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What Will Jeep Do to Stay Ahead in the Off-Road War that is Coming?

mgroeger

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There's been so much movement in this regard that I thought it might be worth an update. Especially now that AEV has moved not just beyond Jeep with full-size overlanding in the Ram Prospector, but past FCA altogether with the new Chevy ZR2 Bison.

I've been an off-road enthusiast for more than 20 years- I watched as rock crawling became the pinnacle of the sport and how recently go-fast off-roading started to chip away at that in the form of the Raptor, but Overlanding seems to be the hot new thing. Even the JL has an optional shelf for the tailgate to cook etc...

With these changes in mind i ask again, how do you think Jeep will respond? Those saying that there will be no off-road war I truly believe are being naive and complacent. I certainly hope Jeep doesn't follow their path. Jeep is facing more competition than it ever has and only more is coming. Traction control is catching up to lockers in it's abilities to maintain momentum and IFS equipped competitors not only offer a better ride, but some of them also have more power.

Mid-size trucks are a real threat to the Wrangler. If you've got 4 doors in a mid-size truck and a camper topper for the bed you've essentially got a structure similar in concept to a Wrangler. A brief view of the landscape below-

Toyota's Shot at the Wrangler- a snorkel equipped 4Runner with Terrain management and a Tacoma-
https://expeditionportal.com/the-2019-toyota-trd-pro-line-reviewed/

Ford's Ranger Raptor- I take this as a script for how the upcoming Bronco will end up; if it also has a removable top, Jeep has a real competitor-
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/2019-ford-ranger-raptor-officially-unveiled-news

Chevy really missed an opportunity with that cross-over Piece of S..t. they are unfortunately attaching the Blazer name to, but they knocked it out of the park with the AEV ZR2 Bison- great suspension, front/rear lockers, AEV collaboration- sound familiar?
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/chevrolet-colorado-zr2-bison-photos-info

Land Rover Defender- iconic- set to return to the US and is confirmed to include an SUV and perhaps a light truck version and an SVX off-road version-
http://europe.autonews.com/article/...land-rover-defender-likely-to-keep-boxy-roots
https://www.caranddriver.com/land-rover/discovery-svx

It looks like a Tacoma TRD Pro, Chevy ZR2 Bison, Ford Ranger Raptor and Jeep Scrambler/Rubicon JT shoot out will be here within a year or so!

I can't wait to see a comparison between a Wrangler Rubicon, a Bronco Raptor, a TRD 4Runner and a Defender SVX! It's high times for off-road enthusiasts and anyone who thinks that Jeep is not in the middle of an off-road competition has got their head in the sand thinking that if they don't see the lion it must not be there.
OK, so the others might be putting out something that can hang with the Wrangler on the trails but be more refined on the roads. My opinion is they won't be as capable as the Wrangler.
But here's the one big thing I noticed in all the articles you linked to... not one of them is a roll cage on wheels, that has multiple top/topless configurations, has all doors off, solid front axle.
They may be capable but they still can't hold a candle to the OVERALL being of a Wrangler. I get it, some people want to throw $40k down and don't want those COOL features... weirdos.

IMO, IFS is not a plus. OK, it gives you a bit more comfort on the road but it is a weak link off road. Three weeks ago a $70k Raptor blew his front end apart slamming over a rock on the trail at the park we were at. I didn't here of any Jeeps doing that on that day. I get it maybe it was driver error.
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WXman

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Actually, the only reason an "off road war" won't happen is because no other company has the guts to build a Wrangler competitor.

Toyota, the only somewhat credible threat, wouldn't even take the FJ back to its roots. They built it with IFS, suicide doors, and a fixed roof. Therefore, it failed and was pulled from market.

Nobody is going to challenge the Wrangler. It just ain't happening.
 

NFRs2000NYC

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Actually, the only reason an "off road war" won't happen is because no other company has the guts to build a Wrangler competitor.

Toyota, the only somewhat credible threat, wouldn't even take the FJ back to its roots. They built it with IFS, suicide doors, and a fixed roof. Therefore, it failed and was pulled from market.

Nobody is going to challenge the Wrangler. It just ain't happening.
I think the Bronco is going to try, but we will see how that goes.
 

