The new Jeep that's secretly a small Fiat

GREAT THINGS happen when America and Italy get into bed together.

How else do you explain Spaghetti Westerns, deep pan pizzas and The Godfather Part II? It gets even more special as soon as cars are involved – how else do you explain the Ferrari 250 GT Spyder California – so it was probably only a matter of time before Fiat’s transatlantic tie-up with Chrysler finally came up with the goods.

That’s because the latest unbelievably rugged offering from Jeep is, if you peel away all the Action Man packaging, basically the four-wheel-drive Fiat 500X unveiled earlier this year.

In fact, it’s more than that; because it’s built around the underpinnings developed by Fiat for its small cars (the company’s imaginatively-titled ‘Small’ platform) the new Jeep Renegade is also a distant relation to the Fiat Punto, the Alfa Romeo MiTo and – by virtue of the firm’s previous infatuations with General Motors  - the Vauxhall Adam.

The fact the Jeep Renegade manages to do the motoring equivalent melting down a Barbie doll, putting it back together and flogging it on a second time as a G.I Joe action figure is all down what the car industry called platform sharing. Ever wondered why a Volkswagen Golf and a SEAT Leon feel strangely similar to drive, or why the Toyota Aygo and the Peugeot 108 have the same vigour for small, twisty roads? It’s because under the skin they’re basically the same.

In the new Renegade’s case, it’s a bit like Fiat taking two pizzas and lavishing them with radically different toppings – olives and pineapples for the Fiat 500X, and every red meat imaginable for the muscular, macho Jeep. It’s great news for the car makers because they can sell the same basic product to two completely different sets of people.

Would I ever buy a slightly bloated version of the Fiat 500 that’s then been given four-wheel-drive to remove it even further from the 1950s micro marvel it roughly apes? No. Chances are, however, that I would buy something that looks a bit like the Jeep Cherokees which were all the rage here a decade or so ago, but shrunk down to make it more manageable in a Britain where petrol costs £1.30 a litre.

After what feels like an eternity of being treated to blobbily-proportioned family hatchbacks which only vaguely resemble off-roaders, it’s great that Fiat’s small car know-how has finally given Jeep the chance to make something which actually looks the part.

Fingers crossed it’s as good off the road as it’s Fiat-developed siblings are on it.

Top safety ratings for four new cars

FOUR new arrivals at showrooms across the north west have all been given a coveted European safety rating.

Crash test experts at the Euro NCAP programme have confirmed the new Jeep Cherokee, Mercedes-Benz CLA, Suzuki SX-4 and Peugeot 2008 have all been awarded its highest rating of five stars – good news for anyone thinking of buying one.

To find out how your car performed in the tests go to to the Euro NCAP website.

Real ales at the double for Scarisbrick military vehicle event

A WEST Lancashire pub has teamed up with a brewery and a brigade of military vehicle owners to create two beers specially for a celebration of wartime machines next month.

The owners of the Heatons Bridge, in Scarisbrick, told The Champion they are working with Burnley-based Moorhouses Brewery to create two beers specially for the Military Vehicle Invasion event being held there on April 12 and 14 in memory of Mark Lancaster, who spearheaded two similar events at the pub but passed away last year.

Two real ales will be on offer, including one called Just Jane, which is named after a restore Avro Lancaster bomber which now has a photo of Mark in the cockpit. A stronger real ale, called Tanked Up, will also be on offer and plays on the connection with the military vehicles being brought by members of the South Cumbria and North Lancashire military vehicle trusts to the pub.

Steve Winrow, landlord at the Heatons Bridge, said: “I'm hoping that these two beers will be a hit with visitors to the show, especially as they play on the pub's existing military connections, including our longstanding association with Lancaster Bomber bitter and the World War Two pillbox which we have on the site.

"We're also redesigning our food and drinks menu to have a bit of a military theme on the weekend - chicken nuggets and chips, for example, will be called muck and bullets. It's quite a poignant tribute to Mark, particularly the ‘Just Jane' beer and its connections to Mark and the Lancaster bomber."

Both real ales will be brewered by Burnley-based Moorhouses Brewery, which brews several of the beers already on offer at the West Lancashire pub, including the Lancaster bomber bitter.

While the range of military vehicles on display, ranging from Jeeps and Land Rovers to tanks and trucks, will remain similar the event will have an additional poignant touch, having been named the Mark Lancaster Memorial Weekend in tribute to the organiser of both of the previous military invasion events, who passed away last year.

The event, which takes place on Friday, April 12 through to Sunday, April 14, is free to visit. For more information send an email to pconnolly@btinternet.com or or call 01704 545786.

Heatons Bridge Military Vehicle Show 2012

IT'S not often you get to see a brace of tanks defending a pub in the West Lancashire countryside.

But if you've been anywhere near Scarisbrick this is the surreal sight you might have seen, as a host of military machines from decades gone by invaded the grounds of the Heatons Bridge pub.

Thanks to the enthusiasts of the South Cumbria and North Lancashire Military Vehicle Trust visitors could check out everything from Willys Jeeps and Land Rovers, through Ferret armoured cars right up to the massive trucks and tanks used by armies across the world.

Life On Cars took these pictures at the show:

 

Have you got a classic car event you'd like to promote? Get in touch with Life On Cars at david.simister@hotmail.co.uk

West Lancashire pub to host military vehicle weekend

MILITARY machines from as far back as the Second World War will invade West Lancashire this spring for a major public display.

The event is being hosted by Heatons Bridge Inn, near Scarisbrick, on the weekend of April 14 and 15, with enthusiasts from as far afield as Cumbria bringing machines to display on a field behind the pub.

Steve Flitcroft, secretary of the South Cumbria and North Lancashire Military Vehicle Trust, which is organising the event, said: “At other events in other parts of the region we see a lot of people turning up to take at look at the military vehicles because they generate quite a lot of interest.

"We are the largest military vehicle trust in the UK and Europe, with vehicles going back as far as the First World War, so we're hoping that over the weekend we'll be able to show off quite a good cross section of military vehicles from conflicts going right up to the present day."

Although the exact details of the displays included in the event have yet to be confirmed, the public can expect to see vehicles Willys Jeeps, Ferret armoured cars, Saracen personnel carriers and larger ex-military machines.

The club will incorporate a second world war pillbox, which still stands near to the pub, into their display.

Steve Winrow, manager of the Heatons Bridge Inn, told Life On Cars he was looking forward to seeing the event taking place in April and to seeing the variety of vehicles expected to attend.

"It's not something we've ever done before, but a couple of the trust's members approached us and asked if the big field at the back, and the pillbox, could be used to host the weekend show.

"I'm really looking forward to it - it should be a brilliant event which will offer the people of West Lancashire something a bit different."

The event, which will also include a road run, takes place throughout the day on April 14 and 15 at the pub, situated on Heatons Bridge Road. For more information contact Mark on 01704 545514.