The making of video of how they got the jeep on the wall at the Jeep booth during the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit. It’s pretty impressive to see a 2007 Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited parked vertically on a wall of rock. The video explains the making of this addition to the auto show booth and what it took to do it safely.
Man, this little video is great! About 10 minutes of archival footage that outlines the history of the origin of the original Jeep - told in the first person.
So, if you like Jeeps and their history, you’ll love this video - excellent work by the director.
More geared to onroad folks, but they give a decent overview of the newest model.
One thing that stood out to me was the comment one of the guys made about it being a good move they went back to the round headlight grille a “few years ago”. yeah, you could say it’s been a few years since that change…LOL …and yes, this is a review of the 2007 model.
This is some serious offroading - about 10 minutes of it, in fact.
This is the sort of stuff I LOVE - tight, technical and a real test of driver skill, confidence and vehicle awareness.
This is a game of inches, not miles. And sometimes, even inches would be a luxury. (Same the smarmy jokes…)
Amazing what a stock Jeep on street tires is capable of. Granted, this would have been a harrowing plummet had there been loose gravel, sand or shale on the hill.
Still, for all you stockers out there - be amazed:
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — DaimlerChrysler Remarketing has named Greensboro Auto Auction in Greensboro, N.C., as Auction of the Year. This is the third time in the last five years that Greensboro Auto Auction has been selected by DaimlerChrysler Remarketing as its top- performing auction.
Greensboro Auto Auction, one of 24 DaimlerChrysler affiliated auctions, was recognized for providing the highest residual values, quality and customer service to DaimlerChrysler and its Chrysler, Jeep(R) and Dodge dealers in 2006.
“Since becoming a DaimlerChrysler affiliated auction in 1988, Greensboro Auto Auction has grown to be one of our largest and best-performing auctions in the nation, and securing this award in three of the last five years demonstrates that,” said Peter Grady, Director - DaimlerChrysler Motors Remarketing. “We greatly appreciate their continued commitment to providing the highest quality vehicles in support of our dealers’ retail sales efforts.”
Greensboro Auto Auction features a 24-lane facility situated on 235 acres. The auction sold 19,350 used Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles in 2006 and is also a member of the National and Southern Auto Auction Association.
DaimlerChrysler Remarketing sells vehicles to all Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealers in the U.S., via 24 affiliated auctions throughout the U.S.
…to which I have to say, BFD.
So this announcement is meant to show that DC is thankful to the auction that made it the most money and moved the most units? They “awarded” them what? Seems to me you’re # 1 based on performance, so they moved the most units at the best profits for DC - yippee…all that means is more buyers ended up paying more for used vehicles, IMO.
Too bad - the last Libby CRD I test drove was hardly worth the price tag - and I’m a diesel fan & a Jeep guy. The plastic was cheap, the overall interior design was somehow lacking. Everything was there, but it was like it was molded as one giant piece, cut up and slipped into place.
Oh well - the good news is announcements like this mean there’s still some profits rolling in at DC - better than can be said for GM and Ford these days…
MEDFORD, Ore., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ — For the cost of just one $5 ticket, one lucky participant can win a brand new PT Cruiser from Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Medford. However, five area high schools are already winners.
Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Medford teamed up with Kids Unlimited for the 2nd annual Kids Unlimited-Lithia Give-Away. The partnering organizations began selling the $5 tickets early this year and will continue until the April 7 Grand Prize drawing. A full ninety percent of the proceeds will be distributed among North Medford, South Medford, Crater, Phoenix and Eagle Point High Schools. The remaining ten percent will go to support Kids Unlimited.
“At Lithia Motors we put a premium on giving back to the community,” said Rich Summers, General Manager of Chrysler Jeep Dodge of Medford. “And as residents of the Medford area we want do everything possible to support our schools and teachers in doing their invaluable work, so this program is a natural for us.”
“Last year we exceeded our goal and raised $29,000 for the schools. This year we hope to blow by that number and provide an even greater return,” said Summers. “With the experience and expertise of the Kids Unlimited team, as well as the donated air time and promotional efforts provided by the Radio Medford Group and Charter Communication, we think we can hit even our most lofty goals.”
“The strength of our community is built upon the quality of the youth we develop through our schools, our extra-curricular activities, our sports and our youth enrichment activities,” said Jane McAlvage, Project Manager with Kids Unlimited. “The Kids Unlimited-Lithia Give-Away is a great opportunity to support these programs and we’re counting on the community to come through for us again with strong ticket purchases.”
Funds raised by the Kids Unlimited-Lithia Give-Away are used to support high school programs that link students with quality leadership and enrichment activities.
For more on the program or our dealership, visit us on the web at www.lithiadodge.com.
For more information on Kids Unlimited’s youth programs, visit www.kidsunlimitedoforegon.org.
That said, the Wrangler Rubicon — two-door or four — is unquestionably the stoutest piece of off-road hardware you can buy off a showroom floor. True, it doesn’t have quite the integrated design and packaging of the Nissan Xterra or Toyota FJ Cruiser; both those vehicles were clean-sheet projects, while the Wrangler has a lot of legacy to cope with. Call it literary tradition, if you like. The Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon is more civilized than ever, but it’s still a noble savage. Cooper would have been proud.
Image credit: www.carbuyersnotebook.com
A recent article in the San Francisco Journal finished up with that paragraph.
Overall, the review is fair. It starts out detailing the pains that make living with previous generations of the Wrangler name somewhat of a trade off.
With this newest model, it’s almost like Jeep took almost all of the rough edges, smoothed them out, then reviewed things and decided to add a smidge of pain back into the package. Just to keep with tradition.
To this end, they seem to have made sure the rear seat is solid, up-right and thoroughly uncomfortable. This is certainly nothing dramatic to any owner, as they’ll be up front, where new, nicer touches abound.
In the end, it’s only the 4,442 lb weight of the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (4 door) that startles a bit. WOW! Two and a quarter TONS. That’s only about 300 lbs off the 4WD Commander’s 4783 lbs…and at least THAT Jeep can be optioned with the HEMI engine to handle the bulk.
The Wrangler currently is only offered with the new 3.8 V6 engine, which struggles with the bulk around town and on the highway. offroad, the Dana 44 axles, lockers and very low ratio transfer case combine to make the 2007 Wrangler damn near unstoppable. In the Unlimited, you might be stuck in tight turns, or because of the reduced break-over angle, but this is what body armor is intended for. 
…and with about 5 inches MORE width that past models, the 2007 Wrangler is goign to be a whole lot more comfortable on side hills.
Just watch the video - you’ll never see these high-dollar rigs getting dirty like this again…
And sadly, it’s proof - the jeep might get you farther down the path, as in this vid, but the jeep driver is just stuck deeper, now, farther from home… 
Major dumbass awards to these buffoons for taking these rigs into mud like that on stock street tires.
If you’ve never seen this display at an auto show, it’s amazing. It’s a few years old now, but still impressive.
It works kind of like an ink-jet printer in that it very precisely controls (through thousands of small valves) the images shown with the water as it falls. That’s right - program in a Trail Rated badge image, and it’s rendered in water as it falls almost 25 feet.
It’s impressive - for sure.
