Design

[Matt The Hammer]

With all due respect, AMC had some bigger issues to deal with in the late 70s into the early 80s.

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[DanW]

Jeep typically lags in styling by a decade. When everyone else switched to square headlights in the 70's, Jeep waited until the late 80's to do the same with the YJ.

Hey, don't diss the YJ! That was and is a great loiking Jeep, and those headlights actually put out some light, unlike the JK.

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

Jeep typically lags in styling by a decade. When everyone else switched to square headlights in the 70's, Jeep waited until the late 80's to do the same with the YJ.

Weird story about that... When we were discussing production and the Wranglers while on one of my tours in Toledo, I was told that supposedly the square headlights on the YJ were some sort of concession to the Union when the production was moved to Canada.

Dunno the veracity, or much more about it, other than it was briefly mentioned as we were just chatting about our experiences, favourite rides, trips, trails, past Jeeps, etc. and I mentioned my first YJ that I was proud was Canadian came up in the discussion, and then that tidbit was mentioned.

 

[Matt The Hammer]

Damn you canucks messing with our Jeeps... ha ha

 

[AVENTUS]

Lol...1996, old look...You all realize the foundation of every Wrangler's styling originated in the 1930's, right?

Yes I'm sure everyone here is well aware the jeep made its bones in WW2, and that it isn't a sleek modern coupe.

But for sales sake, in 2018 and beyond, the lenses used in fender light bars, and the charcoal fender edge/lip, both look very dated, CHEAP, and poorly integrated/incorporated, on the new evolving wrangler.

Like I said, vintage styling with functionality and character is dope. A big part of the wranglers appeal to younger demographics is its rugged retro look. But there is a difference between looking retro/vintage/rugged, and looking cheap or dated.

The main point of installing an LED strip on the JL/JLU fenders was to modernize the vehicle's styling in a highly visible way, while keeping all the traditional elements present. And they failed epically at that, insofar as the fenders are concerned. I think the headlamp's LED Corona rings are a home run, but the fenders are a devestating strikeout.

 

[wanderer]

well about the disposability of the new cars. I sure hope that isn't carried over to the JL think about it it seems to me that the JK is one of a few new vehicles that you can steelwork on your self... MY guess is that BY FCA doing stuff like prewiring for a cb, that they will maintian that fabulous aspect of a jeep. I sure hope so.

 

[Niteshooter]

i'm not overly keen on the new taillights, they remind me a bit of the Renegade's X taillights which I don't like. Probably because I've grown up with the old style that have been around since the CJ5 through CJ7 and then TJ. The JK was similar to the old school design but not as different as the JL's. The old lights that I'm talking about were repurposed trailer lights as I remember buying a lens at Canadian Tire in the trailer department for my CJ5 years ago. But I suppose after 30-40 years it kind of feels like they needed to do something different. Will have to wait and see how they look without all that camo tape before I make any further conclusions.

Still though I like what I am seeing/hearing about the JL. I like the idea of aluminum and plastic body panels though it will depend a lot on where they are situated but the idea of reducing rust prone areas appeals to me as well as the potential weight savings. I can't say I would go for the 4 cyl as a turbo might be good on road but offroad I wonder if the sudden kick of the turbo coming online might cause the Jeep to be a bit harder to crawl with vs the V6 motor with smoother power flow and possibly more torque though if that HP number is a typo. Theough hard to say how it will all play out until these vehicles are out in the wild.

I think being old school, I'd opt for the 2 door, with diesel though again tough to really say until I drive all versions but I'm due for a new vehicle this coming year. Wife has a Ram crew cab pickup so a 4 door JL isn't really necessary for me plus the Ram is so long it's tough to park it if we drive into the city where parking spaces are limited. The smart is actually great for that but limited in what it can carry people wise. My CJ is ok however I've had friends who have had their tops stolen and a soft top CJ isn't exactly the most secure of vehicles, if had items taken from the inside of mine since it cannot locked down completely. I got rid of my hard top many years ago because it was a real PITA to remove/store. I would consider the HT JL 2 door though as long as they kept the removable roof panels which they appear to have done. If security was not an issue then I'd go with a soft top though after driving cars with power folding tops going through the adventure of dropping a soft top becomes less appealing.

 

[nowandthen]

Overall, the JL looks sick (=awesome for the old timers lol). I agree, the rear looks great. The thin bezel around the the rear glass and the small spoiler really hit it for me. However, I think the black edge along the flares and the 1996 lenses keep the design from being flawless. Also, I think the side mirrors are quite bulky. Everything else is

There may be a thin bezel (I don't see a bezeL, so maybe I 'm not understanding your comment), but the glass has a very wide blacked out area around it's perimeter. To me, this seems to defeat what Jeep did with the mid-model refresh, where they made the hard top opening wider, thus better rear visibility.

 

[nowandthen]

i'm not overly keen on the new taillights, they remind me a bit of the Renegade's X taillights which I don't like.

I don't like the Renegade tailights either. Not feeling the big white X. I'm okay with the JL tailigjhts as long as they are the red version. The white/clear version: Not feeling those.

 

[nowandthen]

The license plate in the bumper, yuk! Message to aftermarket: When I replace the stock rear bumper with one of your bumpers, please offer a kit to relocate the license plate to under the tail light. Or something that looks better than the plate shoe-horned into the bumper.

 

[Niteshooter]

I don't like the Renegade tailights either. Not feeling the big white X. I'm okay with the JL tailigjhts as long as they are the red version. The white/clear version: Not feeling those.

Not liking the white/clear version either. And good point about the plate location, folks like to swap out bumpers or even custom fabricate their own. Guess wild card might be whether there is a clear lens on the bottom of the left tail light, granted some clever company like Omix Ada might come up with a tail light/license bracket kit.

 

[BillyHW]

Weird story about that... When we were discussing production and the Wranglers while on one of my tours in Toledo, I was told that supposedly the square headlights on the YJ were some sort of concession to the Union when the production was moved to Canada.

Dunno the veracity, or much more about it, other than it was briefly mentioned as we were just chatting about our experiences, favourite rides, trips, trails, past Jeeps, etc. and I mentioned my first YJ that I was proud was Canadian came up in the discussion, and then that tidbit was mentioned.

Why would square lights be a concession to the union? What does the shape of the light have to do with anything? Just curious...

 

[The Great Grape Ape]

Why would square lights be a concession to the union? What does the shape of the light have to do with anything? Just curious...

I dunno, simultaneously seemed weird to me, but also at the same time not really surprising.
If you’ve dealt with unions from both (all) sides of the equation, you can likely appreciate that.

 

[Ian cj10]

im guessing the tail lights with the clear center are export for the amber turn signal indicator

 

[FloridaCowboy]

If you look closely at the photos the top one with the red tail lights has body color painted fenders.
The bottom one has the matte fenders which is the sport model.
Maybe the Sahara and Rubicon get the nicer tail lights.

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