Jeep cars

Jeep set to bring six concepts at Easter Safari headlined by the Mighty FC Concept

Every year, Jeep makes it a point to attend the Easter Safari event in Moab, Utah, to show off some of their outrageous concepts. Last year, we saw a number of them in the Cherokee Overland, the Wrangler Mojave, and the Wrangler Blue Crush, among others.

For this year’s festivities scheduled on March 31, 2012, Jeep is bringing a new line-up of concepts - six in total - headlined by the Mighty FC Concept, the Wrangler Apache, and the J-12.

Details behind all the concepts have not yet been revealed because Jeep is taking the slow and steady tease route to draw up some interest in the concepts leading up to the event at the end of the month.

All in all, Jeep released three teaser sketches of the concepts they’re bringing to Easter Safari. For our money, we think that the red Wrangler is the J-12, the blue Wrangler is the Apache, and the huge pick-up is the Mighty FC Concept.

Be sure to head back here because as soon as all the concepts are unveiled, we’ll be running our takes on all of them individually. For now, though, consume these teaser sketches, and let us know what you think of them.

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 Ferrari Edition

Jeep is celebrating the launch of the Grand Cherokee SRT8 on the European market with two custom-built versions of the SRT8 called the Ferrari Editions. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that the SRT8’s transformation will be all about getting it to look like a Ferrari, at least in terms of colors and styling. Highlighting the transformation are exclusive Rosso Corsa colored exteriors, red leather interiors, and other odes to Ferrari, including being delivered to the Fiorano circuit in Maranello, Italy by Scuderia Ferrari Formula One drivers, Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa.

The two special Gran Cherokee SRT8 units are painted in a special Rosso Corsa paint finish and then combined with a matte-black front grille and matte black dual-pane sunroof. The standout feature of the paint job is the race-inspired, glossy black driver’s stripe with a white accent going from the front bumper up through the hood, roof, rear spoiler, and ending at the rear bumper. The aggressive look of the car provided by the SRT-exclusive design and the Italian flag painted on the underside of the rear spoiler add to the appeal and are topped off with a new set of unique forged aluminum, 20-inch wheels painted black and a lowered (1.5 inches) suspension.

The interior of the Grand Cherokee Ferrari Edition comes with exclusive Ferrari Red leather inserts on the seats with sculpted bolsters. The leather-wrapped SRT8 steering wheel with mounted paddle shifters features red contrasting stitching, while the unique instrument cluster features yellow dials which give the cabin the look of the GT cars produced in Maranello.

If there was ever an SUV that could be categorized as automotive porn, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Ferrari Edition would be it. Unfortunately, the two shown in the picture will be the only two ever made unless a tuning firm picks it up somewhere. Hint, hint, all you tuners!

UPDATE 03/05/2012: Formula One stars Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso have just received their custom Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 Ferrari Edition models. Do you think they liked them? Hit the jump to find out!

2012 Jeep Wrangler Mountain Edition

There are no shortages of concept cars and special edition models that are scheduled to be introduced at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.

One particular model that’s been penciled in to make its debut at Geneva is the Jeep Wrangler Mountain Edition, a special edition 4WD all-utility ride that boasts of a paint finish called "Geecko" and carries a massive V6 under its hood.

Built as a special edition model that definitely caters to a specific kind of market, the Wrangler Mountain Edition features other unique styling cues, including a black decal on the hood, a Mineral Gray front grille, and a choice of other paint finishes. Heck, if "Geecko" doesn’t suit your style, you can opt for more conservative hues like Back, Bright White, Dozer - we actually don’t know what Dozer is - and Black Forrest Green. The Wrangler Mountain Edition also sits on a new set of 17" high-gloss Mineral Gray wheels while also having fabric seats on the interior with Slate Grey stitching and an embroidered ’Mountain logo’.

Under its hood, the Wrangler Mountain Edition comes with a choice of different powertrains, highlighted by a 3.6-liter V6 Pentastar engine that produces 284 horsepower and 256 lb/ft of torque mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. For a more efficient option, the Wrangler Mountain Edition also gets a 2.8-liter turbo diesel engine that produces 200 horsepower and 340 lb/ft of torque mated to the same transmission system.

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Sports Concept

Jeep doesn’t usually make the kind of attention-grabbing headlines in Europe the way it does in the States. But now that the company is slowly establishing its footing across the pond, it looks like their set to use the 2012 Geneva Motor Show as the perfect place to make a sparkling first impression.

