Europe. It was also in the now obsolete Australian-sold Compass.

Of the 12 off-roaders tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the United States just four earned a top rating of ``good'' and three were ``acceptable''.The tests were designed by the institute to provide new roof strength ratings.The Volkswagen Tiguan has the strongest rated roof and the Kia Sportage the weakest.Roofs on the Honda CRV and Ford Escape are marginal, and the Kia's is poor.The Tiguan, Subaru Forester, Jeep Patriot and a car sold in the US, the Honda Element, earn good ratings.The Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota RAV4 and Mitsubishi Outlander rated acceptable.The Chevrolet Equinox and Nissan Rogue, both just sold in North America, also rated acceptable.A spokesman for the Australian New Car Assessment Program and RACV chief engineer, Michael Case, says the US test add another dimension to safety information for new car buyers.He says ANCAP will be studying the findings.“The roof crush rating is a useful measure of how the roof will perform in a real rollover,’’ he says.“Rollover is the next area to go in developing tests and rating vehicles.”He says ANCAP will need to look at the IIHS process, particularly how to assess it.The new rating system is based on institute research showing that occupants in rollover crashes can survive better if their off-roaders have stronger roofs.Vehicles rated good must have roofs that are more than twice as strong as minimum federal safety standards require.``We anticipate that our roof strength test will drive improved rollover crash protection the same way that our frontal offset and side impact consumer test programs have led to better protection in these kinds of crashes,'' institute president Adrian Lund, says.The Institute recognises that vehicle roof structures have become stronger over the past few years.Part of the reason is that carmakers have made structural improvements to earn better front and side crash ratings.Strong A and B pillars help prevent intrusion in these types of crashes and also help hold up the roof.``It's not surprising that Volkswagen and Subaru earn good ratings in our new roof test because these carmakers were among the first to ace our front and side tests,'' Lund says.In the United States more than 10,000 people a year are killed in rollovers.When vehicles roll, their roofs often hit the ground with considerable force, deforming and crushing.Stronger roofs crush less, reducing the risk that occupants will be injured by contact with the roof itself.Stronger roofs can also prevent occupants, especially those not wearing seatbelts, from being ejected.In the US, about 25 per cent of deaths in car and van crashes are rollovers but in off-roaders this jumps to 59 per cent.The RACV’s Case says the incidence of rollovers in Australia is lower “but there is still a high chance of death or serious injury”.In the institute's roof strength test, a metal plate is pushed against one side of a roof near the A-pillar.To earn a good rating, the roof must withstand a force of four times the vehicle's weight before reaching 12cm of crush.   

There have been rumours for more than a year about something new from the British brand, and the confirmation came with the single press picture released at the Frankfurt Motor Show.The shot asks more questions than it answers. Still, it is obvious the car in the picture is a big departure from the chunky off-roaders that fill out the Land Rover line-up from the flagship Range Rover down to the near-new Freelander II.It is lower, much smoother and appears to have only two doors. And it has a swoopy roofline which is more like the new BMW X6 crossover coupe (also revealed at Frankfurt) than a traditional off-roader.It also promises much lower fuel economy, up to 10per cent better than the Freelander II, as well as luring younger buyers to the brand.The newcomer could be displayed at the Tokyo Motor Show in October, instead of fighting for space at Frankfurt in a Ford family group, which included the all-new Jaguar XF, Mazda6 and facelifted Ford Focus, but there is no firm timing for showrooms.“Next year would probably be too early. But we are not talking about the timing,” says Land Rover's Natasha Waddington. “We are just showing this picture for the moment.”The Land Rover teaser comes as another luxury brand, Mercedes-Benz, gets ready to downsize on the four-wheel-drive front.It has a GLK soft-roader ready for next year that will slide in below its existing ML and GL four-wheel-drives as a rival to the Freelander II and BMW's X3. But the GLK, which is based on the mechanical package used for the C-Class sedan, is not coming to Australia.“The GLK is not going to be made in right-hand-drive. We could not make a business case,” Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman David McCarthy says. “There is not enough volume. We would have liked it, but on the right-hand-drive side there is only Australia, the UK, South Africa and Japan. Not enough to make the numbers work.”The sneak peek of the new Land Rover comes at a good time for the company, which is on the auction block together with Jaguar and, most likely, Volvo as Ford looks to cut costs and complications to get it back into the black.It also shows Land Rover wants to follow Jeep into a more-youthful area of the four-wheel-drive business.The American company has been very successful in the US in turning Jeep into more than just a heavyweight off-road company, although its soft-shaped Compass has not done well in Australia. The Patriot, which is even newer, promises better results.Land Rover has its own model to copy, though, as it has done very good business with the city-focused Range Rover Sport. It is much more like a car to drive, even with its boxy body.The other Land Rover news from the Frankfurt show is a stop-start engine system that will be fitted to its vehicles from 2009. It is claimed to improve fuel economy by up to 10 per cent by killing the motor when the car is stopped in traffic, but it is only promised for manual transmission vehicles with more work needed on an adaptation for automatics. 

