Would a Wrangler Sport work?

[ColoradoMike]

Agree with one exception. Loved the Jeep Cherokee. The new one trash. If they update that to the 90’s look and todays tech they’re have a winner. Compass and renegade should be canned.

I had an old XJ Cherokee and loved it. I then also had a couple of the new Cherokee Trailhawks, and loved them. Fully armored underneath. Smooth-operating 4-lo and locking rear diff. And really nice on the highway. It's not a Wrangler, and I wouldn't trade my Rubicon for one, but I thought it was a hell of a vehicle. I ran some solid shit in it, grinded those skid plates over some stuff, and it looked pristine on the way back into town. So, why the hate? Pure nostalgia because you liked the boxy look of the XJ? Everybody's entitled to their opinion on aesthetics. But for a smooth-driving SUV that also can do some legit stuff offroad (locking rears and skids), the 2014- Cherokee Trailhawks are pretty awesome, whether you like the way they look or not.

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[At Risk Ute]

Agree with one exception. Loved the Jeep Cherokee. The new one trash. If they update that to the 90’s look and todays tech they’re have a winner. Compass and renegade should be canned.

I completely agree. Looks too much like the GC.

 

[Heimkehr]

Joe uses an example that I should have mentioned in my first post. (Thanks. ?)

Yes, the Jimny/Geo Tracker construct could be a starting point for the development of a lower-calorie Wrangler.

 

[mwilk012]

800,000 vs maybe 100,000.

They sell more transit vans than expeditions and aviators combined. It’s a more significant part of the market, not competing with trucks. Ram trucks occasionally beat out the f series, as seen in 2021 for at least 1 quarter I can find clear data on. Pro master vans can’t keep up.

 

[jessedacri]

I think Bronco Sport is the dumbest crap to ever grace this segment. Call it something else, it's not a Bronco - and it doesn't follow the already established norm in the 4x4 segment that the Wrangler Sport has been a Wrangler for decades. It's confusing to the consumer and dilutes the Bronco brand as the average onlooker sees "BRONCO" and assumes that little crossover is what's been hyped up so much. Didn't help that it was the only thing out there for the longest time due to the delays on the real truck.

Jeep has done it right with offering lower end more econobox fiat-derived stuff under names like Renegade, Compass, etc. That's where they belong, not under the damn flagship 4x4 moniker.

 

[jessedacri]

Agree with one exception. Loved the Jeep Cherokee. The new one trash. If they update that to the 90’s look and todays tech they’re have a winner. Compass and renegade should be canned.

Probably a pipe dream but I wish they'd go back to a Cherokee that had at the least a solid rear axle. We went from having the XJ to having these glorified minivans on IFS/IRS with a low gear. There's essentially nothing in between the Wrangler and everything else Jeep makes. It's all independent suspension stuff with big bulbous car body panels and boring drivetrains. Both the Wrangler and the Cherokee used to be viable off road rigs.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

Joe uses an example that I should have mentioned in my first post. (Thanks. ?)

Yes, the Jimny/Geo Tracker construct could be a starting point for the development of a lower-calorie Wrangler.

I agree. If Jeep built soemthing similar it would be a knock off of a Jeep knock off. Confusing, but think about it. These Jimnys and Samurais were knock offs of the CJ. A samurai was nearly the size of a CJ5, not unlike this current Jimny.

Inline 3 (manual) or small 4 (auto). Hardtop, with 2 removable roof panels as an option. Auto and AC only on limited packages. No power windows or locks. The only entertainment would be an optional pair of removeable. Bluetooth speakers that would link with the owners phone. No carpet, no tint, vinyl seats with the back seat optional. Start it at $17,900 and stand back.

Jeep could also buy out Mahindra’s Roxor operation and adapt it for the road. Simply call it the Jeep Chip (as in off the old block) or CJ II. It could even get an updated CJ5 shaped tub and be called CJ5 II. It is already able to be converted to street legal in many states. As simple as it is, a battery electric in town vesrion could be easily built. They could lower the prices that Mahindra builds them for due to better supply/contractor/vendor deals.

Would these damage JL sales? I doubt it, they wouldn’t be good for long distance travel or family use. But they would sure put a dent in Utility vehicle sales if you could drive to town in it and get some cold beer after a hard days work. I also think you g people who don’t earn enough to jump into the current new car market, unless it’s a soulless ecobox, would be drawn in. Let’s face it. For what the cheapest, basest Wrangler costs you can buy a real nice practical, sensible car.

I could see a bunch of them in places like South Padre Island, Destin, Hilton Head, Telluride, Tahoe, etc.

 

[Shibadog]

The Roxor is basically what Jeep was a few decades ago. No “luxury” features, just a basic, go anywhere vehicle that you can run through a carwash Inside and out. People have gotten very spoiled with all the high tech specs, but I’d think there would still be a market for a solid “base” 4x4. I had one of the old Suzuki Brute’s many years ago-36 hp two cylinder 2 stroke, cold drafty, slow, BUT it would literally go anywhere. I’ve got a Yamaha Rhino now and that old Suzuki would go anyplace the Rhino Will AND it was streetlegal. Loved the little beast. I’d buy another today without hesitation

 

[four low]

If Only ! Sweet Dreams of Basic Machines ! Congress has mandated so many Nanny Features that the "basic" vehicle will never be " bare bones " again.

 

[Enfield]

Jeep already has a problem with an oversaturated lineup of "complementary" models, given the size of the subsidiary and the relatively limited capital they have to design and develop new vehicles.

If Stellantis/Jeep wanted to really push a strong competitor to the Bronco Sport (which is IMO a branding fail, just like Mustang/E-stang), they should kill the Compass and then consolidate their resources into making the Cherokee a class-leading vehicle in its segment... which it could be.

Fundamentally I think Jeep relies too heavily on lifestyle branding to risk diluting the Wrangler. Ford doesn't live or die on the success of the Bronco like Jeep does on the Wrangler.

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