Official End of the JK, Friday April 27th, 2018
 

Adios...waiting for the JT, or an affordable JL to come along well before I give up my JK.

Was another great Jeep run, now only if they brought the REAL Cherokee (XJ) back w/ the updates the JL received :eek:

B

JT is gonna be a helluva lot less affordable than the JL, so don't get too excited. I've heard from a reliable source that it's intended as a niche vehicle and will be priced accordingly.

Yeah, that's why I said I'll be waiting :lol:

Totally NOT excited to hear the price, and likely not even an option after I've had my JK to Moab. I really like the dry storage space, the interior room, wheelbase...and most of all, especially after have my hangover scraping Scrambler...the departure angle on mine is freakin sweet!

Anyway, I'm not a JK hater, so I'm good w/ what I got for the time.

Man that article was harsh at the end.

The end of the article is accurate.

One thing to note is the wind noise. I drove a JL with 750 miles on it last week, and had wind noise around the doors. Bugged the sh1t out of me for a brand new vehicle with that price tag.

Meh, I've gotten wind noise in other high end vehicles, the JL I drove was everything you could ask for.

It's not a car :rolleyes:

That right there was likely their harshest feedback...people buying one thought they were getting into a car, they weren't. Which lead to low reviews and such, as the article stated as well...IIRC. Anyway, "it is what it" is never fit a vehicle better than a Jeep Wrangler :lol:

ppl get into $500,000 convertible cars and complain about wind noise ... these are the same ppl executing the pyramid scheme of hate.

It also had more bump steer than my old wheeler did. Metro Detroit roads and a 2 door Wrangler do not go well :lol:

I will say it was far more comfortable than the JK's I have driven. When I sit comfortably in a JK, my head is touching the B-pillar. Not so with the JLs I have been in...that is nice.

I had a 4dr Sahara JK as a rental in Canada this week and I thought it was incredibly quiet and comfortable. The ride was bit firm, but wind noise and tracking at 120kph (:f2:) was great.

Yeah, relative to a CJ/YJ/TJ, they are silent. Compared to a Mercedes M-class they are a little loud. Compared to the Bentley SUV I rode in a few weeks ago, JKs are like being in a tornado.

:lol:

Fukkin burn man.

It's easy to fix the wind noise. I was driving one this weekend. Had the freedom panels off for a while, got one of the seals folded over when I reinstalled. Took 30 seconds to fix and it's back to being quieter than my car, even on 35" KM2s.

Bump steer isn't bad at all on these. It's got front and rear track bars, so on major road disturbances they can get upset a bit, but it's not much different than most vehicles I've driven.

The wind noise seemed to be coming from the front of the door on the driver's side (normally passenger's side - this was a RHD model), at the window. Who knows.

It was also a 2 door, which I know makes it a bit more unstable. It seemed to get unsettled easier than anything I have driven in recent history, but a short wheel base, solid axle vehicle will definitely tend to do that. At least it didn't rattle at all.

Who knows...with how much of an after thought the interior design of the RHD model was (very little room around the pedals - trans tunnel, etc., was definitely meant for a LHD vehicle), I wouldn't be surprised if it was a result of the RHD steering design itself :lol:

Obviously they switch the direction of the front track bar to match the RHD draglink. I wonder if they switch the rear also? I seriously hope so, because it would make for some funky handling having the front axle push left on bumps and the rear push right, it would tend to cock the chassis slightly each time. We've got a RHD Brute downstairs, I'll check on that(not that it's the same).

Edit:
Brain fart. Front and rear track bars run opposite from the factory. Probably for the balancing effect so the chassis feels straight over bumps. Both ends are switched on our RHD Brute, I assume they did on JL also so that wouldn't be the issue.

Yeah, I thought they ran opposite directions from factory. I didn't even think to look at this one. I assume it is the same as the Brute you looked at...sadly, it is gone. I'll try to remember next time I see one

Man... if only. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

No kidding. Good lord that would be amazing :yes:

Realistically, how much would you be willing to pay for a "new" XJ?

