Jeep News & Rumors
•The Wrangler Call of Duty: Black Ops edition has been declassified-it's based on the Rubicon, and is, shockingly, black, with COD:BO graphics on the roof and front quarter-panels.
If the Wrangler is such a gaming nerd, why can't we remember the D&D edition?
•WTOL11 out of Toledo says that Ohio Representative Edna Brown is gunning for a Jeep pickup to be made at the Toledo plant.
•Not for North America (yet?): Turbodiesel for the Liberty/Cherokee, Wrangler, and Wrangler Limited. It's a 2.8L worth 200 horses and 302 lb-ft of torque for the Wranglers with the six-speed manual, 339 lb-ft with the five-speed automatic. The Liberty/Cherokee is worth 200 hp; torque is the same as the Wranglers'. Meanwhile, the Compass and Patriot will get a 2.2L turbodiesel that makes 163 hp (16 percent more than the 2.0L it replaces) and 236 lb-ft of torque (a 3-percent increase).
•No more going with the Flo? Looks like the mobile-TV FloTV is dunzo.
•Now entering the 2010 Automotive Hall of Fame: Francois Castaing. Wikipedia reminds you that he did product engineering and development at AMC, and was behind the birth of the Cherokee in a major way.
•Did someone out there ask for Mopar accessories for the '11 Grand? There are now 60 of them, from wheels and chrome to trailer stuff and seat covers, plus something representing every letter of the alphabet in between.
•The J8 has been going through some pretty intense ballistics and other kinds of testing. As Jeep Government & Military Sales explained on its Facebook page, "Using an innovative new hot-formed pressed armor system JGMS has developed an armored variant of the militarized J8 Utility Vehicle. Mirroring the precise contours of the original body, the Armored J8 fits comfortably into any urban environment, whilst significantly fewer armored panels result in reduced penetration risk through welds and joints, as well as a higher payload capacity."
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"I don't want people talking on phones, having them up to their ear, or texting while they're driving"
-U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, to
Automotive News.
He really,
really wants a ban on all hands-free communication while driving.
They know where the dipstick...
They know where the dipstick is?
•If you're a chick and your Jeep breaks down, no need to flash anything (anymore) to get someone to help you. A survey by Kwik Fit Insurance found that more than 69 percent of people would stop to help a female with a broken-down vehicle, while only 45 percent would help a man.
•Speaking of chicks on the road, the Telegraph reports that in a section of Spain, women of the night are now required to wear reflective safety vests so that drivers can see them, or else they'll have to pay a fine.
•LeaseTrader.com is making up phrases: Automotive tourism is what it's calling the act of people traveling outside their own region to get a vehicle they've shopped for online. The site says about 38 percent of lease transactions between two people don't happen in the same region; that was 31 percent five years ago.
•Speaking of car buying, Brand Week noted that a report done by AARP Media Sales and J.D. Power and Associates discovered that 62 percent of new vehicle sales are the handiwork of people over 50. Two years ago, it was 50 percent. And come to think of it, we rarely see some hot coed in a hybrid. That would be because 73 percent of those sales are to the over-50 crowd.
•Yet another survey and/or report: autoquake.com is an online used-car retailer in the UK, and research revealed that 1 in 10 female drivers never check their vehicle's oil level. Fourteen percent of women never check the tire pressure, and slightly more than that pay someone to check the coolant.
•You know those cough-drop-sized smart cars? Things just got a tiny bit more disturbing for the disturbingly tiny car: A Hello Kitty vehicle wrap is now available for the Smart fortwo model.
•The dream passenger for Britain's male drivers? Singer Katy Perry, says a poll by MPH, the Prestige and Performance Motor Show. In a Lamborghini Gallardo, in case you wondered.
•That person driving like an idiot in front of you? Probably tweeting or updating their Facebook status with info about what they had for breakfast. RAC has found that 39 percent of those surveyed for the 2010 RAC Report on Motoring admitted to being distracted by calls, texts, and social media while driving. And 21 percent said they were checking Facebook or Twitter while behind the wheel. How the top five distractions break down: email, Google Maps, music, photos, and Facebook.
This Month's Edition of "We Don't Know How This Announcement Ends"
"Chevrolet crowns 'The Best Dad Band in Texas'"
Reader Quote Without A Story*
(*As seen on the Jp magazine Facebook page.)