FOR all you 4X4 off-roaders there is good news from Jeep. 2021 marks Jeep’s 80th birthday and by looking back at past endeavours, Jeep is updating the Wrangler range for 2021 with the introduction of enhanced safety features, increased off-road capabilities, a range of new colours, and an anniversary special edition.
 
All the new Jeep Wrangler models will be fitted with the 2.0-litre 272hp petrol engine, combined with an eight-speed automatic transmission. To assist with everyday driving, enhanced safety features have been fitted including adaptive cruise control, stop start, accident emergency braking, and auto high beam. The off-road driving experience has been enhanced with a series of new features added as standard, making it even easier to go anywhere and do just about anything.  A low-speed cruise control allows better control whilst rock crawling, sand driving and other types of low-speed manoeuvring.

A selectable tyre fill alert can now be set through the touchscreen. Ideal for off-road adventurers who deflate the tyre pressures to get grip on challenging surfaces, the system giving an audible warning when the desired tyre pressures have been reached. Also available are driver modes that provide powertrain and chassis tuning to also help with sand and or rock driving. And a new range of body colours has been announced, Hydro Blue, Snazzberry (who thinks these up?), Sarge Green, and Nacho all available, some paying homage to the model’s history.
 
The 80th anniversary edition is available featuring Neutral Grey Metallic grille, headlight and fog light bezels and special 18-inch two-tone alloy wheels with Granite Crystal accents. Full LED high-visibility headlights are fitted with auto high beam control, body-colour hardtop and an anniversary badge on the front wheel arches all help to mark out this special-edition model, and there’s a plaque on the rear swing gate.
 
The interior features black leather seats stitched with an anniversary badge, along with a leather wrapped dashboard and Berber floor mats. Standard technology content includes an 8.4-inch touchscreen, with Sat Nav, smartphone integration, TFT display and a nine-speaker Alpine audio system. Standard safety features include blind spot monitoring, rear camera, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry, forward collision warning, advanced brake assist, adaptive cruise control and emergency stop.
 
Like all variants in the line-up, the anniversary edition is ‘Trail Rated’, ie, a brand guarantee of a superior go-anywhere capability meaning the Wrangler can master even the most challenging off-road tracks. A new initiative from Jeep is ‘Wave’, a programme offering Jeep owners exclusive services and special benefits to enhance their belonging to the brand that’s at the heart of the Jeep experience around the world. It’s included as standard on all new Jeep vehicles purchased or leased in 2021 by retail customers. The main benefits of Wave include the first three scheduled vehicle services on the house, three years roadside assistance included, access to a dedicated premium customer service call centre and priority entry to Jeep events and partnerships. Prices from £49,450 on the road for the Wrangler Sahara two-door.

Good news for Car SOS fans

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Good news for all you Car SOS fans, the car show with a heart. It will be featuring at the British Motor Show next month. As well as the show’s stars, Fuzz Townshend and Tim Shaw, fronting up the live stage at the show, there will be a selection of the top SOS cars on display, including the Austin Healey 3000, the VW Wizard, the MG Metro 6R4 from Lisburn, a Ford Cortina and a Jensen Interceptor.
 
Car SOS Live will deliver an interactive experience at the show, with live demonstration areas showcasing several of the workshop crew from the show, chatting to the public, and displaying their skills. Car SOS will be bringing one of the most popular car shows on TV to life, the audience will be able to see several restored cars in the flesh, so to speak, along with TV screens showing the episodes they featured in, and they will see live demonstrations from key contributors to the show to help appreciate the hard work that goes into the restoration process.
 
Tim and Fuzz will be on hand throughout the weekend, on stage, meeting guests and on the Live stand. Tim may be a bit of a character, shall we say, but he knows and loves cars.
British Motor Show CEO, Andy Entwistle, said: “Put simply, there is no other TV show that celebrates the love of cars in the same way that Car SOS does, focusing as much on the human connection with the car as the passion for the vehicles themselves. And you get that with Tim and Fuzz. Two TV stars engaging, approachable guys who love their cars just as much as we do.”


 
How to work your air-con

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After a dismal start to the month, summer is up and running with temperatures in the 30s in parts of Armagh, Down and Tyrone. In addition to sunblock, it’s worth knowing how to ensure your car’s air-conditioning system is operating at its most efficient. Here are some tips on how to make sure your aircon provides the maximum benefits for comfort.
 
In this very hot weather in-car temperatures can reach of 35°C, and a car parked in the sun for a long period can reach 60°C inside. Would you drive a car in that temperature? Something that seems obvious but must not be is to open the doors and the windows before you drive. This allows most of the hot air to escape and cooler air to enter the car. If you don't do this, all you do is recirculate the hot air.
 
Next, tilt the air vents up towards the roof, cold air falls, so blowing it up high, allows it to fall and cool you and the car on its way down. Now, cool air can flow around the interior and reach every passenger. If your car has climate control, rather than a more basic air-conditioning system, use the Auto setting. This not only controls the fan speed but also dictates whether the air is recirculated in the cabin or drawn from outside.
 
To keep the system in good working condition, use your air con regularly, even in the winter. Air conditioning dries out the air and dry air helps to demist the car more quickly. Over time dirt and bacteria can build up in an air-conditioning system, particularly one that is rarely used. If there’s a strange odour when the air-conditioning is running it is important to have the system checked and cleaned by a specialist. Let’s hope we need it some more and soon.