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The all-new 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer

True to its history, the all-new 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer offers rugged off-road abilities with classic styling.

Provided by Stellantis

Mike Uhlmeyer calls the 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer the largest small car youll ever drive.

Thats an interesting way to describe a vehicle with three rows, seating for eight and tons of space, but the vehicles chief engineer is really talking about the driving experience responsive and easy to handle, even on twisty roads.

Its all relative, of course.

The top of the line Grand Wagoneer and its Wagoneer sibling arent sports cars or roadsters. Thats not where they live. They dont need to manage switchbacks as if they were house cats chasing the dot from a laser pointer.

These newest, poshest rides from Jeep built at Warren Truck Assembly north of Detroit are SUVs with a mission, to take the 80-year-old brand beyond the space occupied by the Grand Cherokee. They represent a foray for Stellantis into the large and premium SUV segments dominated by the Lincoln Navigator, Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon.

They also represent the height of ambition from the companys pre-merger days when it was still Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

The executives have big expectations, too.

We werent going to come back in the market and be in the middle of the pack, explained Rachel Fellrath, senior product marketing manager.

The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will need to stand out to make an impression. They enter a market much different than the version that left it 30 years ago. Those who want plush appointments will most likely choose the Grand Wagoneer in one of three trim levels, designated as Series I, II and III.

During a presentation and drive last week that began in New Yorks Meatpacking District, a classic Grand Wagoneer Woody was on hand, but the stars of the show were the new models, which should be available later this summer, packed full of modern conveniences and safety features.

A line of pre-production Grand Wagoneers waited as auto journalists tried to absorb the details before a drive that took us through Manhattan, into New Jersey and back into New York to a hillside estate.

All cars tell a story, and for the Grand Wagoneer, in particular, its a story about opulence, said Dwayne Jackson, the chief designer.

I climbed into a Velvet Red Pearl Grand Wagoneer Series II 4X4, with a 6.4-liter V8 mated to an 8-speed automatic. The Sea Salt-colored Palermo leather seats cushioned in all the right ways, getting an assist from massage options, including Waterfall and Rock Climb. Walnut wood accents a refined nod to the wood theme of the old Wagoneer and a black interior provided a dramatic contrast.

The 471-horsepower engine provided plenty of giddy-up when called upon (the 5.7-liter, standard in the Wagoneer, promises 392 horses).

The base price had it at $93,995, but with extras, the price for this particular model topped out at $96,985.

Youd spend an extra $8,250 in fuel costs over five years compared tothe average new vehicle, according to the sticker, with a fuel economy rating of 15 mpg combined city/highway (13 city and 18 highway). The smog rating put it at 1 out of 10, with 10 being the best.

If you opted instead for the 5.7-liter V8 with eTorque assist, which is standard in the Wagoneer, youd do a tad better on the mileage 15/20/17 for the 4X4.

The most expensive Grand Wagoneer I drove wasnt the Velvet Red number. That honor went to the Bright White Series III with the Blue Agave interior, a succulent color that covers most of the surfaces inside, from seats to carpeting, but doesnt appear excessive. This combination included the heavy-duty trailer tow package and topped out at $109,980.

Towing is promoted as class-leading, and the SUV and trailer in this example came in at 7,000 pounds, which is still 3,000 pounds shy of what it promises. This towing novice had no issues maneuvering around some tight corners and varied terrain on an approximately 13-minute loop.

More: Stellantis announces plans to build electric Ram 1500, Dodge muscle car in 2024

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The drive in the Velvet Red SUV along city streets and village roads came close to delivering the whisper quiet interior that the engineers were tasked with creating. Even with the sunroof open and the windows down, the noise didnt overpower the music. Of course, the 19-speaker McIntosh system you can set the display to show the dancing needles in the center screen is a step or five above most sound systems out there. If thats not enough, theres a 23-speaker version available, too.

Later, I got an audio demonstration from Jackson, who used Hans Zimmers Gladiator soundtrack to showcase the richness of the sound, with even strumming instruments clearly audible in the orchestra.

During a couple of stops, I tried out various seating configurations, dropping both the second and third rows to expose the full roominess of the cabin. Getting the second row back in place was not automatic, but as noted, this was a pre-production vehicle. My more-than 6-foot frame could sit in the third row and not have my knees touch the second-row seatback.

