Normal cars and trucks have normal navigation systems. They’ll pretty much take you anywhere you want to go, as long as the road is paved. But when you’re driving a Jeep, suddenly blacktops are no longer necessary and it begs the question: Why doesn’t the navigation system cover dirt roads and trails?

Jeep officials say they’ve heard the issue brought up now and then from owners, although most want to talk about their affection for more horsepower and torque. But upgrading the navigation system to cover off-roading is a touchy subject because it could raise legal issues.

Jeep doesn’t want to contribute to getting its owners lost or in trouble on dicey, remote roads, says Ray Durham, a vehicle line manager for Jeep as he recently demonstrated the brand’s famous off-road capability. Instead, Jeep is offering navis with features such as the ability to drop digital “bread crumbs.” It has shown up as a “record new trail” key on the navigation unit. That is, owners can get the navigation system to plot where they have already gone, even if it won’t show them all the trails that are out there on its own.

Will an off-road navigation device ever come to Jeep? “Somewhere down the road it might work out,” Durham says.

A dirt road, no doubt.

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WASHINGTON – The United States filed a trade complaint against China on Thursday for new duties it imposed on American-made cars and trucks.

The move came as President Obama kicked off a campaign bus tour through the manufacturing heartland of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The Ohio-built Jeep Wrangler is among the cars affected.

China levied the duties, which the administration said cover about $3.3 billion worth of auto exports to China, after the Obama administration bailed out General Motors and Chrysler in the wake of the financial crisis in 2008.

“As we have made clear, the Obama administration will continue to fight to ensure that China does not misuse its trade laws and violate its international trade commitments to block exports of American-made products,” Ron Kirk, the United States trade representative, said in a statement confirming the trade case against China. “American auto workers and manufacturers deserve a level playing field and we are taking every step necessary to stand up for them.”

There was no immediate reaction from the Chinese government, which typically waits a day or two before responding publicly to American trade policy moves.

The automotive case is the latest in a long series of trade cases brought by the United States against China. Previous cases include a challenge at the World Trade Organization against China’s restrictions on exports of rare-earth minerals, in a case filed in March with the European Union and Japan, and challenges to Chinese policies on other products as varied as zinc, certain kinds of steel and various chicken parts.

Mr. Obama has used his administration’s saving of the auto industry as a calling card in the industrial Midwest, particularly in Ohio, which is seen as a bellwether in presidential elections. In a recent survey by Quinnipiac University, Mr. Obama was leading his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, in Ohio by 47 percent to 38 percent – his largest lead in recent polls, which have consistently showed a close race.

Mr. Romney opposed the administration’s bailout, and Mr. Obama loses few opportunities to remind voters in Ohio, Michigan and other states with automotive factories that his opponent advocated allowing Detroit to go bankrupt.

Taking a tough line toward China on trade issues is a tried-and-true strategy during election years. The administration’s action builds on a complaint filed in March against China for its alleged hoarding of rare-earth minerals, which are used to manufacture a range of sophisticated technology products.

Mr. Romney has called for much tougher steps against China on issues like intellectual property and currency policy. He has said he would label China a currency manipulator – a step that the Obama administration has steadfastly resisted.

The Obama campaign is calling this tour, which will wind from industrial areas outside Toledo to near Cleveland and on Friday to Pittsburgh, the “Betting on America” bus tour. Jeep Wranglers are manufactured in a factory in Toledo.

Keith Bradsher contributed reporting from Hong Kong.

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• 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee
• 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee
• 1996 Jeep Cherokee
• 1979 Jeep J20
• 1994 Jeep Wrangler

Those who thought sport utility vehicles were going the way of the dodo were wrong. SUVs haven’t died off amid higher gasoline prices.

To the contrary, Jeep’s flagship SUV, the Grand Cherokee, just posted its best June sales in the United States since 2005 and is up 38 percent so far this year from the year-ago period, when sales already rose impressively from 2010.

Buyers find the 2012 Grand Cherokee is an American-built, handsome and comfortable five-seater that offers a surprisingly refined and free-of-wind-noise ride on pavement while retaining its off-road chops.

It’s also a recommended buy of Consumer Reports; the magazine predicted it would have average reliability.

Fuel economy isn’t great, though. The best rating the 2012 Grand Cherokee receives from the federal government is 17 miles per gallon in city driving and 23 mpg on the highway. This is for a two-wheel drive model with V-6.

But because the Grand Cherokee’s gas tank is so big — holding 24.6 gallons — this SUV can go upwards of 460 combined city/highway miles on a single tank.

Starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, for a base, 2012 Grand Cherokee Laredo with 290-horsepower V-6, two-wheel drive and automatic transmission is $28,120.

The lowest starting retail price for a 2012 Grand Cherokee with four-wheel drive is $30,120 for a base Laredo that comes with the 290-horse V-6 and automatic transmission.

Jeep offers two V-8s, too. One generates 360 horsepower, while the top-of-the-line Hemi V-8 produces 470 horsepower and is in a special Grand Cherokee SRT8 model. Retail prices for V-8-powered Grand Cherokees start at $37,115.

Competitors include a variety of mid-size SUVs such as the 2012 Kia Sorento, which has a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $25,750 with two-wheel drive, 276-horsepower V-6 and automatic transmission.

Meantime, the 2012 Ford Explorer with front-wheel drive, 290-horsepower V-6 and automatic transmission has a retail starting price of $29,695.

Note that neither the Sorento nor Explorer has a V-8, but the Sorento and Explorer are available with more fuel-thrifty four cylinders.

Jeep is the quintessential American SUV brand, with roots dating to World War II when its U.S. Army runabout vehicle was nimble, barebones and rugged in all kinds of terrain.

Today’s Grand Cherokee is, obviously, much larger and more luxurious, but it’s still rugged and can handle off-road terrain with agility and skill.

It just doesn’t look like a brutish off-roader.

The face of the 2012 Grand Cherokee is instantly recognizable with Jeep’s vertical-slotted grille and characteristic SUV shape. Styling is pleasant and evolutionary from earlier Grand Cherokees.

The Selec-Terrain knob inside the vehicle and the 8.6 inches of ground clearance underneath hint that the Grand Cherokee can electronically adjust its traction for sand, mud and snow and can straddle rocks and maneuver over and around other obstacles off road.

But the Jeep and Grand Cherokee badges already are authentic verifiers of the long-running capabilities of this vehicle.

Inside the test Grand Cherokee Limited 4X4 model, leather-covered, heated seats, surprisingly quiet passenger compartment and generous passenger room make on- and off-road travel a pleasant, stress-free experience.

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