2016 Wrangler: Reading the tea leaves

[Clutch]

Millions loved the back street boys and new kids on the block too.

Yep, just because it is popular, doesn't mean it is good.

Yeah, still I actually don't mind the grill there. But then I was never a huge fan of the wrangler's front to begin with. I simply suck it up because of the platform behind it. My favorite front end (other than the hot waitress at the local pub), is that of the WJ.

Ah I see why you don't mind the front end. Though why even call it a Wrangler anymore if they do that? Looks more like a Cherokee...


I am more of a J10 early Wagoneer kinda guy myself.

View attachment 166029


of course my favorite is a Willy's

View attachment 166030

 

[Silvanus]

There is still a chance they could screw it up, did the Toyota FJ Cruiser design team dream this one up?
Note the non-folding wind screen, and aero front end..
View attachment 165996

Honda Element anyone???

 

[Grasslakeron]

Fact: most jeeps by me are on the road for 30 years and hundreds of thousands of miles.

Fact: if you take care of it, it can last a lifetime.

Conclusion: my 06' unlimited has 20 years or more in her and if I take care of her, she will be my life partner. Aftermarket parts will see to it.

I dislike the soccer mom, mall crawler, non waver, mocha latte drinking, check out my rims, JK 's. New isnt always better. There is not area I have found where my LJ is out of her comfort zone.

I have broke IFS more times then I care to talk about. Unibody sucks. Change the jeep I just dont care because the next time I will be is a showroom will be 2035 at the earliest. .....

Old jeeps never die...they just get diamond plate

Ron

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Fact: most jeeps by me are on the road for 30 years and hundreds of thousands of miles.

Fact: if you take care of it, it can last a lifetime.

Conclusion: my 06' unlimited has 20 years or more in her and if I take care of her, she will be my life partner. Aftermarket parts will see to it.

I dislike the soccer mom, mall crawler, non waver, mocha latte drinking, check out my rims, JK 's. New isnt always better. There is not area I have found where my LJ is out of her comfort zone.

I have broke IFS more times then I care to talk about. Unibody sucks. Change the jeep I just dont care because the next time I will be is a showroom will be 2035 at the earliest. .....

Old jeeps never die...they just get diamond plate

Ron

I'll put my unibody Jeep up against your little Jeep on or off road anytime you wish. But I get what you are saying about them in general. Oh, and proofreading rocks!

 

[Grasslakeron]

I'll put my unibody Jeep up against your little Jeep on or off road anytime you wish. But I get what you are saying about them in general. Oh, and proofreading rocks!

Notice I didnt say unibody jeeps. I have had unibody pseudo suv's that flexed just enough to be put on a stretcher for 16 hours.... try running an explorer where you run your zj.... bone stock most unibodies suck. I have heard engineers around here talk about IFS and unibody wranglers for years. Their quote is " most people drive them just on pavement anyway". Seems the current selling fad may kill the jeep in the long run.

Ron

 

[jeep-N-montero]

Notice I didnt say unibody jeeps. I have had unibody pseudo suv's that flexed just enough to be put on a stretcher for 16 hours.... try running an explorer where you run your zj.... bone stock most unibodies suck. I have heard engineers around here talk about IFS and unibody wranglers for years. Their quote is " most people drive them just on pavement anyway". Seems the current selling fad may kill the jeep in the long run.

Ron

If you go back to the drawing board there were rumors that the JK was getting IFS before it replaced the TJ, but the solid axle lived on and hopefully it will in the future. The only JK I might ever consider would be a 4 door with a diesel under the hood. I say this because with my current setup being able to turn 35's and tow 6k pounds with the cruise set at 70 and room for our dogs, only a diesel Wrangler with 4 doors and the longer wheelbase would be up to the task and be worth a monthly car payment.

