Jeep brings the bling for Anniversary Edition models

JEEP has released special edition versions of its entire model range to celebrate its 70th anniversary, most of which are now available in local showrooms.

The 70th Anniversary promotion, which includes the Patriot, Wrangler, Wrangler Unlimited and Cherokee petrol models and the Grand Cherokee in both petrol and diesel guises, brings aluminium wheels, stainless steel for the brand’s trademark seven-bar mesh grille, leather interior highlights and various equipment upgrades.

All models are available in limited numbers and come in either silver or black colour schemes.

The special edition Patriot compact SUV is based on the top-spec Limited, and adds 18-inch Mopar aluminium wheels and stainless steel mesh grille, a power sunroof, leather seats and steering wheel with chestnut accents, berber floor and cargo mats, a dark green cluster overlay and 70th anniversary logos.

The Anniversary Edition 2.4-litre petrol is priced at $40,000 drive-away, compared to the regular Patriot Limited’s price on $35,000 before on-road costs.

The Cherokee Anniversary edition, which his based on the 3.7-litre petrol V6 Limited variant, also gets 18-inch Mopar wheels with polished face and painted accents on the spokes, stainless steel mesh grille inserts, a sunroof, leather upholstery for the seats, steering wheel, door armrests and centre console, all of which also get chestnut accents and stitching.

From top: 70th Anniversary editions of the Jeep Patriot, Wrangler, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee.

Other additions include berber floor mats, unique instrument cluster overlay, stainless steel sill plates and 70th Anniversary badges.

The Cherokee Anniversary edition is on sale for $44,000 drive-away, while the Cherokee Limited 3.7-litre normally retails for $39,000 before on-roads.

Jeep has also given its top-selling Wrangler the 70th Anniversary treatment, with both the two-door and four-door variants in 3.8-litre petrol V6 form getting the ‘Renegade’ pack, giving owners both a hard-top and soft-top roof, sidesteps and premium audio system with a subwoofer and 368 Watt amplifier.

The special editions also gain a Mopar stainless steel mesh grille, anniversary badges and premium black leather seats with 70th Anniversary logos.

The Wrangler, which was the beneficiary of a substantial cabin upgrade in February this year, can be had in 70th Anniversary Edition spec from $39,000 drive-away for the two-door manual variant.

The recently-released Grand Cherokee flagship gets the same cosmetic changes as the rest of the range, gaining 20-inch polished aluminium wheels with mineral grey spoke accents and a stainless steel Mopar grille.

Inside, there is a dual-pane panoramic sunroof, black leather with chestnut highlights on the seats, steering wheel, door and centre console trim, berber mats, chrome-plated and graphite anodised paint with ‘Black Lacewood’ interior finish, as well as a new instrument cluster overlay and 70th Anniversary badges.

Pricing starts at $63,500 drive-away for the 3.6-litre model, while the Grand Cherokee Limited on which it is based retails for $55,000 before on-roads. The anniversary package is also available with the 5.7-litre HEMI V8 petrol, as well as the upcoming 3.0-litre CRD turbo diesel which is slated to go on local sale in June.

Jeep’s four-model range has performed well so far in 2011, with year-to-date sales growth of 6.1 per cent. It didn’t escape the sluggish April performance of the Australian market as a whole, however, selling 110 fewer vehicles than April last year for a 22.4 per cent monthly drop.

Meanwhile, Jeep is expected to release an updated Patriot within the next few months, while the previously discontinued Compass compact SUV could also make a return Down Under after a revised version was launched in the UK last month.