The liftgate in its up position left me enough room to stand underneath, barely brushing but not bumping my head.

Cool features were scattered throughout. One of the display screens could slide in to reveal a wireless charging pad. The accelerator pedal could be adjusted for height. An auto hold button could be pressed to let the driver take his feet off the brake pedal during extended braking stretches. The head-up display helped me manage both my speed and speed limits.

A cooler packed with half-a-dozen water bottles even replaced one of the storage bins in the Diamond Black Series II I drove on my return trip.

Safety features arent always obvious, but a check rear seat message popped up at the end of each stop, offering a reminder for me or anyone, particularly busy parents, to take another look for precious cargo.

Screens were prevalent, too, but not distracting, and passenger-side screens are polarized so the driver wont be tempted to watch whats in front of the co-pilot.

For those who want to get completely immersed, 75 inches of total screen space is available on the Grand Wagoneer. Uconnect 5 and Amazons Fire TV provide a cornucopia of entertainment options as well. In one of the demonstration vehicles, both second row seats and the front passenger screen were all watching different videos, with one paired to a cell phone. The front passenger also had the option to monitor what was on the screens in the second row.

Of course, the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer cant claim to beJeeps without some off-roading chops, and even though opulence is the story, the Wagoneer managed to show it belongs in the Jeep family, too.

I took a 5.7-liter V8 Wagoneer with eTorque assist on the off-road trail, crawling over a rocky incline, managing a bend with wheel tracks that had me leaning toward the ground at a steep angle and rolling in and out of craters that raised a wheel or two into the air as the SUV maneuvered through.

Hard-core off-roaders wont be trading in their Wranglers for Wagoneers or Grand Wagoneers, but thats no surprise. The surprise is that a vehicle that will be competing with the premium set in urban spaces feels so at ease outside of the city.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence.Become a subscriber.

Excerpt from:
First drive: 2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer delivers 'opulence' while staying true to its DNA - Detroit Free Press

Norah Atieno (right) and Anne Wanjiru outside Nakuru Law Courts after seeking a second injunction to stop the burial process of their late husband Washington Olweny. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

The High Court in Nakuru has ordered aDNAtestto prove the relationship between a woman claiming to be widow to former Nakuru businessman Washington Olweny and her son.

Justice Teresia Matheka, who gave the orders yesterday, directed Norah Atieno and her son John Kevin Odhiambo to undergo thetestwithin 30 days.

She limited thetestto Atieno and her son, although she was informed that there was need to do aDNAtestto prove the relationship between Odhiambo and the late Olweny.

TheDNAtestis strictly limited to maternitytestand issues ofDNAtestbetween Odhiambo and the deceased can wait because it is not relevant at the moment, ruled Matheka.

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Justice Matheka ordered Atieno to choose the government chemist where theDNAsamples could be analysed.

She ruled on an application by Phelisiah Akoth and her sons Edwin Otieno and Timothy Ochieng' dated June 28, 2021.

Ms Akoth, Olwenys widow, filed the application and she is adamant that Odhiambo is neither Olwenys son nor Atieno's.

Through her lawyer Diana Mureithi, Akoth claims Olweny did not have a child with Atieno and that aDNAtestmust be done to prove the same.

She even told court she was willing to cover the cost of extraction of samples, collection and analysis.

The court allowed the application, noting that on June 21, while testifying, Atieno agreed to undertake aDNAtestbetween herself and her son to prove maternal relationship.Birth certificate produced was marred by inconsistencies drawing suspicions on whether Odhiambo was Olwenys son, read the application.

Atieno, Akoth and Anne Wanjiru are battling in court for a share of Olwenys estate valued at Sh200 million.

Olweny died on November 28, 2016 and the family has been in court seeking to share the property comprising a private hospital, land, commercial and residential buildings in Rift Valley, Nyanza and Nairobi.

Allan Onyango, Olwenys son, went to court to lock out Atieno and Wanjiru from his fathers property.He wants the High Court to declare his mother Akoth the only legal wife to Olweny.

The case will be mentioned on October 14, 2021.

