Auto expo 2016: Jeep brand officially unveiled

The Jeep brand officially commences its India innings today. Jeep’s parent company, Fiat India has announced that Jeep’s SUVs will go on sale by mid-2016 as imports and an all-new made in India Jeep will join the line-up next year. Jeep plans to launch a unique marketing campaign soon to differentiate Jeep from other ‘Jeeps’ when sale of its vehicles commence in key metro cities.

The three products that go on sale first are the Wrangler Unlimited, the Grand Cherokee and hot Cherokee SRT.

The Wrangler Unlimited has four bolt-on doors and a removable roof, a 2.8-litre turbo diesel engine good for 197bhp and a mechanical four-wheel drive setup. A ladder frame chassis and both live axles make the Wrangler a rugged and capable off-roader. Jeep will introduce the 3.6-litre 280bhp/347Nm petrol motor in the Wrangler at a later date. With the Wrangler, you get the choice of a sort or hard top, a 6.5 inch touchscreen navigation system and alpine audio. It’s not your bare bones basic offroader!

The Grand Cherokee is for the sophisticated Jeep buyer. It employs a 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel mill sending 240bhp and 550Nm to all four wheels via a 8-speed automatic gearbox. The same petrol engine from the Wrangler also powers the Cherokee. There are a lot more creature comforts than the Wrangler too. You get a panoramic sunroof, a heated steering wheel, SD card, USB and aux-in ports, navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, parking sensors, keyless entry, reversing camera, an electric tailgate, two USB slots and heated and ventilated seats.  There’s ample space on the inside of this five-seater. No seven-seat option will be offered.

For those who want a lot more firepower under the hood, the SRT Cherokee SRT is more up your alley. It takes on the Mercedes GL63 AMG on the drag strip with a 6.4-litre HEMI V-8 under the hood developing 470bhp and 630Nm. It gets the necessary go-faster modifications including Bilstein adaptive dampers and retuned Selec-Track system for its various driving modes.

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