All in all, Jeep is bringing three "production-intent" concept vehicles to Geneva. We’ve already touched on the Compass Black Look Concept and the Wrangler Mountain Edition. Now, we turn our attention towards the Grand Cherokee Sports Concept

Just like Compass Black Look Concept, the Grand Cherokee Sports Concept comes dressed with plenty of aesthetic modifications, including a a gloss black accent on the headlamp bezels, grille surround, tinted rear passenger windows, a lift gate light-bar, and roof molding covers that have taken the place of the roof rack. There’s also a new mesh grille, a lower bumper fascia appliqué in Platinum Chrome, black chrome dual exhaust tips, and a new set of 20" aluminum wheels. Inside, special features include Nappa leather and suede seats, a heated leather steering wheel, carbon fiber trim pieces on the instrument panel and door trim panels, and bright brake and accelerator pedals.

No performance modifications were given to the special edition Grand Cherokee, which means that you can expect it to carry a 3.0-liter V6 turbo-diesel engine with Fiat’s Multijet II technology, one that produces producing 241 horsepower and 406 lb/ft of torque and mated to a five-speed automatic transmission with Electronic Range Select (ERS).

2012 Jeep Compass Black Look Concept

At this year’s Geneva Motor Show Jeep will bring a very interesting concept car: the Compass Black Look Concept a prototype model that only serves the purpose of showing us how cool a Compass can become with just the right additions. The concept has received a number of styling cues and functional elements that transform the SUV into a very cool looking model. In fact, the Black Look Concept does look somewhat similar to the Jeep Compass by Mopar that was recently announced for the North American market.

The new Compass production-intent concept features exclusive black-gloss front-end accents, a step pad and 18" aluminum wheels painted in black-gloss. The front grille has also received black-gloss inserts - same treatment being used for the roof rails and step pads, the headlamp and fog lamp surrounds.

For the interior, Jeep added new front and rear bright sill covers, but also a new UConnect multimedia navigation and infotainment system with Bluetooth UConnect Phone and 9-speaker premium Boston Acoustics sound system.

The concept was also fitted with a 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine, one that delivers 163 HP and 236 lbs-ft of torque.

Video: Jay Leno reviews the Jeep JK-8 Pickup Red Jacket Edition

Here’s further proof that Jay Leno is testing the coolest cars currently on the market. The latest addition to his well-stocked Garage is a Jeep JK-8 Pickup Red Jacket Edition. As you may recall, Jeep announced the JK-8 Independence last year. It is built on a Wrangler platform and is the perfect car for off-road parties.

That being said, Jay Leno got the chance to test a special version of this car: the Jeep JK-8 Pickup Red Jacket Edition built for Louisiana’s Red Jacket Firearms. The car is painted in candy-apple-red and features over-sized brush guards and 17-inch bead-lock wheels. The JK-8 kit also includes a bed floor, inner/outer body panels, a half hard top (works with Freedom Top panels), and a new bulkhead. For those interested, the Mopar kit costs $5,499, but this is well worth all of the fun this vehicle can provide.

Video: The Making of the Jeep Cherokee SRT8

Jeep unveiled the Grand Cherokee SRT8 at the 2011 New York Auto Show and now driveSRT.com is offering us a pretty cool video presenting the production process of the most powerful Grand Cherokee out there. The video was shot at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant where the SRT is produced.

The video shows some very lucky guy who just bought a Grand Cherokee SRT8 and, as a reward, was invited to take a tour of the build and assembly process. Unfortunately, we can’t join him, but this video provides a good picture of how the SRT8 is built.

As a reminder, the SRT8 is powered by a 6.4-liter HEMI V-8 that delivers an estimated 465 HP and 465 lb.-ft. of torque. This is just enough to sprint it from 0 to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds and up to a top speed of 155 mph.

2012 Jeep Compass ’True North’ by Mopar

Of all the models in Jeep’s line-up, the one that doesn’t get a whole lot of love is the Compass. We know all about the Grand Cherokee, the Wrangler, and the Liberty, but the Compass isn’t given the same amount of attention.

Whatever reasons that may have, the new Mopar-tuned Compass "True North" model is giving the Compass some well deserved love and affection.

