2020 Jeep Wrangler Willys Edition In a time-honoured tradition of keeping public interest high in the years after a vehicle launch, Jeep is introducing a pair of new trims to the Wrangler lineup. For 2020, customers will have the added choice of a Willys or Black Tan edition.The Willys trim was offered on previous-gen JK Wranglers, where it proved to be a popular option, but this is the first time weve seen it on the new JL.For those unfamiliar, think of the Willys as kind of a Rubicon-lite and youve got the basic idea.It features a limited-slip rear diff, Rubicon rock rails and shocks, heavy-duty brakes and 32-inch Firestone mud terrain tires. This kit, combined with the part-time Command-Trac 44 system which has a two-speed transfer case and a 2.72:1 low-range ratio, gives the Willys much of the Rubicons off-road cred without breaking the bank. Alert readers will have noted those Firestones as an oddity, given the mighty Rubicon wears KO2 shoes. Your author has heard through the grapevine that the manufacturer cannot keep up with tire demand, requiring a switch to Firestones for the Willys. Take that for what you will.Eagle-eyed Jeep spotters will identify a Willys mainly by way of its military-spec hood lettering and gloss black grille. LED peepers are on board as standard, a nice touch. Its available in ten colours and will cost $2,900 on top of a Sport S model.Adding some heritage flair is the Black Tan model which, as you may have surmised, deploys a black-and-tan colour scheme.Offered in all exterior colours, the BT edition features 17-inch dark wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires, snazzy side steps, dark badging and a premium tan soft top. This bundle will set you back $1,995 over and above the Sport S, and is available on both the two- and four-door
Origin: Jeep adds a brace of new variants to the Wrangler line
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Buick Encore GX to earn brace of small-displacement turbo engines
2020 Buick Encore GXBuick The upcoming 2020 Buick Encore GX reminder: its a separate model from the Encore and not simply a trim level will offer the choice of two different engines when it goes on sale next year. Neither of them are very large.Taking a peek at GM Canadas fleet order guide, we find the mystifyingly-named Encore GX will be offered in three trims, Preferred, Select, and Essence.Only the Preferred model will be available with either front- or all-wheel-drive; the latter two are AWD-only in the Great White North.This lone front-wheel-drive Encore GX will receive a 1.2-litre three-pot turbo making 137 horsepower at 5000 rpm and 166 lb.-ft. of torque at 2500 rpm. It will be lashed to a CVT gearbox. Eighteen-inch aluminum wheels are the sole offering no matter the trim, so at least buyers of the base model neednt suffer the indignity of hubcaps.All-wheel drive Preferred models, and all Select and Essence trims, will be powered by a 1.3-litre turbo four producing 155 horsepower at 5600 rpm and 174 lb.-ft. of torque at just 1500 rpm. The combination of more torque at a lower engine speed, and the fact this engine is mated to a nine-speed automatic and not a soul-sucking CVT, leads your author to believe these will be the Encore GX volume models.In case youre wondering, the non-GX Encore offers but one engine in this country a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder mill that makes 138 hp and cares not one whit if the car is front- or all-wheel-drive. It seems curious that Buick would source different engines with near-as-makes-no-difference displacement and power outputs for two machines that share two-thirds of a name.To refresh your memory, the upcoming Encore GX is ever so slightly larger than the Encore, with the former measuring 171.4 inches long and the latter casting a 168.4 inch shadow. GX is about an inch taller and wider, riding on a 1.5-inch longer wheelbase. All other measures headroom, legroom are virtually identical. The GX does claim an extra five cubes of cargo volume behind the rear
Origin: Buick Encore GX to earn brace of small-displacement turbo engines
Genesis to introduce a brace of SUVs in the next two years
If theres one thing sorely missing from the Genesis brands showrooms, its a crossover or three. In a market thirsty for tall wagons with traction at all four corners, the Genesis cupboard is more than a little bare.On todays sales call reporting on monthly earnings, we learned this oversight is about to be rectified with a pair of crossover vehicles.COO Erwin Raphael told assembled reporters that, in addition to the G80-based rig set to debut in about a years time, a compact crossover built on the excellent G70 platform will appear.Details are slim but its a safe bet the small SUV will be available with at least the 2.0-litre turbo-four found in the sedan. Plugging the hawt 3.3-litre twin-turbo six would shake up the segment in a big way. Dont expect the G70s stickshift transmission, though.As for the all-wheel-drive crossover already announced, we know it will be called the GV80 and share most of its platform details with the G80 sedan. That machine is available with a 3.8-litre V6, that 3.3-litre twin-turbo or a 5.0-litre V8, by the way. A hybrid version wouldnt be totally surprising, either.Genesis is taking the tried-and-true alphanumeric approach to naming its vehicles, appending a G to their sedans and a GV to their forthcoming crossovers. One assumes they couldnt use GX thanks to some sort of copyright claim by Lexus.South of the border, a market which drives many product decisions in this country, Genesis dealers have been crying out for more product after a production blip earlier this year. Despite having nary a crossover to offer, the brand doubled its sales last month compared to the same timeframe twelve months ago. Once these crossovers hit, expect that number to continue an upward
Origin: Genesis to introduce a brace of SUVs in the next two years
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