Chrysler Jeep Wagoneer
Jedlicka’s auto world at large: Sport/utility vehicles are all the rage, and Jeep’s Cherokee and Wagoneer four-wheel-drive (4WD) sporty/utility vehicles are among the best.
Sold as two- or four-door hatchbacks, these two near-identical vehicles are now from Chrysler’s Jeep/Eagle division, not the defunct American Motors.
Chrysler Jeep Wagoneer has good 4WD systems, behaves well in both on- and off-road situations, offers plenty of people and cargo room and are car-like.
Chrysler Jeep Wagoneer is not cheap, with prices ranging from $12,538 to $23,153.
And engine choice is critical. Chrysler Jeep Wagoneer should be equipped with the 4-liter, 177-horsepower in-line six-cylinder engine if you want good acceleration, especially if hauling a load or towing.
The six-cylinder has a wonderful, 1950s-style name: “Power Tech Six.” It’s the most powerful engine of its size in the light truck market.
Standard for some Jeeps is a 121-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder, which doesn’t have much punch. If you must have the four-cylinder, order it with a manual transmission. It works lazily with the automatic.
Fuel economy is just so-so with either engine.
The six works splendidly with the four-speed automatic, which has shift modes for either “power” or “economy.”
In the power mode, under hard acceleration, the transmission upshifts at higher engine revolutions per minute, downshifts more rapidly and is more sensitive to throttle position.