The enhancements done on the Compass are prevalently cosmetic, albeit a comprehensive one. On the outside, Mopar added plenty of modifications, including a new matte black-finished roof, wider wheel flares, black-headlamp and fog-lamp surrounds, rear fog lights, a new lower fascia, a new black grille with body color inserts, custom front and rear brush bars and custom rock rails, and a new set of 16" matte black alloy wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich All Terrain tires to go with a 2" lift kit from Rocky Road Suspensions.

Inside, the Mopar went to great lengths to give the Compass’ interior space with plenty of fine-tweaking. The most notable is a tie-up with renowned audio component manufacturer Kicker. For the ’True North’ model, the latter added a completely new audio system that includes front and rear speakers, an amplifier, a sub-woofer, and lift gate speakers. Outside of the audio system set-up, Mopar also added a custom center stack gauge pod that carries the pitch and roll inclinometer gauges. There’s also a new Mopar bright pedal kit, door-sill guards, a rear-cargo tray, a new shift knob and neoprene seats, all of which adds some serious flair and attitude to the Compass’ interior.

Availability for the Compass "True North" model has not yet been announced, although we expect to hear more about the details at the Chicago Auto Show this coming February.

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Concept Special Edition

A new special edition 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee was making the waves at the recent Houston Auto Show except that the SUV still didn’t have a name. Sounds odd, right?

Apparently, the production-ready concept vehicle is the subject of Jeep’s "Name My Ride" contest, an online competition that gives Jeep fans a chance to come up with the official name of the Grand Cherokee concept. The contest is currently being held at Jeep’s official website with the top three choices being elevated to another round of voting before the official winner is announced in May 2012.

As for the vehicle itself, this one-of-a-kind Grand Cherokee is based on Jeep’s Laredo X package and is highlighted by a bevy of stealth-inspired custom touches, including a Brilliant Black exterior finish, a black mesh grille, a chrome lower bumper trim, black headlamp bezels, a black liftgate light-bar, and a new set of 20" glossy-black aluminum wheels. The interior also comes with plenty of special features, particularly the leather-trimmed seats and heated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shifter, as well as key technological components, including a 9-speaker 506 watt amp sound system with subwoofer, iPod/MP3 connectivity, Parkview rear back-up camera, ParkSense rear-park assist system, Keyless Enter-N-Go, and last but certainly not least, the Uconnect hands-free communications system.

"Jeep enthusiasts have always appreciated limited-edition models and the ability to customize their vehicles," said Mike Manley, President and CEO of Jeep. "This new Grand Cherokee comes with a unique, ‘factory-customized’ stealth appearance directly from Jeep, and is certain to attract interest from an array of potential customers."

"If the level of excitement is what we anticipate, this new Grand Cherokee will be in Jeep showrooms this spring."

To that, we say, bring it on, Jeep! This special, one-off Grand Cherokee looks absolutely stunning.

2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 by Hennessey

With one little teaser note - "Who Needs Reindeer When You Have an 800 HP Twin Turbo Sleigh?" - Hennessey Performance has given us even more reason to love the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. The American tuning company went bananas on the HEMI-powered SUV, releasing a comprehensive tuning program that includes aerodynamic and performance upgrades that will leave your jaws on the floor.

Talking about the former, Hennessey dressed up the Grand Cherokee SRT8 with a new carbon fiber front splitter, a lowered suspension system, a new set of light alloy wheels with 15.1" Brembo brakes, and a custom leather interior with a new Alcantara steering wheel. Pretty good, right?

It gets better.

Known for being one of the best engine tuners in the country, Hennessey saw the enormous potential of the Grand Cherokee SRT8’s 6.4-liter HEMI V8 engine and decided that it could still get some more tweaking. And that’s precisely what they did. Additional modifications include an upgraded transmission system and torque converter upgrade, 15.1 inch Brembo brakes front and rear, a lowered sport suspension system, lighter alloy wheels, carbon fiber front splitter and a custom leather interior with Alcantara steering wheel. Thanks to an HPE800 Twin-Turbo engine package, an upgraded transmission system, and a torque converter upgrade, Hennessey managed to bring the output of the Grand Cherokee SRT8 from its ’regular’ 465 horsepower and 465 lb/ft of torque figures, all the way up to an eye-popping 805 horsepower and 823 lb/ft of torque. These numbers are good enough to drop the SUV’s 0-60 mph number from 4.8 seconds to a mentally disturbing 3.1 seconds and set the quarter mile at 10.9 at 130 mph.

Hennessey will only build 24 of these bad boys with the limited numbers reflecting the tuned-up SUV’s price tag: $235,000.

Can you say *gulp*?