TTAC has an interesting editorial this morning about the Jeep brand. I thought it was a good read.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=4323

Not a bad read. A bit revisionist with a romantic soft-spot for the Wrangler. Calling the Patriot and Compass "demon spawn" didn't win any points with me... it smacked of the type of snobbery that really turns me off. "Real Jeep" this, "Real Jeep" that... unless the guy claims that a "Real Jeep" is a 50's era Willy's Wagon, then he is wrong. ;)

"Jeep’s current brain trust have recently moved the brand away from its mud-spattered proletarian roots." He has CJ-myopia. He views Jeep=CJ. I'll point to offerings of Willy's Wagon, Jeepster, Wagoneer, etc. as longrunning evidence that Jeep was always more than mud-splattering in the civilian market.

The true essence of Jeep is not the simplistic "off-road" view... but "utilitarian, no-nonsense function" for the common man.

Wranglers are insanely overpriced and are no longer for the common man. I can make a case that the Patriot is closer to the true roots of Jeep than the Wrangler Unlimited.

Wranglers are insanely overpriced and are no longer for the common man. I can make a case that the Patriot is closer to the true roots of Jeep than the Wrangler Unlimited.

I'd agree that stretching a wrangler to a 4 door is more of a "disgrace to the name" than creating a new platform to attack a new market segment.

As for the price of a Wrangler... they aren't attainable for the "average" person. Who wants to drop $25,000 on a vehicle that still has manual windows, rattles coming from everywhere, and handles like a bear on the highway. If anything, the Patriot, Liberty, and Grand Cherokee are the ones with the most "capability" in all conditions.

Willy's original idea was for forestry and farmers. I remember seeing old promotional footage showing it pulling a 3-bottom plow and was available with a PTO and pushed directly at farmers. I think Willy's kind of stumbled into the military market. I think all the vets coming home and wanting their own jeep is what brought it back as sort of an ATV of it's day. They formed clubs and had contests to see what it could do.

It wasn't until much later that trail crawling and 4-wheeling became a "sport" and became elitist in a way.

I too think the Patriot is a get-back-to-real-utility vehicle like the originals were. I don't think you will see one pulling a plow or running a water pump, but we live in a different world. However I would be interested if it could push a small snowplow. I doubt it due to it's construction and low 2000lbs pulling capacity, but hey, I can hope.

I know this will hack people off quite a bit, but I look at recreational driving like 4-wheelin' for fun as a questionable practice in the days of carbon emissions causing so many problems and gas prices so high working families have to cut back on other, more important things like food, clothing and their children's education just to get to work.

Let the flames begin.

Jeep is smart to change its course a little. These are new times, and gas prices will continue to climb (even adjusted for inflation).

They are expanding to new markets.

If they don't expand to the markets, somebody else will. Toyota and others are already trying to grab their bread and butter Wrangler with the FJ cruiser (so far unsuccessfully).

The 4 door Wrangler is a great addition to the line-up. There are people that want a fully off road vehicle with more passengers or cargo room. They want the raw Wrangler configuration with simple roll-up windows, not a Jeep Commander or Grand Cherokee with automatic everything.

(I own a 2 door wrangler btw)

If they want to grow as a company, they cannot do it by selling the same old gas guzzling off-road vehicles. Especially with competition that is trying to fill the same niche.

The author sounded like a bit of an elitist to me.


Jim