Using the '07 Wrangler Unlimited as a starting point, Jeep has developed the J8, a "multipurpose vehicle" intended for military and civilian government use. Photos released by Jeep show the J8 in its four-door configuration; it's also being built as a two-door model with an extended pickup bed. In order to accommodate payloads of up to nearly 3,000 pounds, Jeep has reinforced the Unlimited's frame, swapped the rear coil springs for leaves, and mounted a Dana 60 axle out back and a Dana 44 up front. Under the hood is a 2.8L turbodiesel producing 158 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque mated to a five-speed automatic transmission and Jeep's Command-Trac part-time 4WD system. The steel wheels you see in the photo are unique to the J8, as are the air intake in the hood and the steel bumpers with tie-down loops (used when transporting the Jeep via air or sea). Since the J8 will be produced in a Chrysler LLC joint-venture facility in Cairo (that's Egypt, not Missouri), we don't expect to see them in any local Jeep showrooms. Too bad.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently crash tested a half-dozen SUVs to check their level of passenger protection in frontal and side crashes. Five of the six-Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Pathfinder and Xterra, and Toyota 4Runner-earned the IIHS' top "good" rating in the 40-mph offset frontal crash, while the Chevrolet TrailBlazer earned an "acceptable" rating in that test.
The SUVs didn't fare as well in the side-impact tests, which replicate a 31-mph T-boning by another pickup or SUV. Only the Pathfinder, Xterra, and 4Runner (all equipped with side-curtain airbags) earned the "good" rating, while Explorer earned an "acceptable." The Grand Cherokee and TrailBlazer, both equipped with front, side, and rear airbags, as well as models of the Pathfinder and Xterra without bags (they're optional on the Nissans), earned only a "marginal" rating.
IIHS attributed the poor Jeep and Chevy results to the fact that their airbags are designed to protect an occupant's head, not the torso. "Nearly every car with side airbags has both head and torso airbags, but the Grand Cherokee and TrailBlazer have head protection only," said David Zuby, IIHS senior vice president. "Head protection is rated good in both vehicles, but the lack of chest protection and weak side structures that allowed a lot of intrusion contributed to high forces on the driver dummies' chests and abdomens." The IIHS was encouraged that the Grand Cherokee, Pathfinder, Xterra, and TrailBlazer did better in the latest round of frontal crashes than previous versions of those vehicles.
In 2005, a computer-controlled VW Touareg won the U.S. Defense Department's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) competition for autonomous (as in self-guided with no human input) vehicles. Back then, the 130-mile course wound through the Mojave Desert. This year, DARPA has upped the stakes by moving its competition to an urban environment, where the robot vehicles will have to cope with 60 miles of busy intersections, merging traffic, and stop signs, among other tricky traffic conditions.
Chevrolet and Carnegie Mellon University are among those participating in the DARPA Urban Challenge with this autonomous Tahoe, nicknamed "Boss" after GM Research founder Charles F. Kettering. It's fitted with lasers, radars, and cameras to assess driving situations, and carries a computer program that allows it to drive itself. Not that we'd want some robot driving us around on the trail, but an army of these things would certainly save lives on the battlefield.
Tundra will get 13 new model variations for '08, bringing the total number of Tundra choices up to 44. There will be greater availability of Double Cab and CrewMax Tundras and a new, lower-cost trim level, called Tundra Grade, that will slot just below the intermediate SR5 trim level.
FJ Cruiser adds a new Off-Road package to its options list with 16-inch alloy wheels and 265/75R16 BFGoodrich Rugged Trail tires, Bilstein shock absorbers, a cyclone pre-air cleaner, and a rear differential lock that works in conjunction with the FJ Cruiser's A-TRAC traction control system. Both the FJ and the '08 4Runner get side airbags for the new model year.
We can usually count on there being some fresh, cool, and/or downright wacky concept vehicles coming out of the Tokyo Motor Show, and this year looks like it'll be no exception. As of this writing the show is still a few weeks away, but Suzuki leaked this drawing of its X-Head concept truck to us. The illustration makes the truck look huge, but the press release statement that its "DNA reflects the rough-road performance and toughness of the Grand Vitara" makes us think it's not quite to International CXT scale. So does the 235/80R16 size marked on the side of the custom Dunlop tire. If Suzuki could add some Samurai DNA to a concept like this, then it'd be really cool.