Jeep has such a storied and legendary history while also being the one brand most synonymous with offroad. For nearly half a century the iconic runabout carried American servicemen and women to and from their assigned posts and in recent decades the Jeep Wrangler has garnered more "best of" awards in the offroad segment than all competitors combined.
Several years back Jeep decided to expand the platform a bit, stretching the chassis from two doors to four, giving birth to the Wrangler Unlimited. We had seen Jeep use the name Unlimited on its Wrangler model lineup prior to that, but never before had it been more appropriate. Jeep finally offered a true four-door Wrangler model dubbed Unlimited and available in more versions than ever before.
In addition to the option of an extra pair of doors, Jeep also chose that time to for Wrangler to receive stiffer frame and body components as well as new steering and suspension geometry. And thanks to an extra 20.6 inches in wheelbase length Unlimited models offer up a more stable ride.
Jeep offers Wrangler Unlimited in a choice of 4x2 and 4x4 running gear, the former aimed at the hip urban crowd who will never venture out of the city or off campus, and the latter for those who have made Jeep a household name (especially if your house is in Colorado).
The Jeep of today offers almost all of the modern amenities Ð power windows and locks, ABS brakes, electronic stability program, traction control, electronic roll mitigation, limited slip rear differential and an electronic front sway bar disconnect.
True to its roots though, Jeep still outfits their offroaders with heavy-duty Dana locking front and rear axles, rock rails, underbody skid plate protection, front and rear tow hooks, sport bar with full padding and 17- or 18-inch machined cast aluminum wheels with up to 32-inch mud and snow tires (with a fullsize spare mounted on back, of course).
Thank goodness Jeep has given the Wrangler Unlimited full-frame metal doors with glass side windows, those zip around plastic ones of years past were a real pain in the drive-thru not to mention flapping like crazy in the wind.
The recent Wrangler we tested came with the optional three-piece Freedom top hardtop bolted on. A soft Sunrider top was still included and folded back in the rear cargo area should consumers choose to change roofs every once in a while. I noticed the doors are still removable even with their modern power features.
Our Jeep tester was quiet on the road with very little wind noise despite it feeling like a bit of a plow in head-on gusts.
There is more power under the hood of the new Wrangler models, which is a blessing as the platform is toting a bit more weight these days. Still, the 202 ponies from the 3.8-liter V-6 will have not have you passing many vehicles on the road and fuel economy runs between 15 and 19 mpg. Still, its 237 lb. ft. of torque does propel the Jeep adequately when the pavement ends.
Inside there is plenty of room for five adults and rear seat passengers don't need to be trained acrobats to climb in and out thanks to the second set of fullsize doors. Seat material is the YES Essentials stain/odor resistant product, of which I am not a fan of. I have experienced this material in several vehicles and I do not feel it hides stains nor do I feel it resists odors. Chrysler, across the board, has to get rid of this crap.
The new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited looks good sitting still or crawling over an outcropping of rocks. I actually prefer its styling over the two-door Wrangler models but Jeep purists may quickly disagree.
Pricing for our test model 2010 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara 4x4 starts at $28,905 and after a few add-ons, stickers out at just over 36 grand. We had not one but two aftermarket MOPAR chrome packages on the media fleet unit. Nice, but I will take mine sans bling.
After nearly 70 years, Jeep is still the one.
As a former firefighter/paramedic, I am glad to see that automakers are providing training for first responders before a new type vehicle hits the streets and forces them to "learn from experience." Training and preparation is key to successful incident response and reaction and Chevrolet is teaming up with OnStar to prepare emergency personnel for the arrival of Volt.
When hybrids first hit the mass market about a decade ago, I grabbed a Toyota Prius and a Honda Insight from the press fleets and visited several area fire departments here in north Texas to give emergency personnel the opportunity to see the vehicles up close and learn the facts surrounding how to respond to emergencies involving these vehicles.
I believe that everyone can benefit from a bit of knowledge concerning the operational characteristics of the coming wave of electric vehicles, as well as current hybrids that are capable of operating in electric-only mode. Warning, a little conscious re-thinking may be involved.
First and foremost is that these vehicles are nearly silent. Care has to be taken to ensure a vehicle operating in electric mode is somehow disabled from motion – be it via ignition switch, gear selector, parking brake or physical obstruction.
Second would concern the high voltage battery systems these vehicles carry. Most current hybrid vehicles not only have the traditional 12-volt car battery we are all familiar with but contain a secondary sealed battery pack somewhere in the rear area of the vehicle that generates in the neighborhood of 300 volts direct current (DC). Automakers have adopted an industry standard of signifying high voltage wiring and connections by the use of the color orange. (Red is still the standard for the 12 volt system.)
Here is the release from Chevrolet and OnStar regarding first responder training currently being developed:
San Francisco – Chevrolet has joined with OnStar and leading national first-responder organizations to announce the first automotive manufacturer-sponsored training program to educate first responders nationwide on electric vehicle technology.
The announcement was jointly made today at the San Francisco Fire Department with leaders of Chevrolet, OnStar, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the National Emergency Number Association (NENA).
“Technological changes in the automotive industry require changes in fire and emergency service operations as well,” said Chief Jack Parow, first vice president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. “The IAFC is proud to work with Chevrolet and OnStar to ensure that fire responders are adequately trained in how to work with the new technology, both for their own safety and the safety of those they serve.”