 

[X-plorenow]

From JKOwners Newsletter today from Autoguide:

Based on job descriptions posted on Chrysler's careers website, it appears that the American automaker is recruiting new talent for its next-generation Jeep Wrangler model due in 2016. The descriptions reveal that the next-gen Wrangler will go on an extreme diet, much like what RAM did for its 2013 1500 pickup. This points that the Wrangler Stitch concept that Jeep showed off at this year's Moab Easter Jeep Safari will heavily influence the next-generation design. Jeep is seeking to use high-strength steels for its frame and will scrap some of its steel body panels for lighter weight aluminum. The RAM 1500 used advanced high-strength steels to shed 30 pounds. To help increase fuel economy, the 2016 Jeep Wrangler could incorporate the air suspension found on the Grand Cherokee and RAM. Not only would it provide extra clearance when necessary, it would help reduce drag on the Wrangler at highway speeds. Also from the job descriptions, Jeep hinted at the possibility of a diesel engine in the Wrangler as well as incorporating the automaker's eight-speed automatic transmission.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2013/06/2016-jeep-wrangler-details-hinted-at-in-job-postings.html

 

[nwoods]

30lbs? Was that a typo for 300lbs? I hope ?

 

[conifers4]

Personally I could do without having an air suspension system, just another high tech gadget to breakdown. Possible diesel engine has my attention though.

 

[EMrider]

Personally I could do without having an air suspension system, just another high tech gadget to breakdown. Possible diesel engine has my attention though.

Ditto.

Have had air bags burst on two other vehicles. A good coil spring is darn near failproof, but when an air bag bursts, you are SOL.

R

 

[Justincredible]

Agreed on the airbags.

I'm a little surprised Jeep isn't looking to make more of the body out of plastic. Realistically they could make the entire tub out of plastic as long as the frame and rollbars maintained their strength.

 

[bdp1978]

All of these back and forth threads about the wrangler and cherokee crack me up. "I wont ever buy another Jeep again if they change ......yadda yadda yadda"

Yes you will. And until you do, be it a used one or what have you.......they have about 10 million soccer Moms to market to that they sell the majority of their vehicles to anyways. I live about 3 miles from Chrysler headquarters and almost every other vehicle is a Jeep. How many do you think are offroaded regularly????

 

[EMrider]

All of these back and forth threads about the wrangler and cherokee crack me up. "I wont ever buy another Jeep again if they change ......yadda yadda yadda"

Yes you will. And until you do, be it a used one or what have you.......they have about 10 million soccer Moms to market to that they sell the majority of their vehicles to anyways. I live about 3 miles from Chrysler headquarters and almost every other vehicle is a Jeep. How many do you think are offroaded regularly????

The discussion here is whether and to what extent the new Jeep design will meet the needs/desires of the Expo/off-road user base. With Jeeps, as well as most any other product, the heavy-duty users are probably less than 10% of the total ownership base.

I think you're wrong, though, to suggest that all Jeep has to do is keep the soccer mom's happy and they can continue to grow sales. The small but heavy-duty user groups always have a very strong and disproportionate impact on a product or brand's reputation in the market.

So I'd bet that if "we" (i.e., heavy-duty users) reject the new Jeep Wrangler, then Jeep's overall sales will suffer meaningfully too.

R

 

[expedition4x4]

The discussion here is whether and to what extent the new Jeep design will meet the needs/desires of the Expo/off-road user base. With Jeeps, as well as most any other product, the heavy-duty users are probably less than 10% of the total ownership base.

I think you're wrong, though, to suggest that all Jeep has to do is keep the soccer mom's happy and they can continue to grow sales. The small but heavy-duty user groups always have a very strong and disproportionate impact on a product or brand's reputation in the market.

So I'd bet that if "we" (i.e., heavy-duty users) reject the new Jeep Wrangler, then Jeep's overall sales will suffer meaningfully too.

R

Agreed if you just wanted to cater to the soccer moms they would all be driving landrover freelanders and jeep patriots

 

[bdp1978]

I didnt say they would continue to grow sales.............I said they would continue to market to them and the majority of their sales are that demographic.


They wont drive Freelanders or Patriots because Jeep has manged to turn the Wrangler into a cool status symbol.