2008 Commander Limited..4.7l V8, 4x4, Nav, Saddle Interior, Dvd,43k!!! on 2040-cars

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Jeep dealer buries WWII Willys GP in showroom floor

The Willys MB Jeep earned icon status during World War II thanks to its ruggedness, simplicity and go-anywhere ability. Following the war, it didn't take long for the handy vehicles to be scooped up by the public, and a brand slowly grew around the vehicles that has continued to thrive. Fast-forward to present day, where it's not uncommon for auto dealers to try to grab some of the magic of yesteryear by displaying classic models to connect customers with their brands' proud histories. Now, a Canadian Chrysler Group dealer is taking that notion to the extreme by actually making a vintage WWII Jeep part of its foundation.
Bay King Chrysler in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, recently completed its new showroom, and the franchise really wanted to show its dedication to the Jeep brand. As dealer principal Jamie Richter tells Autoblog, the inspiration for the Jeep installation came from his brother, who became fascinated with a home that had a glass floor looking down into its wine cellar. The company already had the 1943 Willys MB to display, but it had originally planned to build a jungle gym around it for customers' kids. Now, the classic is literally in the floor as customers enter. Richter tells Autoblog that customer reaction so far has been "fantastic."
It's certainly a novel way to bring people into the showroom, and seemingly a nice nod not only to Jeep, but to the men and women who served in the war. If you want to see more about how the Jeep was actually installed and what it looks like, check out this video.

2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel and SRT climb onto stage

This is indeed a case of not knowing how much we wanted something until it arrived. We've been big fans of the Jeep Grand Cherokee ever since the new model arrived a couple of years ago, and while the update you see here might seem just a slight refresh, it's actually much more than that.
For starters, the 2014 Grand Cherokee marks the return of a diesel model here in the States, with Chrysler's new 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 under the hood, churning out 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Of course, all of the Grand Cherokee's usual off-road goodies are on hand, with moderate tweaks to make it an even more capable vehicle when the going gets rough. Both the gasoline-fed 3.6-liter V6 and 5.7-liter V8 get the new eight-speed auto, as well.
The high-performance Grand Cherokee SRT also trudges on into the new model year, with very subtle tweaks found underneath the aggressive, slightly redesigned sheetmetal. The 6.4-liter Hemi V8 also gets eight-speed gearing, which Chrysler says will improve not only 0-60 times, but mid-range performance as well. Bring it on, we say.

2014 Jeep Cherokee musters 22 MPG city, 31 highway

Production and media drive delays included, there has been no lack of press surrounding the 2014 Jeep Cherokee. With the most recent delay reportedly due to powertrain calibrations, we've been waiting to see how the Cherokee's fuel economy looks against the highly competitive compact CUV segment. Thanks to the EPA, we now know the fuel economy figures for the newest member of the Jeep family.
Arguably, the Cherokee has the most modern powertrain in its class with an updated base engine, all-new V6 and all-new nine-speed automatic transmission, but its fuel economy figures are simply on par for the segment. Still nothing to scoff at, though. According to fueleconomy.gov, front-wheel-drive Cherokee models with the base four-cylinder mill will top out the lineup with 22 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the highway; opting for four-wheel drive with this engine drops the figures to 21 city and 28 highway. Get even crazier with the option list, and the new 3.2-liter Pentastar V6 will get you 19 mpg city and 28 mpg highway in two-wheel-drive form or 19 city and 27 highway for 4WD.
If you're wondering how that stacks up among compact CUVs, head on over to Automobile Magazine for a full fuel economy breakdown for the segment. The controversially styled crossover hits dealers this month, and we'll be driving it in just a couple of weeks.