Jeep News & Rumors
* The redesigned '08 Liberty finally has a price for its head. MSRP, including destination: Sport 4x2, $20,990; Sport 4x4, 22,600; Limited 4x2, $25,175; and Limited 4x4, $26,785. That Sky Slider canvas-roof thingy has an MSRP of $1,200.
* Shall we segue into Liberty production delays? OK! The Toledo Blade has reported the model went into production a week later than scheduled.
* The new Grand Cherokee has debuted in Europe.
* Shall we segue to Camp Jeep Europe? OK! It had record attendance-1,500 people and 650 vehicles.
* We've heard more hints the JT pickup is under serious consideration. Seriously. And could it get a Cummins? Seriously?!
* There are 80,000-plus Wranglers being recalled for potential engine stalling. We told you last month the government was investigating the JK, and now Chrysler is going to have dealers reprogram a power module that could cause a temp interruption of electrical power to the engine and the instrument panel on affected vehicles.
* Cerberus-the Chrysler Group's new owner-says it's not planning to sell the Jeep brand.
New Jeep Tagline
"Have fun out there. Jeep." The new ad campaign features its own Web site, of course, called www.havefunoutthere.com. You know, in case you can't get enough of it from TV commercials, billboards, buses, and so on and need to have fun out there in front of your computer.
Auto Graphs
* Why do chicks drive with both hands on the wheel and dudes with only one? Dr. Iain MacRury from the University of East London was one of the researchers who looked into this. As he told the Daily Mail, "Men talk about their cars as if talking about themselves. Women are more comfortable expressing their feelings directly and see the car as separate. That's why women give names to their cars. It's also why men drive with one hand on the steering wheel. They are physically relaxed, as they think the car is part of them. Women drive with two hands because they see the car as more 'detached.'" Fascinating, no? No.
* We pretty much avoid any Web site with "please" in the URL (at least at work). But we went to www.betterdrivingplease.com without fear of the IT guys shutting down our operation. It's a virtual vent-fest-you can seek out United States entries (it defaults to the United Kingdom, but the search feature works) and read and/or post about not-so-swift driving you've encountered because, let's face it, your significant other is tiring of you whining about the stupid people during your commute. "Driver just hogged the lane and did not move over to allow me entry" has an enthusiastic readership here.
* Ready to downgrade from your Jeep to a Rolls-Royce? The Provenance program is preowned R-Rs. You're probably still looking at a low six figures for someone else's discarded mid-six-figure ride.
* Happy Summer of E85! (If you live in Iowa.)