Jeep News

While there’s no V8 yet, US company Magnaflow has revealed custom exhausts for the 2020 Jeep Gladiator to enhance its sound quality and street presence. Available in three different configurations for the V6 petrol Jeep Gladiator, buyers can select two ‘Street Series’ cat-back systems or a ‘Rock Crawler Series’ system designed for maximum clearance. The Street Series systems offer “a comfortable interior note providing just enough engine feedback while not producing an undesirable drone and deep performance sound outside”, according to Magnaflow.One features a single rear exit with a polished stainless steel tip, while the other has a dual-split exit with a satin black finish under the bumper. The Rock Crawler Series exhaust uses a single straight exit on the driver’s side that’s supposedly packaged in a way that favours extra space for bigger bumpers, aftermarket suspension and so on. Pricing for the exhausts starts at US$517 - that’s on top of the US$33,545 starting price of the Gladiator Sport. The Gladiator is due to launch in Australia in the first half of 2020. Local pricing and specs will be revealed before then.

Fiat Chrysler has withdrawn its US$35 billion dollar merger offer with Renault, blaming "difficult political conditions" with the French government.

Jeep Australia has added two new special edition models to its line-up with Night Eagle editions of the Cherokee and Grand Cherokee now on sale.Based on the Cherokee Longitude, the Night Eagle picks up black 18-inch alloy wheels, a blacked-out grille, black badging and gloss black roof rails.On the inside of the Cherokee Night Eagle, the steering wheel and air-conditioning bezels are now finished in gloss black, while the $1650 Longitude Technology Pack with adaptive cruise control, automatic parking and blind-spot monitoring is standard equipment.The Cherokee Night Eagle is priced from $45,150 plus on-road costs, making it $3200 more than the Cherokee Longitude on which it’s based.The Grand Cherokee Night Eagle is based on the Loredo and adds 20-inch gloss black wheels, a black grille, body-colored bumpers, tinted glass and black badging. Inside, black leather seats with suede edging, an 8.4-inch multimedia system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and sunroof are additional Night Eagle equipment. While the Grand Cherokee Night Eagle is priced $5500 north of the Loredo, Jeep says $10,400 of extra value has been included. 

Australia’s crash-testing body ANCAP has released the latest round of safety testing with the all-new Toyota HiAce and Nissan Leaf earning five stars, yet the Jeep Wrangler has earned only one star. Australia’s top-selling van, the HiAce, achieved 94 per cent for adult occupant protection, 88 per cent for child occupant protection, 84 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 77 per cent for safety assist. The second-generation Nissan Leaf scored well, too, with a 93 per cent adult occupant protection score, plus 85 per cent for child occupant protection, 71 per cent vulnerable road user protection and 70 per cent for safety assist.The Jeep Wrangler, on the other hand, scored just 50 per cent for adult occupant projection, 49 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and just 32 per cent for safety assist.From launch, the Wrangler is only equipped with auto emergency braking (AEB) and blind-spot monitoring on the top two models, though Jeep will add both features to the entry-level Sport S “towards the back end of 2019,” according to Jeep Australia boss Steve Zanlunghi.Beyond all of this, the Australian model lacks curtain airbags and is fundamentally challenged by having a fold-down windscreen and removable doors. “The safety performance of the Wrangler is limited, falling well shy of the expected standard in three of the four key areas of assessment” said ANCAP Chief Executive, James Goodwin. “Chest protection was a concern for the driver and rear passenger in each of the frontal crash tests, a number of penalties were applied for structural deformation and potential leg injury hazards, and base variants lack autonomous emergency braking altogether,” Mr Goodwin said.The outgoing JK Wrangler had a four-star rating but only on petrol V6 models produced from 2012 onwards - models dating back to 2007 were not rated. 

Any fears over how the public would respond to a Wrangler-based pick-up appear to be misguided, with Jeep Gladiator attracting more than 25,000 US orders in its first month on sale.

Jeep has confirmed it will offer a fully electric model at some point, and that when that happens, it will still be a hardcore off-roader.

A V8-powered version of the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator hasn't been entirely ruled out - but the brand will need to do quite a bit of work if it wants to make this dream a reality.

The Jeep Gladiator dual cab may be the brand’s most anticipated model in decades, but the company is also mulling a single cab version.

Jeep has revealed six new pick-up truck concepts ahead of the Moab Easter Jeep Safari, most of which are based on the all-new Gladiator dual cab ute.

April’s cooling weather may be the perfect time to take to the road in a new vehicle made for the long-haul holiday. There is a fresh crop of SUVs on the market and with it, a few great deals to sweeten the purchase. Here’s some deals to help you get out and explore.