Jeep showcased the Gladiator concept at the North American International Auto Show back in 2005. And although it was received well by the crowds, it didn’t make to the production lines due to Chrysler’s ongoing financial ordeal at that point in time.
Earlier this month, a little-known Swedish magazine called Teknikens Värld (Technology World) released a video of their “moose test” for the 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee, essentially an emergency lane-change manoeuvre, where the Jeep almost rolled over. Since then, there has been a public back-and-forth between the Swedes and the Americans over the issue.
Our first encounter with the Pentastar-engined 2012 Jeep Wrangler was around the time it was launched in the UAE, where we were given a car and thrown into the desert wilderness. In that trial-by-fire, we made our way out in one piece, all by ourselves, without ever getting stuck, and navigating with visual clues rather than by GPS. This time, our car does have GPS, although we’re just soaking in what it feels like in an urban environment.
Back in March, Jeep showcased its blacked-out Altitude edition Compass, Grand Cherokee and Patriot. This time around Jeep gets the Wrangler all decked up.
Jeep has officially dropped the details on six new concepts the company crafted for this year’s ‘Easter Jeep Safari’, including the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk Concept.
Back in January, Jeep boasted off a fully blacked-out, stealthy version of the new Grand Cherokee at the 2012 Houston Auto Show, which they said was intended for production. Following that, the company set up a ‘Name My Ride’ contest in the States to find the perfect name for their latest creation.
We’ve never been to an event before where we drove so many different cars at once that all the names did not fit in the title of a story. At the recent “Mopar Power Drive” media event at the Dubai Autodrome, we drove the 2012 editions of the — in one big breath — Chrysler 300C V8, Chrysler 300 V6, Chrysler Grand Voyager, Dodge Durango, Dodge Challenger V6, Dodge Charger V6, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Compass, and finally, to throw a curve-ball, the Fiat 500.
Our Jeep went for its last service back in November. While it has been a great car, decently reliable despite misgivings about Chrysler quality, we were fine with the cost of regular servicing because we could afford it. But then we realised that the dealer service charges were only slightly less than that for Mercedes-Benz. That got us a bit peeved, and we decided that we might as well get a better car to pour money into.
The Jeep Jamboree is an annual event held in various parts of the world, where Jeep owners get together and go offroad over the course of a day. The UAE edition, of course, involves a whole lot of sand, and we were one of the few media peeps invited for the 2011 run, us being actual Jeep owners notwithstanding. While the general public had to bring their own Jeeps, we were given a factory-fresh 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, the one with the new “Pentastar” 3.6-litre V6. We were really looking forward to driving that one, and we were getting to do it straight where it belongs.
There I was, letting my Jeep collect dust as I tested various other cars. Then I hear from a friend of a friend about a new detailing shop that he’d opened in Dubai recently, and was looking to make his mark in the industry. The place is called Farba Guard, and after speaking to Mohsin, the owner, and seeing his passion for detailing cars, I figured I could give the new place a shot and hand over my stagnant Jeep for a complimentary full detail for this story.