The top end of the working ute business has been barren since Ford ran out of F-Series trucks, following the end of right-hand drive production in South America, which has created an opportunity for Chrysler.The American company is now mounting a detailed investigation into the potential for the Ram in Australia, as it prepares for the next all-new model, and the chance of right-hand drive trucks for overseas sales."There’s an opportunity with the Ram. I think it's worth investigating," Chrysler's senior manager for international product, Kevin Tourneur, says.He attended the Australian press preview of the new Jeep Patriot and Dodge Avenger in New Zealand last week and now has a strong understanding of the opportunityl for the Ram.“We don’t know if the time is right yet to bring it in, but this would be the time to start thinking about it. It's a matter of working with the markets," Tourneur says.He believes Australia's traditional support for both commercial and sports utes, over more than 40 years, points to the potential with Chrysler's long-running rival to Ford's F-Series, which is the world's favourite truck."But you need to have sustainable demand, because the Ram is not right-hand drive and was not developed with right-hand drive in mind, so there would be a lot of engineering work," he says.Chrysler Group Australia’s managing director, Gerry Jenkins, believes the Ram has a place on our roads and is keen to see it here."We’d love to have Ram here . . . I’m really excited about the idea,” Jenkins says."It’s not entirely about the numbers, but there probably needs to be demand for about 10,000 a year right-hand drive in the international market before it’s viable.""I think we could sell 3000 a year in Australia, especially with the Cummins diesel engine. There’s really nobody in that large ute market, there’s no competition.”The commercial market has big potential for the Ram, according to Chrysler spokesman, David McCarthy."If we brought the Ram here, more than half would be cab-chassis for ambulance and food delivery use,” McCarthy says.Jenkins says he has already had a stream of inquiries about the Ram from a mining company in Western Australia, and impressed by their persistence, eventually flew over and met with them."We’re going to supply some to them, but they will be left-hand drive," he says.However, Jenkins says converting Rams to right-hand drive is not an option he wants to consider for the broader Australian market.`"We’re not going to do conversions . . . we’re only interested in getting one that’s ADR compliant. People want the authentic product.”Jenkins says the same approach would apply if there was a chance to bring the latest Dodge Charger here, which will be unlikely as long as demand for the left-hand drive version continues to outstrip supply."Could we sell it in Australia? Of course we could,” he says."I think it’s the best-looking car we have. But it’s not really a possibility right now.”Tourneur says the strong American styling of Dodge vehicles, including the Ram and Charger, is the key to the brand's growing success.There’s no point in us trying to follow European design. If people want European, they’ll buy European," he says."We need to stay true to the US style. That unique design, that’s what we can bring. People all over the world want to be different."The character about Dodge is DNA from the trucks and the 70s muscle car phase . . . strong emotions and passion. Every product has to have a certain `Dodgeness.’