~"Serious offroading"~

[Warped]

This is extremely serious

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[3TV]

Ok taking a breif respite from the thread topic to give my .02 on SxS.

They're marketed as a great equalizer offroad. People with zero off road experience can use them to get down gnarly trails to awesome locations. Yay adventure.

The selling point is also the downfall. You end up with a lot of people who have no respect for nature, the outdoors, the trail, other drivers, campsites, trail etiquette. It's all secondary to them, if it's a thought at all. Driving skill? Not required.

Contrast that with your average off roader that has to go slow. Your forced to be among nature, so if you don't like the outdoors, for hours at a time, you probably aren't going to enjoy off roading. The excitement of getting to your destination, and the hard work it could have taken to get there, many times high levels of skill. The desire to share those experiences with others. To sit around a campsite and revel in the adventure of the day, knowing that many have come before you and will come after. I'm not saying this is how every regular off roader feels or acts... but it's certainly a much higher volume than among the SxS community.

I think each form of off-road vehicle has its place.

For me a TRX works best for high-speed desert roads. Tons of power, smooth riding, quiet and luxurious in a way a Jeep cannot match. Cross a cattle guard at 90+ mph and it sticks the landing perfect, like an Olympic gymnast, every time.

A SxS works better for me on the "Buggy Trails", in the dunes, high speed sand whoops, places where the light weight and better suspension help out.

A Jeep works better for everything else, what I would consider "regular 4-wheeling". My Jeep has 3 times the miles on it as the TRX, and both of those get used far more than the SxS.

I agree with your opinion on some SxS owners though. I think it is actually kind of sad that the SxS has pretty much taken over as a form of offroad recreational vehicle. Decades ago, we saw mostly Jeeps or other full-size vehicles, motorcycles, and a few ATVs. Mountain bikes were unheard of. Now the SxS vehicles out number Jeeps by easily 30:1 in the southwest.

 

[Mocopo]

I agree with your opinion on some SxS owners though. I think it is actually kind of sad that the SxS has pretty much taken over as a form of offroad recreational vehicle. Decades ago, we saw mostly Jeeps or other full-size vehicles, motorcycles, and a few ATVs. Mountain bikes were unheard of. Now the SxS vehicles out number Jeeps by easily 30:1 in the southwest.

I definitely don't consider EVERY SxS owner to be that way. I have friends and family that own them. But they are all also hunters, campers, outdoor enthusiasts that understand and respect both the vehicle and the trail. I'm in southern AZ, and yep, you're 30:1 ratio is probably pretty accurate. What irritates me are solely those owners that would otherwise not give a crap about the outdoors.

Another gripe, all of a sudden everyone is a hunter now... they get a SxS and some walmart camo, now they're killing my chances in the draw every year! So annoying...

 

[c20040215]

Every time someone says Jeeps are only for serious off-roading and if you don't off-road you shouldn't own one. "Because I wanted one" Is a very valid response. People try to gate keep so much with things they have no business talking about. Serious off-roader or not, Wranglers are just a fun vehicle to own.

I dont know what people say to "gate keep". I think ever since the 4 door Wrangler came out, it opened up a new market that was not the original Wrangler demographic. With 2 more doors, it appears to be a fun alternative to other mid size SUV.
But Wrangler is so unique with unmatched off road capability and after market support. Removable doors and tops, before Bronco, there wasnt any competitor. The Classic look and military heritage.. etc.

All those features come with sacrifices. Bad on road manner (off road capability), loud road noise (removable everything), and bad aero & MPG (classic look).

It is totally okay to own and use a Wrangler like a regular SUV, and not off-roading or taking the top and doors off when weather permits. I would bet that's what the majority of owners do, and Jeep is doing a good job making JL livable as an everyday vehicle.

You just have to understand what you are getting into and what sacrifices you are making.

 

[autotragic]

I definitely don't consider EVERY SxS owner to be that way. I have friends and family that own them. But they are all also hunters, campers, outdoor enthusiasts that understand and respect both the vehicle and the trail. I'm in southern AZ, and yep, you're 30:1 ratio is probably pretty accurate. What irritates me are solely those owners that would otherwise not give a crap about the outdoors.

