A story that goes as far back as 1941 (yep was still unborn) the new Jeep gives a fresh, unprecedented chapter in the legendary history of the brand.
As I took it for a spin, one could not help but notice the iconic Jeep Wrangler has been completely renewed while remaining true to itself, with legendary off-road capabilities, authentic Jeep styling and advanced technology features.
From the roughest terrain (although I did not do off-road this time around) to more exclusive city streets, it is perfectly at ease, and delivers a more modern design, that stays true to the original, combined with more open-air freedom and advanced technology features in terms of safety and connectivity.
From Soweto to Sandton, from Magaliesberg to Pretoria the system operates in 4 driving modes (plus Neutral):
- 2H (Two-Wheel Drive High Range)
• 4H AUTO (Full-Time Active On-Demand High Drive)
• 4H Part-Time (Part-Time Four-Wheel Drive High Range)
• N (Neutral)
• 4L (Four-Wheel Drive Low Range)
• The new Wrangler features shift on the fly technology which allows for shifting between 2WD and 4WD High range at speed up to 72km/h.
As a result of its brash and agility, like it or not- it turned heads- including unforgivable whistles from by-standers and youngsters alike. A sign of undisputed off-road champ…
FCA announced last week that the brand new Grand Cherokee Supercharged will be available in the country end of January 2019.
According to the newly installed chief executive at FCA SA- Graham Eagle, only 60 to 70 units will be made available since this will be limited edition, he told motoring corps at a briefing.
Although unconfirmed and (those with deep pockets) it will retail for a cool R1,3m.
“Already we have pre-orders for the Cherokee Supercharged from our dealers but that alone, is a beautiful headache,” he joked.
Posed to him what will happen should they experience over-subscription, he indicated with a tongue-in-cheek “we shall jump that river when we get there”.
“I am excited to be joining the FCA family I look forward to sharing my knowledge and experience in the FCA environment, elevating the brands to greater heights,” says Eagle, who previously was with Nissan and Honda respectively.
Other new management team includes Gerrie van der Kaay as head of Sales & Sales Planning and Juan Wheeler as new chief financial officer at FCA SA.
Meanwhile, the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists has announced the top 12 finalists in the 2019 AutoTrader SA Car of the Year competition:
Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Honda Civic Type R
Hyundai Kona
Lexus ES
Mercedes-Benz A-Class
Mitsubishi Pajero Sport
Nissan Micra
Porsche Cayenne
Renault Duster
Suzuki Swift
Suzuki Jimny
Volvo XC40
