Vehicles

Fiat had announced in December last year that it will bring the Jeep range of vehicles for the Indian market by the third quarter of 2013. It will initially launch two vehicles; the Cherokee and the Wrangler. While the Cherokee is a more luxurious vehicle urban SUV, the Wrangler is a no frills off-roader with butch looks and power to match the appearance.
Launched in 1986, the Wrangler is in its currently in fourth iteration. The Wrangler is the spiritual successor to the iconic Willys Jeep which in turn is the basis of design for a whole host of Mahindra SUVs. This means that the Wrangler bears a familiar yet far more muscular appearance and that should aid Fiat’s goal of launching the vehicle here.
The SUV will be launched here in the standard wheelbase two doors variant and the long wheelbase four doors variant. Both will be powered by a 2.8-litre diesel mill that produces 200PS and 460Nm of torque. Power is transmitted to the wheels via a five-speed automatic and the American automaker’s very own Command-Trac four-wheel drive system.
It has an approach/ departure/ breakover angle of 35/28/22 for the two-door version and 35/28/18 for the four-door version. With such numbers the SUV is a true and blue off roader, however, thanks to the fact that it will be brought here via the CBU route initially, we can expect to see more of them in the urban areas. Fiat has clarified that if there is enough demand for the vehicles, then it will begin assembling them locally.
The Jeep Wrangler will be priced in the range of Rs 25 to Rs 32 lakh and will compete with vehicles like the Hyundai Sante Fe, Nissan X-Trail, Audi Q3 as well as the BMW X1.