The training sessions will feature the Chevrolet Volt and will begin at the IAFC’s Fire-Rescue International Conference, Aug. 23-27 in Chicago. Together with OnStar, Chevrolet will also display the Volt at the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials conference Aug. 1-4 in Houston, and at the NENA conference, June 5-10 in Indianapolis. Chevrolet and OnStar will host first-responder sessions in Volt retail markets later this year including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Detroit and Washington, D.C.
“We believe a first-responder education program is very important to raise the awareness and understanding of electric vehicle technology,” said Carmen Benavides, director, Chevrolet Safety. “This is a natural extension of the collaborative efforts we’ve had in the past when introducing new safety and other leading technologies.”
During the past several months, Chevrolet has collaborated with first-responder representatives from national safety organizations to develop educational materials for firefighters, law enforcement, emergency medical technicians and emergency dispatchers nationwide. This will help ensure the training meets the needs and answers the questions their colleagues are likely to have about electric vehicles.
Their feedback is being incorporated into training materials that will be available on the tour and posted on a targeted Web site for departments unable to attend the training sessions.
The training will include animation and illustrations of the Chevrolet Volt, highlighting locations of high-strength steel, cut points for extrication, first-responder labeling, automatic and manual electrical shut-off and more.
The Chevrolet Volt’s safety features include safeguards before, during and – thanks to OnStar -- after a crash. Before a crash, the Volt’s safety technology includes standard anti-lock brakes with traction control, StabiliTrak electronic stability control and daytime running lamps. In the event of a crash, the Volt uses occupant protection features such as high-strength steel, crash sensors, eight standard air bags and safety belts with dual pretensioners to reduce the risk of injury. After a crash, the Chevrolet Volt has the added protection of OnStar, which uses built-in vehicle sensors to automatically alert an OnStar advisor in certain types of collisions. The advisor is immediately connected to the vehicle and can request that emergency help be sent to its location.
Chevrolet expects the Volt to achieve high safety ratings in government tests. More than 50 crash tests at various speeds and angles have been conducted in the development of the Chevrolet Volt to date, including front, side and rear impacts as well as rollovers. The Volt’s body structure is made up of nearly 80 percent high-strength steel and includes optimized restraint systems.
Chevrolet has been working to get the country ready for electric vehicles such as the Volt for the past several years. In the time since the Volt was announced as a production program in 2007, Chevrolet has joined with the Electric Power Research Institute and 10 major electric utilities across the country, collaborated with several local and state governments in key states, and met with city stakeholders in important markets to help ensure widespread consumer adoption of electric vehicles. The Chevrolet Volt will launch in select markets late this year.
A Volvo with "wow" factor and, dare I say it, sex appeal?
One does not normally associate the three-letter expression of excitement and surprise with a Volvo vehicle but the C70 hardtop convertible coupe is changing all that.
Re-introduced a few years back and refreshed last year, the latest C70 is built on a smaller platform than its predecessor, sharing the global Ford/Mazda/Volvo small car underpinnings found in the Mazda3, European Focus and Volvo S40 and V50. This is my favorite compact platform and I enjoy the smooth, sporty driving experience it offers.
This same experience carries over to the new C70 and now you can have the added benefit of a convertible model while still riding on a foundation of solid support.
Engineers chose to utilize a power folding hardtop design for the Volvo allowing the vehicle to exhibit coupe-like qualities with the top in place (more wow). In about 30 seconds the top neatly folds into a storage space in the trunk compartment. Yes, this does eat into cargo capacity but a movable divider will allow the use of the additional space when the top is up. Owners get the best of both worlds here.
Under the hood of the C70 is VolvoÕs turbocharged inline five-cylinder T5 powerplant backed by their smooth Geartronic five-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode. Power in the C70 is rated at 227 horses and 236 lb. ft. of torque driving the front wheels.
The C70 rides (standard) on 17-inch alloy wheels shod with V-rated all-season tires and in pure Volvo tradition comes standard with such safety features as dynamic stability traction control, rollover protection system with pop-up rear roll bars, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, electronic brakeforce distribution and emergency brake assist and a full assortment of airbags incuding door-mounted inflatable curtain side impact units.
Safety and security for items stored in the C70 was also priority for designers with self-closing and lockable storage bins at all four seating positions. And speaking of seating positions, consideration was given to the amount of space allocated to rear occupants. The new Volvo C70 affords some of the best rear seat space in a convertible on the market today (again, wow) and offers power slide function of the front seats for easier ins and outs by rear passengers.
Volvo has come up with a new material for the seats that they call Haverdal Flextech, which is combined with leather seat inserts in the C70 for comfortable, luxurious and sturdy seating surfaces.
The center dash control panel is a slim design with storage space between it and the main body of the dash which my girlfriend found very convenient to store her purse in.
The new C70 comes with all of the creature comforts one would expect in a European automobile but the one that truly stood out to me, an old audiophile-head, is the 910-watt audio system featuring Dynaudio speakers (big wow). This car rocks, both literally and figuratively.
Fuel economy was modest in the C70 at 19 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. Pricing begins at nearly 40 grand with our tester coming in at $45,850 thanks to multimedia, dynamic and climate package upgrades.
"Wow" again, but you figure out which way.
