Apparently Unicorns do exist, and it can be found in Phoenix Arizona

One thing that any Jeep Cherokee (XJ) enthusiast will tell you is how much they love their 4.0-liter inline six engine. There is no denying that the 4.0 is a good and reliable engine. Right now the fad is swapping in big V8's like the LS1 or small block 350's. Of course if you want to do any serious off roading or even rock crawling you need that low end torque that comes with diesel engines. That is why the Cummins 4BT is a fairly common engine swap found on the XJ. But what if you could get an XJ, with a diesel, that had been factory installed? What if you could go and purchase that vehicle right now? What if said XJ was still looking like new and cost less than $9000? Yeah, I know. I would buy it too... if it wasn't on the other side of the country in Phoenix, Arizona

Unfortunately the auction ended, but it looks like the vehicle did not sell, at least not on Ebay. What you are looking at is a very rare 1986 Jeep Cherokee (XJ) with the Renault-made 2.1-liter SOHC turbodiesel 4 cylinder engine. Originally from the factory this engine put out 85 HO and 132 lb. ft of torque. It puts power to the wheels with an Aisin-Warner 5 speed manual transmission. That power gets distributed to the four corners via the NP207 Command-Trac transfer case that had manual lock in as opposed to the vacuum actuated MP228/229 versions from later years. This particular example also has a Trac-Lock limited slip rear differential. All of this is great, but the most amazing thing here is the 34 MPG the owner claims to have gotten on his most recent 1,800 mile trip he took it on.

The interior is no slouch either. When I said that this thing was in like new condition I wasn't blowing smoke. The gold interior is exceptionally clean and is completely stock except for the radio head unit and aftermarket coin and cup holder. To look at this XJ you would never know that it has over 133k miles on the clock (although about half of those were racked up from being towed behind an RV). One owner has had this XJ and has lovingly taken care of it since it was sold in 1986, and it shows.

My first Jeep I ever owned was a 1998 Cherokee XJ. She was rough around the edges and beat up but she was reliable and never left me feeling like I wasn't going to get to my destination. There is no doubt that the XJ is one of, if not the best, Sport Utility Vehicles ever made. I miss mine and would love to have one like this in my garage. What do you think?

Anyone in the market for a sub $5k Willy's Jeep FC-170?

Scouring the forums looking for unique vehicles I found this guy. A 1963 Willy's Jeep FC-170 that served it's younger days as a Fire Department Support Vehicle. Currently sitting with less than 20k on the odometer this Forward Cab Willy's is a steal for $4900. Sadly the original 226ci Super Hurricane inline-six engine is frozen due to sitting unused for so long but it is included in the bed of the truck. The owner says that the FC is running very well with the fully rebuilt engine that is currently in it. As is the original 3-speed gearbox and 4WD system. The interior is in pretty rough condition and has some minor issues, but it is ready to ride.

The Willy's Jeep Forward Cab chassis' are my white whale. When I am looking for one I can't find it, and when I'm not looking I find listings like this. I just may have to bite the bullet and drive to Vermont... Who know's maybe next time I write about this FC-170 it will be in a personal build thread.

Who says decommissioned military vehicles can't make decent dailies?

With the passing of each new year the list of vehicle available for import into the United States gets steadily bigger. Because of that we are starting to see more and more unique vehicles on our city streets and highways. This 1990 Mercedes Benz 250GD is a perfect example. Anyone who knows a thing or two about off roading and overlanding knows that while they may not be the most practical of vehicles, the Mercedes G Wagon's are more than capable when it comes to going off of the beaten path. Why else would they be one of the most common military vehicles around the globe?

Located in New Hope, Pennsylvania this 250GD is for sale on ebay with a Buy It Now price of $36,000.00. Compare that to the $100k+ pricing of a new G Class and it doesn't seem like too much to pay. According to the seller this vehicle has just under 36k miles on it.

Out of the many customization's to this vehicle one thing that has remained intact is the parachute rings. You know, just in case you need to be air dropped into some remote area... Also still intact is the original power plant. This G Wagon has the original OM602 engine, which is a 2.5-liter inline 5 cylinder diesel that puts out a whopping 84 HP and 113 lb. ft of torque. It's younger, and much larger brother, the new G550 has the 4.0-liter biturbo V8 pushing 416 HP and can do 0 - 60 in 5.8 seconds. Although the seller does claim that you can comfortably get up to 75 MPH, that doesn't really matter in this vehicle.

The interior is listed as leather, but by the looks of it I am going to say that it is actually MBtex but does that really matter? The rear seats sit noticeably higher than the front seats which may not be an issue with the top open, but if you are tall and sitting back there it may feel a bit cramped if the top is up.

The only real downside I can see to this vehicle is the maintenance hassles. Being a grey market vehicle getting parts from your local Mercedes dealership could be difficult since Mercedes is pretty strict about selling parts to vehicles that were never meant to be in the US. Either way, whether you are cruising down the highway or overlanding to your favorite remote spot, this is definitely a unique vehicle.

EcoDiesel confirmed for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler (JL).

Along with some spy shots of a heavily camouflaged Wrangler which the sources assume are of the 2018 JL platform wrangler, it has been confirmed that America will finally be getting a diesel option for their Jeeps!

Photo courtesy of Truck Trend and SpiedBilde

It has been confirmed that the 2018 JL will have the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel as an option. While no numbers have been mentioned, if it is anything like the Ram 1500 then there won't be anything to complain about. The current 3.0 EcoDiesel puts out 240 HP and 420 lb-ft of torque. That is more than enough to get you moving through those backwoods trails. The Ram 1500 gets 29 MPG on the highway so maybe we can look forward to a Wrangler that gets decent gas mileage? 

