Heimkehr
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- James
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2020
- Threads
- 48
- Messages
- 11,072
- Reaction score
- 22,431
- Location
- Pennsylvania
- Vehicle(s)
- 2021 JLU 2.0T
- Thread starter
- #1
There are and will continue to be any number of threads that parse out what substantive changes may or will accompany the next generation Wrangler (allegedly, the "J70"); e.g., available powertrain combinations.
Taking a different tack for a moment:
What are the modest changes and/or improvements that you would like to see in the upcoming vehicle?
I'll start. In no particular order:
-An increased range of adjustment for driver and [outboard] passenger seat belts. Even when the shoulder loop bracket is secured in its highest position, that portion of the seatbelt is still a bit too low for me, meaning it's prone to slide off of my shoulder a bit too easily. I've developed the subconscious habit of periodically checking or moving the belt back into place while I'm driving. A seatbelt that doesn't stay in place as it should will have significant consequences for the vehicle occupant(s) during a collision.
-A bit more clearance between the edge of the rear soft top window and the tailgate. My observations have confirmed that recurring removal and reinstallation of the rear window will fractionally reset the clearance between the lower edges of the window and the adjacent portions of the tailgate. The collateral effect is unavoidable contact between those two points, and by extension accelerated wear of the fabric construction unless the owner pulls it away when opening or closing the tailgate. Unless the owner is very careful when doing so, pinched fingers are the inevitable result here.
-Amending the protruding plastic trim above the center gauge cluster so that the taller driver has an unencumbered view of the top edge of all gauge displays and TFT screen data. This is speculative, of course, and will depend entirely on what sort of dashboard design the J70 brings with it.
-Improved driver-to-shift-lever ergonomics. Should the manual transmission continue to be available in the next Jeep, make the right-arm-to-shift-knob interface feel much less clumsy than it currently does. Subjective? Perhaps, but it was indeed something that immediately stood out to me when test-driving a 3-pedal JLU.
-No additional rake on the windscreen frame. Tangentially, I'm agnostic on the question of whether the fold-forward feature should continue.
-Reusable (i.e., non-sacrificial) fender and fender liner fasteners. The brand should be well aware by now of the owner community's propensity for removing and reinstalling as much of the Jeep's external fitments as we and the aftermarket are able to arrange. Yes, I'm aware that accommodations for assembly line production are part of the equation here. That's not a deal-breaker, nor should it be.
-The continued ability to turn off ESS via a dedicated dashboard button. If not, cue up whatever cheater harness the aftermarket can invent to give us that ability. This presumes that the demon ESS encumbrance will continue on gas-powered Jeeps, which is probably a safe bet.
-External LED lighting standard on all trims. I'm less agnostic about this subject -- I do like the correct aesthetic that only incandescent lighting on a Jeep can provide -- but given the King's ransom pricing for these vehicles, paired with the advantages that LED lighting provides, just make it standard.
-Winch-capable front bumpers being standard on all trims. See above, re: King's ransom pricing. Said differently: It's a Wrangler, FFS. A front bumper capable of accepting a winch is the one thing that shouldn't ever have an upcharge.
Finally, I'd like to see the customer have the ability to choose half doors & soft uppers, or full doors, with no additional charge for either selection. I'm not including this as a bolded bullet, though, because ever-evolving crash standards are such that I just don't envision Stellantis being able to do this, or have the bravery to do so if they otherwise could.
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What detail-oriented things would you like to see improved or integrated on the next-gen Wrangler?
Taking a different tack for a moment:
What are the modest changes and/or improvements that you would like to see in the upcoming vehicle?
I'll start. In no particular order:
-An increased range of adjustment for driver and [outboard] passenger seat belts. Even when the shoulder loop bracket is secured in its highest position, that portion of the seatbelt is still a bit too low for me, meaning it's prone to slide off of my shoulder a bit too easily. I've developed the subconscious habit of periodically checking or moving the belt back into place while I'm driving. A seatbelt that doesn't stay in place as it should will have significant consequences for the vehicle occupant(s) during a collision.
-A bit more clearance between the edge of the rear soft top window and the tailgate. My observations have confirmed that recurring removal and reinstallation of the rear window will fractionally reset the clearance between the lower edges of the window and the adjacent portions of the tailgate. The collateral effect is unavoidable contact between those two points, and by extension accelerated wear of the fabric construction unless the owner pulls it away when opening or closing the tailgate. Unless the owner is very careful when doing so, pinched fingers are the inevitable result here.
-Amending the protruding plastic trim above the center gauge cluster so that the taller driver has an unencumbered view of the top edge of all gauge displays and TFT screen data. This is speculative, of course, and will depend entirely on what sort of dashboard design the J70 brings with it.
-Improved driver-to-shift-lever ergonomics. Should the manual transmission continue to be available in the next Jeep, make the right-arm-to-shift-knob interface feel much less clumsy than it currently does. Subjective? Perhaps, but it was indeed something that immediately stood out to me when test-driving a 3-pedal JLU.
-No additional rake on the windscreen frame. Tangentially, I'm agnostic on the question of whether the fold-forward feature should continue.
-Reusable (i.e., non-sacrificial) fender and fender liner fasteners. The brand should be well aware by now of the owner community's propensity for removing and reinstalling as much of the Jeep's external fitments as we and the aftermarket are able to arrange. Yes, I'm aware that accommodations for assembly line production are part of the equation here. That's not a deal-breaker, nor should it be.
-The continued ability to turn off ESS via a dedicated dashboard button. If not, cue up whatever cheater harness the aftermarket can invent to give us that ability. This presumes that the demon ESS encumbrance will continue on gas-powered Jeeps, which is probably a safe bet.
-External LED lighting standard on all trims. I'm less agnostic about this subject -- I do like the correct aesthetic that only incandescent lighting on a Jeep can provide -- but given the King's ransom pricing for these vehicles, paired with the advantages that LED lighting provides, just make it standard.
-Winch-capable front bumpers being standard on all trims. See above, re: King's ransom pricing. Said differently: It's a Wrangler, FFS. A front bumper capable of accepting a winch is the one thing that shouldn't ever have an upcharge.
Finally, I'd like to see the customer have the ability to choose half doors & soft uppers, or full doors, with no additional charge for either selection. I'm not including this as a bolded bullet, though, because ever-evolving crash standards are such that I just don't envision Stellantis being able to do this, or have the bravery to do so if they otherwise could.
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What detail-oriented things would you like to see improved or integrated on the next-gen Wrangler?
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