Jeep Rules Out Diesel and SRT for Everything But Grand Cherokee, Nixes Hybrids Entirely

November 22, 2011 at 3:33pm by Justin Berkowitz

Diesel enthusiasts sprayed each other with crude oil in celebration last month when the CEO of Chrysler and Fiat, Sergio Marchionne, announced that the Grand Cherokee would offer a diesel engine in the U.S. by 2013. That excitement has reached its limits, however, as Jeep boss Mike Manley told us that no other U.S.-market Jeeps will be available with diesel power in the foreseeable future.

And at the other end of the efficiency/performance continuum, Manley said that the Grand Cherokee will continue to be the only Jeep product available in rorty, gas-snorting SRT trim.

What’s left for the rest of the range? Conventional gasoline engines. For the time being, hybrids are completely off the table for all Jeep products, Manley says. The company will improve its vehicles’ fuel economy with help from Fiat: MultiAir valve-lift technology already has been added to several Chrysler-engineered powerplants, and in other cases—possibly the next Liberty and the Patriot/Compass replacement, for example—Jeep likely will simply install engines plucked from its Italian sibling’s roster.

Tags: hybrids, Jeep, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Wrangler |

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New F30 BMW 3-series to Offer Diesel Engine in U.S.—Eventually

November 18, 2011 at 5:06pm by Justin Berkowitz

BMW is in the midst of launching the volume versions of its all-new F30 3-series sedan—you can read our hot-off-the-press first drive here—but a company insider has confirmed that a diesel version will join the U.S. lineup once the dust has settled.

The outgoing 3-series was available with a torque-tastic 425-lb-ft, 3.0-liter diesel inline-six; that model, badged 335d, was available only with an automatic transmission and rear-wheel drive—and hit 60 mph in 5.7 seconds in our testing. Its burly nature and exorbitant sticker price ($45,025) were a recipe for slow sales, but it was nevertheless a more cost-effective way for the company to offer a diesel 3, with the same engine having been brought up to U.S. regulations for use in the X5 xDrive35d.

This time around, we believe things will be different. It’s more likely that we’ll see a diesel four-cylinder in the 3-series. Our bet is on BMW offering a 2.0-liter dizzler, which makes 181 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque in the newly introduced European-spec 320d. If this engine does come here, BMW probably will deploy it in more models, too—the 5-series and X3 are both prime candidates.

The exact timing, however, remains unclear. We were slightly surprised that a U.S.-bound diesel wasn’t announced with the rest of the American 3-series lineup, but its arrival may have been pushed off to avoid stealing the alternative-powertrain spotlight from the new ActiveHybrid 3. Figure on a wait of at least a year—or possibly until the mid-cycle refresh rolls around in three years or so—for the new-gen diesel 3 to hit the States.

Tags: BMW, BMW 3-series, BMW 320d, diesel |

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Kalaber J1 is the Diesel Jeep You’ve Been Asking For—Or Not

Perhaps your Jeep is too narrow to transport you and your friends in comfort. Or your pickup not soft-topped enough. Solution: The Kalaber J1. It’s the automotive equivalent of the double-wide.

The creators of this beauty used a Cummins-powered Dodge Ram as the basis for a unique Jeep-esque off-roader. It’s not quite two CJs wide—the grille now has 13 slots, not 14—but this extra-broad Jeep gets our vote for most effective use of extra sheetmetal at this year’s SEMA show. A widened body beats out a wide-body kit any day.

And check out the Jeep Jeep tailgate!

Tags: 2011 SEMA show, Jeep |

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