What caught my attention is the range of dimensions for this platform. The Fiat Toro, Ram 1000, and Rampage pickups all easily fall within these parameters. While snooping around on the web out of curiosity, I noticed that these mid-size pickups are not catalogued for sale in Mexico. The smaller Ram 700 imported from Brazil is. Obviously the next Jeep Cherokee will be sized somewhere in the parameters of the STLA Large platform which it will be based upon. Could Mexico be tapped to build a North American Rampage along side of the next Cherokee? We don't even know if the next Cherokee will be front or rear drive based.
Not using any of the proposed STLA platforms are the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator. Sometime in the future they are slated to offer an range extender EV option. A V6 range extender barely fit in the Ramcharger, so I will speculate the Wrangler will use a smaller ICE power source. The Jeep brand's Wagoneer S and Recon models are BEV only, because of course Stellantis must follow the party line. Hopefully there is a plan B range extender option under wraps, since they are working on something which fits in a Wrangler.
The Article states:
- STLA Large platform enables segment-leading capabilities including embedded energy (118 kWh), charging efficiency (4.5 kWh per minute), and performance (0-100 km/h or 62 mph in 2-second range)
- Available in 400-volt and 800-volt BEV architectures, STLA Large is the most flexible BEV- native platform in the industry, underpinning car, crossover and SUV vehicle types in the D and E segments
The above sounds impressive, but this level of technical prowess pretty much means high speed charging only, an increased risk of fire, and insurance premiums that dwarfs those of a Hellcat. An owner of a top end EV can get a full charge with a level 2 connection on a couple of days for weekend use, but they might want to keep the car outside for safety's sake.