                                                                             Photo courtesy of Truck Trend and SpiedBilde

One thing that we can tell for sure from the photos is that there is 100% solid axles in both the front and rear so we can put that IFS rumor nonsense to bed. The most notable differences that can be seen in these photos is the sharper angle on the windshield slope and the wider front fender flares, although it is hard to say that this will be what the final iteration looks like. 

Photo courtesy of Truck Trend and SpiedBilde

Photo courtesy of Truck Trend and SpiedBilde

I personally can't wait to get into one of these when they come out! Especially when you consider that when the diesel is available so will the Pickup version. See you at the dealership!

Jeep: More patriotic than Baseball.

With the current state of affairs in our country following the inauguration of President Donald Trump, I found myself thinking about America and what it means to be an American. Which of course got me thinking about the Fourth of July because there is nothing more American than Baseball and the Fourth of July right? Wrong.

1963 Jeep Wagoneer

In 2013 a New York based firm, Brand Keys, conducted a survey of 4,500 consumers on what brands were the most American to them. Each item was scored on a scale of 0 to 100 representing the emotional engagement to each brand. Surprising, or maybe not, depending on how you look at it, Jeep took the number one spot with a score of 98%. Jeep beat out such brands as Coca-Cola (#3 with 97%), Levi Strauss and Disney (tied with 95%), and even Harley Davidson who was surprisingly low on the list at number 13 with 89%.

As a matter of fact Jeep was one of only two auto manufacturers on the list, Ford being the other at 16th. Chevrolet didn't even make it on the list despite their heavy patriotic marketing that they have done in the past. Other surprisingly low brands on the list were Budweiser at 14 with 88%, Smith & Wesson at 18 with 85%, and John Deere at 20 with 82%.

1940 Willys Quad

Whether you are a long time owner of that beat up old XJ or a brand new owner who just purchased your first KL one thing is certain, you love your Jeep. You know that no matter what your conditions are, your Jeep will get you to wherever it is you are going. It is dependable, tough, and capable. Even if you are in the traditionalist camp and feel that FCA has tarnished the brand with the new Cherokee (KL) and the Renegade (BU), you cannot deny that underneath it all it is still at least a cousin to the Jeeps of old. It may only be a distant relative, twice removed on your mother's side of the family, but they still get invited to the family reunion each year. No matter how much animosity you hold towards those cousins, you still end up having a good time. That to me is what it means to drive a Jeep. You are part of a family. Part of something bigger than just yourself. It doesn't matter if you are born and raised in America like the CJ's and XJ's, or an immigrant finding a home here like the KL's and BU's. You have a home here in America, and underneath it all beats the heart of an American.

That is what it means to be a Jeep owner, and that is what it means to be an American.

Here is the top ten from the list:

1. Jeep - 98%
2. Hershey's - 97%
3. Coca-Cola - 97%
4. Levi Strauss - 95%
5. Walt Disney - 95%
6. Colgate - 94% (really?)
7. Zippo - 93%
8. Wrigley's - 92%
9. Ralph Lauren - 91%
10. John Deere - 91%

So there you have it. Jeep is more patriotic than Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie, and everything else from 'Murica.

Check out these Extreme Sand Racers.

What do you get when you have more money than you will ever be able to spend, a lot of open desert to play in, and a desire to kick up some sand? Well these guys from United Arab Emirates decided to go all out and create some insane vehicle. Some of the 6-cylinders are pushing over 1500 hp, and the big V8's are throwing out even more! Watch this incredible drag race over the sand in these suped up SUV's.

Edit 1: Full volume is highly recommended.
Edit 2: To be fair these are more like time trials as opposed to drag races. But still fun to watch.

Enjoy

What does it take to kill a Jeep Cherokee (XJ)?

The answer is a whole-freaking-lot. In the video below a group of guys take their XJ that was used to help build their off road trails and put it to the test after it is no longer road worthy. After broken wheels, run ins with trees, rolling, and a bevy of other torturous events, this XJ just keeps going and going and going.

This video is living proof that the Jeep Cherokee (XJ) is the ultimate post-apocalyptic vehicle to own. The 4.0-liter i6 is truly bulletproof. Forget your Timex watch, the XJ can take a licking and keep on ticking.

Battlewagons for the win! Subaru vehicles are the third most off-roaded vehicles.

In a 2013 J.D. Power study it was found that 29.5% of all Subaru's sold were used for off-roading purposes. To be fair anything not on pavement is taken into account, even a dinky little two-trail. Regardless, it is still a pretty impressive number and Subaru isn't behind by much. The two brands ahead of Subaru for off-road use is Ram in second with 30.2% and Jeep with 31%. To put everything into perspective, Land Rover is all the way down the list at a mere 20%.

What makes all of this even more interesting is that when you look at just Subaru's, the Outback by itself has an off-road use of 34.7%. This doesn't seem like much but when you look at just Jeeps the standout vehicle (according to the study) is the Grand Cherokee* at 21.1%.

In an interview with Autoblog Michael McHale, Director of Corporate Communications for Subaru, said "Subaru owners are 190 percent more likely to do outdoor activities..." .

So there you have it. As a current Jeep owner and previous Outback owner I can honestly say I am not all that surprised but to see it officially acknowledged is pretty great. I know the folks over at /r/battlewagon won't be surprised either but I am willing to bet that /r/4x4 and certainly /r/Jeep and /r/cherokeeXJ will disagree. Either way one thing I have learned over the years is that while you will have elitists in every group, the off-road community as a whole is just a great thing to be a part of.

*data collected is based on new vehicle sales

credit for video goes to /u/PitBullTherapy on reddit.com/r/battlewagon