By Kurt Gensheimer

I stepped up to the rental desk at Norfolk International and asked for a Jeep. Any Jeep, so long as it had four wheel drive. The cheerful rental company representative, who looked like Edie McClurg in Planes, Trains and Automobiles presented me with a choice of three Jeeps: a Compass, a Grand Cherokee or a Wrangler. Now since the business, tax-writeoff justification end of my vacation was to pit a Jeep against my brother’s new Subaru Outback and run them ragged along the endless driveable beaches of Cape Hatteras National Seashore, I needed the most capable Jeep available to really put the Outback through its paces. I slapped my finger down on the miniature picture of the Wrangler.

The representative smiled, handed me the keys and the paperwork. I signed a few documents and was just about on my way when she pulled out a huge red stamp and slammed it down on the rental agreement.

“Oh, you’ll need to sign this too, honey.” I looked at the stamp and all I could think about at that moment was Edie’s famous two word response to Steve Martin’s F-bomb tirade, “You’re f**ked.”

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By Francis Cebedo

Blings:

• Good styling. It’s a car but it really looks like a jeep
• It’s maneuverable and easy to park like a car
• Excellent and fun sound system
• Stability control is nice to have at this price point

Dings:

• Noisy and buzzy engine noise when accelerating
• Underpowered engine with insufficient low end grunt
• There is an abundance of hard plastic
• Huge wheel wells in the back get in the way of cargo

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Story and photos by Kurt Gensheimer

Since 1981, The Rising Sun 4 Wheel Drive Club of Colorado has celebrated the legend of the Toyota 4×4, and every April they kick off their season of wheeling with Cruise Moab; a three day event in Moab, Utah, running some of the most scenic and treacherous off-road trails in the United States. Although most of the club members own Land Cruisers, a fair portion of the club also own pickups, 4runners and Tacomas. And within the last two years, there’s been enormous growth with the new FJ Cruiser, a 4×4 which combines the legend of the FJ-40 with the latest in off-road technology.

Cruise Moab is to the Toyota enthusiast as Easter Jeep Safari is to Jeepers. Toyota 4×4 fanatics come from all over the country and beyond. In fact, the “Iron Butt” award for longest distance traveled in a non-towed truck was a guy from British Columbia, Canada. Over 2,500 miles in his diesel-powered BJ60 wagon, with his infant son riding shotgun, and we won’t even mention the pain of $4.50 per gallon diesel fuel. There’s no denying it, these guys are dedicated. Read the rest of this entry �

	“Let’s Refuel America” available throughout the U.S. exclusively at Chrysler, Jeep® and Dodge dealerships through June 2, 2008 Three-year price protection from volatile gas prices available on compact, mid-size and full-size models, minivans, crossovers and pickup truck models Seventy-six percent of customers cite rising gas prices as “top concern”

Auburn Hills, Mich., May 5, 2008 - In response to direct customer feedback citing the prospect of rising gas prices as a top concern, Chrysler LLC today announces its own economic stimulus package: an exclusive gas price protection policy that eliminates the risk of further spikes in fuel prices. With the U.S. purchase of eligible Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles, customers can enroll in the “Let’s Refuel America” program and receive a gas card that immediately lowers their gas price to $2.99 a gallon, and keeps it there for three years. The offer is available at 3,511 U.S. Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealerships through June 2, 2008, and is available on vehicles ranging from popular new compacts, crossovers and minivans to full-size diesel-powered pickup trucks.“Today we are proud to introduce an unprecedented program to help put customers’ minds at ease and do something to help working people who are worried about the volatility of fuel prices and vehicle cost of ownership,” said Jim Press, Vice-Chairman and President, Chrysler LLC. “The Let’s Refuel America Price Guarantee puts money in your pocket today, and allows our customers to better manage their fuel expenses. And you can’t get it anywhere else besides a Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge dealership.”

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Auburn Hills, Mich. - Mopar® and the Mopar Underground team showcased their customized Jeep_® vehicles and Dodge trucks at Moab Jeep Safari 2008 in March.

“Jeep engineering has been coming to Moab for years. Mopar is at Moab to test, evaluate and prove the authenticity of our Mopar Performance Parts for Jeep vehicles and Dodge trucks on the most grueling off-road trails in Moab,” said Simon Boag, President – Service & Parts/Mopar, Chrysler LLC. Mopar is Chrysler LLC’s original equipment parts manufacturer and supplier.

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