Next gen Wrangler

[SeaComms]

Personal opinion - There are plenty of IFS softroaders and offroaders, some already with the Jeep brand on them. With the sales of the Wrangler, I cant see any reason to change such a major historic design component.

Guess we will find out in 2014

[Yom]

Originally Posted by DownSouth

I drove the new Prado last week (see JK vid section) IFS with poor articulation, BUT the traction control was amazing and it sailed over everything, could see it doing Bobs hill though the pivoting from corner to corner would be frightening

bam, exactly..all we've ever seen on production 4wds is cheap road-biased solutions.

LR gave it a shot with the disc 3 and range rover which work well but biased again towards on road.

Its up to Jeep to implement something that also works off road. If any of the manufacturers can do it and also bring it to the consumer market it is Jeep.

[WHHEMI]

Originally Posted by davidd

i think the wrangler and the 70 series toyota are about the only real fourbies left. 70 series starts at about 70 grand on road though, with no centre diff lock or air con. very very basic. also 5 speed box.

Why would you need a centre diff lock in these? They aren't constant 4x4. Also nothing wrong with a 5 speed box, it sounds like 6th is unusable in the jk most of the time anyway.

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by Yom

Its up to Jeep to implement something that also works off road. If any of the manufacturers can do it and also bring it to the consumer market it is Jeep.

I trust that Jeep will pull it off either way, whether independent suspension or live axle. They've worked hard on keeping us Jeep nuts keen on the Wrangler for many years and mostly done a good job.

And I've heard the moans and groans about every little change they bring in. If you don't like the changes, keep your older Jeep. No one is going to force you to buy the new one.

I know I'll take my new Jeep over the older one I had any day. I'm proud of the progress Jeep keeps making. I don't expect any company to do things perfectly or exactly how I think I want it based on my biases, but overall I'm happy with Jeep's direction.

Give them room to breathe and grow!

[JSSJeepin]

Originally Posted by wranglertj

Beats me how the FJ cruiser is outselling the wrangler as well. I think it is funny how the Aussies cant get enough of the overpriced LC200 cruiser yet in the good 'ol US of A they can barely sell 1600 a year and is in the top 5 of the worst selling vehicles in the United states.

Jeep in the US is an untouchable icon, and not so much outside of the US. That is mostly why no body has ever dethroned Jeep in the US market, and Jeep has knocked out every competitor that has taken them on in the USDM (and still going, Hummer being the latest victim, and soon the FJ Cruiser most likely). Outside, Jeep is either looked down on or not known that well, at least, that's the impression we US Jeep enthusiasts get, so I can see why SUVs like the FJ Cruiser would sell better in Oz.

As for IS, not going to happen. In Chrysler's CAB experiment, they mentioned to their focus groups numerous times (one of which I was in) that solid axles were sacred on the Wrangler and that was NOT going to be messed with.

[xjrob]

It will most likely happen.

Look at the majority of JK wranglers you see on the road, stock as a rock, more of a status (many TJs are the same)

It is the minority that take their 4B off road (other than up the beach) whilst the majority of the Ausjeepoffroad members are more interested in the offroad capabilities of their rigs, the majority want a trendy, lifestyle vehicle they can take the roof off.

the very fact that a Toyota FJ is outselling the wrangler lets you know what the average joe wants in a 4B.

Most people i speak to can't understand why you would want live axles, the fact that most of us fit mud tyres (noisy as hell) lift a vehicle (destroy on road handling) makes us the minority and slowly the number crunches not the users will decide on the design.

[malexander]

Originally Posted by xjrob

It will most likely happen.

Look at the majority of JK wranglers you see on the road, stock as a rock, more of a status (many TJs are the same)

It is the minority that take their 4B off road (other than up the beach) whilst the majority of the Ausjeepoffroad members are more interested in the offroad capabilities of their rigs, the majority want a trendy, lifestyle vehicle they can take the roof off.

the very fact that a Toyota FJ is outselling the wrangler lets you know what the average joe wants in a 4B.

Most people i speak to can't understand why you would want live axles, the fact that most of us fit mud tyres (noisy as hell) lift a vehicle (destroy on road handling) makes us the minority and slowly the number crunches not the users will decide on the design.

Why would Jeep put IFS in the Wrangler and make it like all their others cars? What's the point of manufacturing 10 models with exactly the same characteristics? Where's the point of difference?

Although the Wrangler might have skitish road manners it hasn't affected sales has it?