Jeep has announced a very special offering for 2014. First shown at the LA Auto Show last week, the new model is based on the Wrangler and brings more than its fair share of jaw-dropping retro style.
Available in both two-door and Unlimited four-door guises; the Willys Wheeler harks back to the classic Willys Jeep models, with retro styling and paint schemes reminiscent of their Second World War counterparts. The essentials are all part of the package and include every bit of off-road equipment you would need: the standard Command-Trac 4×4 system complete with a 3.73 ratio Trak-Lock rear differential, Rubicon rock rails and, of course, BF Goodrich Mud Terrain TA tyres. Bringing the power is the popular 3.6-litre V6 Pentastar petrol engine with 285 PS and 354 Nm of torque. There are 10 colour options available. Prices will start from $25,795 (Rs 16 lakh approx) in the US market, when it goes on sale in early 2014.
Jeep is yet to officially announce its availability in India. Road tests are done and the models have been experienced (Car India’s November ‘13 and December ‘13 issues). All that remains to be seen now are the dealer and service network and, more importantly, the pricing.
Story: Jim Gorde
Images: Jeep