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DNA test to prove relationship between woman and Nakuru tycoon - The Standard

New Delhi: Taliban held their first press conference today after capturing Kabul. It became clear that the Taliban will run their country according to Islamic laws and sooner or later the people of Afghanistan will have to follow Sharia. The Taliban made tall promises saying they have changed and that they will honour womens rights. The question is Can they be trusted?

Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary on Tuesday (August 17) discussed what the Taliban rule would really mean for the Afghans, especially the women.

In the presser, the Taliban said that they have no enmity with anyone and have forgiven everyone including those who opposed them previously. It appeared that the Taliban now want to behave like a dictator who would punish and forgive people according to their will.

The Taliban said that it will soon form an Islamic government in Afghanistan and added that the countrys soil will not be used for terrorism or against any country.

They said there will be no discrimination against women, but whatever rights will be given to them, will be according to Islam. Women will be allowed to work in health, education and other areas.

They claimed that the Afghans will be completely safe under their rule.

Some countries such as Russia and Pakistan have even welcomed the Taliban. Russia said that since the arrival of the Taliban, Kabul has become more secure than before.

Pakistan went as far as saying that the Taliban have broken shackles of slavery by overthrowing the US-backed government in Afghanistan.

However, the history of the Taliban reveals a contradictory tale. At present, there is immense fear in Afghan women and rightly so.

The Taliban claim that they have changed. They say women will be given more freedom. In todays presser, a woman journalist interviewed the Taliban spokesperson. It was viewed all over the world, with some hoping that the attitude of the Taliban has changed towards women. However, this is far from the truth.

In the previous Taliban regime, Sharia laws were strictly implemented. Girls were barred from going to school. Women were not allowed to go out of the house alone. They were forced to wear burqa, failing to do so meant brutal beating. Women were not allowed to drive. Women were not allowed to go to work. In all likelihood, all of this could happen again.

Read more about Taliban here: Taliban's History

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DNA Exclusive: Have Taliban really broken `shackles of slavery` in Afghanistan? Know here - Zee News

Los Angeles A California surfing school owner was charged Wednesday with killing his two young children with a spear gun in Mexico because he believed they would become monsters, authorities said.

Matthew Taylor Coleman, 40, of Santa Barbara is facing a federal charge of the foreign murder of U.S. nationals, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement.

Coleman confessed to the FBI during an interview that he took his 2-year-old son and 10-month-old daughter to Rosarito, Mexico, where shot a "spear fishing gun" into their chests, according to an affidavit filed by an FBI agent with the criminal complaint.

Coleman said "he believed his children were going to grow into monsters so he had to kill them," according to the court document.

A farmworker found the children's bodies on Monday at a ranch near Rosarito in Baja California, authorities there have said.

Coleman and the children had checked into a Rosarito hotel on Saturday, but video footage showed them leaving before dawn on Monday, Mexican authorities said.

The man returned alone later that morning and then left the hotel for good, authorities said.

An iPhone-finding application placed Coleman's phone in Rosarito on Sunday, and on Monday it was traced to an area of Mexico near the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego, according to the affidavit.

Coleman was detained at the border checkpoint, where during an interview with an FBI agent "he explained that he was enlightened by QAnon and Illuminati conspiracy theories and was receiving visions and signs revealing that his wife, A.C., possessed serpent DNA and had passed it on to his children," according to the affidavit.

He's accused of dumping the children's bodies in a ditch near Rosarito, CBS Los Angeles reports.

The station says Coleman's wife reported to Santa Barbara police on Saturday that the family was getting ready to go camping when her husband suddenly took off with the children in the family's van. She said she didn't know where they were going and he hadn't answered her text messages.

Coleman's wife said she didn't believe the children were in any danger, that she hadn't had any problems with Coleman, and "they did not have any sort of argument" before he left, according to the court affidavit.

CBS L.A. says Coleman told FBI agents he'd put his daughter in a box for the ride to Mexico because he didn't have a car seat.

Coleman is the founder of the Lovewater surfing school in Santa Barbara.

The family's neighbors in Santa Barbara told CBS L.A. they're shocked and that Coleman seemed like a good family man. One said he is "shocked" and "stunned." He called it "immensely tragic."

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Matthew Coleman says he killed his kids over QAnon conspiracy theories and "serpent DNA" - CBS News