TXRobD

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One of them is my gf...I know the other three very well and am there now...I have a bit of a clue as to how they use them
I had my Rubicon off road in Colorado last week. So using your logic, if we polled 500 random Rubicon owners, 400 would be female bartenders that only drive on the road and 100 would be males that drive offroad sometimes.
 

azamani

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I’m curious what everyone’s thoughts are around what Jeep will do to combat the competition it will face soon. The muscle car war drove incredible competition which led Chevy to bring back the Camaro and launch a ZL1; Dodge tried to end the argument with the 700+HP Demon, but Ford is set to release a GT500 that should beat them all….for now.


The same competitive forces are turning to the off-road world and I LOVE IT! The Tacoma TRD Pro, the Chevy Colorado ZR2, now the Ford Ranger Raptor. In about 2 years the SUV market will see the same.


The Toyota 4Runner is due (probably overdue) for a complete redesign- and the new TRD Pro’s already come with snorkels for the first time noting an uptick in their game. Ford is set to release the Bronco in 2020 and Land Rover is bringing the Defender back to the U.S for the first time since the 90s.


Bottom line- our beloved Jeep Wrangler will face more competition in about 2 years than it has faced in the last 20+.


They will have to do something to keep the momentum. What do you think it will be?


  1. A Hemi V-8? -people pay $25K for this aftermarket- how many would buy it if it came from the factory?;
  2. An independent suspension, Sandstorm concept-type of “fast-off-road” style Wrangler comparable to a Raptor set-up?;
  3. A re-release of the Hard Rock Rubicon with more substantial off-road upgrades? What would they be?;

Any other ideas?
I think the true competition will come from interior amenities and "cool" new features each will have from a more creature comfort/aesthetic perspective. That will be a selling point to plenty of the market they're going after. I'm not sure if adding more and more off road capabilities will capture a wider market than what's already present.

Let's be honest, how many times do you hear "well it's a Jeep" if someone mentions something less than desirable performance/comfort wise (I know it's part of it's charm so please don't get defensive). I think the newer competition will eliminate (or try to get close) those things, maintain off road ruggedness while not crossing over into the regular luxury SUV market.

We shall see, personally I think Jeep has nailed it with the JL as far as evolution goes. I think greater competition will just force everyone to step up their game which is only better for the customer.
 
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I’m curious what everyone’s thoughts are around what Jeep will do to combat the competition it will face soon. The muscle car war drove incredible competition which led Chevy to bring back the Camaro and launch a ZL1; Dodge tried to
D803E2E4-610C-4181-98B9-CAFC638E3649.jpeg
end the argument with the 700+HP Demon, but Ford is set to release a GT500 that should beat them all….for now.


The same competitive forces are turning to the off-road world and I LOVE IT! The Tacoma TRD Pro, the Chevy Colorado ZR2, now the Ford Ranger Raptor. In about 2 years the SUV market will see the same.


The Toyota 4Runner is due (probably overdue) for a complete redesign- and the new TRD Pro’s already come with snorkels for the first time noting an uptick in their game. Ford is set to release the Bronco in 2020 and Land Rover is bringing the Defender back to the U.S for the first time since the 90s.


Bottom line- our beloved Jeep Wrangler will face more competition in about 2 years than it has faced in the last 20+.


They will have to do something to keep the momentum. What do you think it will be?


  1. A Hemi V-8? -people pay $25K for this aftermarket- how many would buy it if it came from the factory?;
  2. An independent suspension, Sandstorm concept-type of “fast-off-road” style Wrangler comparable to a Raptor set-up?;
  3. A re-release of the Hard Rock Rubicon with more substantial off-road upgrades? What would they be?;

Any other ideas?
Independent suspension?
 

RubenZ

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There is no Off-Road War because most people now days don't Off-Road. LOL. I mean if this is what you call OFF_ROAD WAR I don't think we have anything to worry about.

 

Sean L

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There is no Off-Road War because most people now days don't Off-Road. LOL. I mean if this is what you call OFF_ROAD WAR I don't think we have anything to worry about.

No body here is suggesting a Kia Sorrento (Even one with All Terrain Tires and disconnected swaybars) would even be in this war.

There are plenty of other examples of 4x4 vehicles that could compete with the Wrangler as far as actual off road capabilities are concerned. Tacoma TRD-Pro for instance, Would probably hang in the group with Sport and Sahara Wranglers without much difficulty.
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