Another gripe, all of a sudden everyone is a hunter now... they get a SxS and some walmart camo, now they're killing my chances in the draw every year! So annoying...

 

[AustyPosty]

I dont know what people say to "gate keep". I think ever since the 4 door Wrangler came out, it opened up a new market that was not the original Wrangler demographic. With 2 more doors, it appears to be a fun alternative to other mid size SUV.
But Wrangler is so unique with unmatched off road capability and after market support. Removable doors and tops, before Bronco, there wasnt any competitor. The Classic look and military heritage.. etc.

All those features come with sacrifices. Bad on road manner (off road capability), loud road noise (removable everything), and bad aero & MPG (classic look).

It is totally okay to own and use a Wrangler like a regular SUV, and not off-roading or taking the top and doors off when weather permits. I would bet that's what the majority of owners do, and Jeep is doing a good job making JL livable as an everyday vehicle.

You just have to understand what you are getting into and what sacrifices you are making.

I agree. I also am of the mind that the 2 door wrangler basically only exists thanks to the massive success of the 4 door. Its good to have options. But I do hate when Jeep tries to force things on us.

 

[autotragic]

I agree. I also am of the mind that the 2 door wrangler basically only exists thanks to the massive success of the 4 door. Its good to have options. But I do hate when Jeep tries to force things on us.

If the 4 door never existed, they'd still be selling 2 doors and nobody would know any different.

 

[AustyPosty]

If the 4 door never existed, they'd still be selling 2 doors and nobody would know any different.

Maybe. Its impossible to say for sure. I just don’t think there’s a reality where Jeep didn’t create the 4 door wrangler, it just made so much sense and was such a natural evolution of the wrangler and XJ.

 

[c20040215]

If the 4 door never existed, they'd still be selling 2 doors and nobody would know any different.

The concept of 2 door SUV has been dead since early 2000s. It doesn't make a business case in today's market (I mean only offer 2 door for a vehicle model). Especially most of the wrangler parts aren't shared with other products within the Jeep portfolio. Sure, there are some die hard purists, but they are unfortunately the minority.

I bet you if the military still uses Jeep now, it would be a 4 door model.

 

[dragoneggs]

I was hoping that this thread would contain pictures of people seriously off roading. Like these.

Not serious off roading.

Can be serious, we are about 40 miles down the beach.

I

That's just samples from the first couple years of potential serious off roading. It is nice to look back. This would be from about 2020 to 2022.

Mic drop! Thanks for posting.

 

[Jeep Junkie]

I hate rocks and boulders and will never offroad there. I like flexy and dustry trails where I get to flex without breaking anything.

 

[Zandcwhite]

The concept of 2 door SUV has been dead since early 2000s. It doesn't make a business case in today's market (I mean only offer 2 door for a vehicle model). Especially most of the wrangler parts aren't shared with other products within the Jeep portfolio. Sure, there are some die hard purists, but they are unfortunately the minority.

I bet you if the military still uses Jeep now, it would be a 4 door model.

Look at the nearly dead 2 dr truck market. Even most fleet vehicles that spend 99% of the time being driven by the 1 employee are at minimum extended cabs if not full crew cabs. Why? They cost roughly the same, get basically the same fuel economy, and take up the same parking spaces. Better to have the space and not need it than need it and not have it. The die hards think they would still be able to buy 2drs with manuals and solid axles when Jeep sales fall by 50-80%, but I'm not convinced the Wrangler would even exist anymore were it not for the 4dr.

 

[Ratbert]

I hate rocks and boulders and will never offroad there. I like flexy and dustry trails where I get to flex without breaking anything.

Never? Didn't you post a video doing rocks?

 

[autotragic]

The concept of 2 door SUV has been dead since early 2000s. It doesn't make a business case in today's market (I mean only offer 2 door for a vehicle model). Especially most of the wrangler parts aren't shared with other products within the Jeep portfolio. Sure, there are some die hard purists, but they are unfortunately the minority.

I bet you if the military still uses Jeep now, it would be a 4 door model.

The military replaced the Jeep with Hummers and mostly four doors but some were two doors either because they were made into a pickup style or for other reasons.

 

[Tank the Jeep]

Serious off-roading is when you're not smiling.

Not smiling is followed with butt clinch.

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