I'd probably be interested if MSRP was in the 30-40k range, honestly. 2001 MSRP was in the mid-20's, so I don't think that is too far off assuming it would be equally as loaded with 'features' as the rest of today's vehicles.

4dr wrangler = XJ with drop top

Except that it isn't.

Body on frame? Yawn. :lol:

Agreed. It's got everything the XJ ever did, is roomier, quieter, faster, better MPG, and better features. The same people begging for the XJ back would never buy one, just like most of those people asking for a Jeep truck won't buy one either. They'll just complain that it's too long for offroad or too short for a practical truck.

Only thing the JK/JL unlimited is missing over an XJ is a straight six engine.

You're forgetting the most important part of the XJ.

The unibody! It simply would not have existed as a body-on-frame vehicle IMO.

I am discounting the uni-body from my list of missed items. It was built as a unibody for cost/weight savings. I don't see it as a real positive or negative, just don't miss it. The Wrangler Unlimited has filled its place in the line up nicely. Price-point is really the only place that it fails as a replacement for the XJ, but with the sales numbers the last five years or so, that does not seem like even it is much of an issue.

And the XJ's direct competition at or near its introduction, the S-10 Blazer and Ford Bronco, (could throw in the 4Runner and eventually Pathfinder) were all body on frame. I didn't see too many consumers thinking, "oh, I just want the unibody one".

I think why Xj's are popular are because they are simple as you can get, easy to work on and reliable (at least that's why I own one) No new car now days is going to be simple. Just not going to happen.

Goes for a first gen S-10 as well. OBD-II has eliminated simplicity, but I have to say my JK is more reliable than the XJ was at this point. (Knock on wood) But I have a heavy foot, so body on frame might be an advantage for me.

Eh I'd argue that. Gm engine management sucked in the 90s the 4wd was garbage with the vacuum actuators. The interiors fell apart. (I grew up a GM is the best kid) the Cherokee engine management imo is simple, the 4wd is a lever (for getting the cad garb). I drive a lot of jks at work. I prefer my Cherokee (and 10 years ago I used to hate on them so hard)

Yeah, but our first 4.0 cooling system bit the big one. 1980s technology had tons to wish for, but it led to what great engines we have today. :chug:

fify :)

Same thing, just rephrased.

I believe we would still be running with carburetors if the emissions and fuel economy regulations had not tightened. They have been the main driver to the major technological advancements in gasoline and diesel engines in the last 40 years.

Agreed.

Same thing for how much safer new vehicles are.

Bitch and moan about the fed gov and EPA putting their hands on Auto regs, but fact of the matter is that cars have gotten better overall because of.

Look at a 1990 Camry vs a 2010 camry. Night and day differences in terms of fuel economy, safety, etc etc.

At some point there would have been a point that they needed to move on technologically to get more power than last years' model in order to make sales. Seems that carbs were close to their limit. The regulations just steered everyone in the right directions speeding up the change. And folks say the government isn't good for anything.

It isnt.


You folks are out of your minds with the carb talk. Drivability alone would be pushing technology. Nobody is going to want to talk on their iPhone and have to pull a choke cable to get their new car to start. (Over the top example) Are they pushing to meet all these standards yes, they would still be making new advancements without them, maybe just a different direction or slower pace.

1990 Camry vs 2018 Camry, I bet the price points are pretty big too.

You wouldn't have much to see on the iPhone if the government's DARPA-NET hadn't come first.

No one doubts that technology would still be making cars better. But, the clean air push undoubtedly made these changes faster, and in the long run cheaper for the private sector to make thanks to the government funded R&D. America would suck without our private industry, would also suck without our strong democratic government. It is a pretty good partnership overall. Worst system of government and economy, except for all the others.
:chug:

Wait, you want an XJ with all of todays features? Thats a JK.

Todays "features" include side impact airbags, side impact crash zones, etc.

You either want an XJ as it was built 17 years ago or you don't.

Plus, haven many of you could even say you would pay $25k for a new XJ exactly as a fully loaded limited 2001 was optioned?

You'd look at it and go, this is all I get for $25k? The JK has more power, better fuel economy, better safety, more interior room, is quieter, etc etc for marginally more money.

BS people would buy that.