There's news out of Detroit this month-and no, we're not talking about layoffs. Jeep has just revealed its line of new-for-2007 vehicles, and the newest Wrangler sports Dana axles, and a new V-6, as well as a Rubicon Off-Road package. Check out this month's "RPM" on page 14 for all the info.
While it's assuring to know that the Wrangler will still run on solid axles, many of the Jeep faithful have expressed concern over the other newest Jeeps, the Patriot and Compass, and what they seem to represent as a trend away from what has been Jeep's core business-building the most trailable out-of-the-box vehicles on the planet. Said to be based off the Dodge Caliber (ne Neon) chassis, the Patriot and Compass are, at first glance, more decidedly carlike in design than any Jeep vehicle seen in recent times, and one of them-the Compass-will not sport a "Trail Rated" badge or be offered with a transfer-case low-range gear.
To the true believers, Jeeps such as these-and, by extension, recent offerings such as the IFS Liberty, WK Grand Cherokee, and Commander-represent an abandonment by DaimlerChrysler of the 4x4 enthusiast segment that has been Jeep's bread and butter throughout the years, in favor of the fickle and feckless mass market-the millions of prospective buyers of grocery-getter SUVs whose vehicles will never see an inch of dirt. To the Jeep purists, the sentiment can be simply summed up as, "They're destroying the brand." We've heard those words from plenty of 'wheelers, both here in the office and out on the trail.
We're of two minds about this. Like most of you, we'd hate to see Jeep vehicles become virtually indistinguishable from all the other hatchbacks and cute-utes on the road. And something about a Jeep without low range strikes us as oddly ungratifying-like a bun without a burger in it. On the other hand, in today's world, any corporation that ignores the changing dynamics of the global marketplace-that falls back on safe strategies and cranks out the same old products, year after year and decade after decade, for a limited number of acolytes-runs the risk of becoming obsolete. (Do the words "International Harvester" ring a bell?) Remember too, there have been Jeep vehicles without transfer cases before-from Willys Wagons in the '40s and '50s to latter-day XJs and ZJs.
The way we see it, as long as Jeep continues to build a vehicle with a low range and a solid front axle, we're sure we'll eventually see them on our trails and in 4x4 shops across the country. The new Wrangler certainly looks to carry the dyed-in-the-wool Jeep tradition to the next level, and we'll applaud DaimlerChrysler for continuing to offer a vehicle for purists while looking to expand its global reach at the same time. It may seem like a death knell to some, but it strikes us as plain ol'-fashioned good business sense in the long run.
And even if DaimlerChrysler stopped making Trail-Rated Jeeps tomorrow, there's no reason they couldn't bring one back later-in an updated yet perfectly capable package. In a way, that's what Toyota has done with the '07 FJ Cruiser-combining current technology, throwback styling, and bare-bones aesthetics to produce a vehicle reminiscent of the 40-series Land Cruiser that hasn't been offered in the U.S. since 1982. It's perfectly trailworthy in stock trim, and while it boasts all the latest electronic stability and traction control systems, it also provides a forgiving platform for would-be fabricators. We just returned from trail-testing one, and you can read our impressions on page 30.
-Douglas McColloch