2017 Wrangler to be Unibody...

[Cyclone.1983]

The JK was initially going to have IFS and that never happened, Jeep knows that if they change the Wrangler too much it will likely cost them the company and that the JK has saved Chrysler financially. If they add an aluminum body and put an efficient turbo diesel under the hood they solve many of their problems with meeting efficiency demands.

it wouldnt cost them the company. 95% of all wranglers dont see any time off the pavement. Thats just a fact. As long as they still produce a vehicle with removeable top and doors that has a trail rated sticker, they will sell even more than they do now. Facts are, manufacturers dont really care about off road community, itd be like a huge company catering towards midgets. Ya there is a lot of midgets, but not enough to matter.

 

[SSF556]

But sadly our govt is a bunch of idiots who do not support things such as an efficient turbo diesel that make sense.

Ummm no....there are multiple car companies in America that have vehicles with efficient diesel engines. It is the manufacturers that refuse to bring them to the market. Toyota refuses to bring a diesel to NA...end of story.

I do however agree with the idiot comment though....

 

[Jurfie]

They do sell an oil burner, if you are interested in living anywhere in the world except NA you can have one

FTFY.

I can see a turbo 4-banger for the unwashed masses, and an "eco"-diesel for the sophisticated (lol). Solid axles must be an option on the base model, and standard on the Rubicon (at the very least). Those are the two models that are most likely to be purchased by us midgets and used off pavement.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

it wouldnt cost them the company. 95% of all wranglers dont see any time off the pavement. Thats just a fact. As long as they still produce a vehicle with removeable top and doors that has a trail rated sticker, they will sell even more than they do now. Facts are, manufacturers dont really care about off road community, itd be like a huge company catering towards midgets. Ya there is a lot of midgets, but not enough to matter.

Maybe that is true where you live, but I guarantee that more than half of the Jeeps sold out west get used as they were designed quite often.

 

[aluke0510]

But sadly our govt is a bunch of idiots who do not support things such as an efficient turbo diesel that make sense.

Sadly our government is a bunch of idiots and just place laws on vehicle emissions and not the energy for the entire life of a vehicle from metals production through to scraping including vehicle emissions.

If you look at life cycle assessments they show that by switching to a primarily all aluminium car you gain a 25% improvement to fuel consumption (24 to 30mpg) which just barely offsets the significantly higher energy consumption of making aluminium. What these studies don't take into account is that there is not enough secondary aluminium and switching to aluminium cars requires the production of a significant amount of primary aluminium. Thirdly a significant amount of steel leaves the automotive industry and should be accounted for as a negative in CO2 equivalency to switching to aluminium since it reduces primary steel manufacture for other steel markets like structures, etc. If you take into account the production of more primary aluminium required and reduced overall primary steel as a result of the change switching to aluminium body cars is more harmful to the environment.

However, switching to diesel will lighten a vehicle if done properly and will reduce emissions during operation (and slightly during manufacture). Diesel is the way to go. That is until you ask the question of but what do we do with all the surplus petrol left over as a result of producing only diesel? That has to get counted as a negative to diesel since essentially you have to count the emissions of producing both while only gaining the benefits of burning one.

So essentially it is all a wash and if you believe in global warming we are all doomed. Only solution is human population reduction and switching to horse and buggy. Which will essentially happen since the earth will get so hot, and the storms will get so severe and the southern extremities (where temps are tolerable) will be covered in water from all the melted ice. Only the strong will survive. That is unless we recognise it now and half the population decides in order to save the planet they will sacrifice their life and the other half go back to the medieval time period way of life.

Otherwise I say lets just enjoy it while it lasts and not screw things up by making a unibody Jeep.

 

[haven]

Several outlets are reporting that a switch to aluminum for the body would mean the Wrangler would have to move production to a different plant. It would be too expensive to upgrade the Toledo plant to work with aluminum. If the Wrangler left, the Toledo plant would be modified to build other Chrysler products.

How about this scenario: Jeep introduces a new, smaller and lighter Wrangler two door model, using aluminum in the body and a small turbocharged 4 cylinder engine under the hood. The new Jeep is a return to the size of the Wrangler in the 1990s. The success of IFS models in the King of the Hammers and other desert races could be used to justify a change to IFS.

Then Jeep hedges its bets by continuing production of the current Wrangler Unlimited four door model, built from steel, in Toledo. Most all of the aftermarket gear would continue to fit on the steel four door. Jeep uses conventional weight reduction techniques so a smaller V6 can be used as the base engine.

Wrangler production is limited by the Toledo plant capacity. Removing the Wrangler two door would free up the line for 80-100,000 more Wrangler Unlimited models. Some of those might be the rumored Jeep Wrangler pickup, and Wrangler Unlimited with diesel engine.

 

[Jurfie]

Otherwise I say lets just enjoy it while it lasts and not screw things up by making a unibody Jeep.

LOL...best post in this thread. :friday:

 

[epiccosmo]

LOL...best post in this thread. :friday:

+1,000

 

[life_w_vagabonds]

Maybe they could make it so the doors latch the first time you close them.

I'd also like a parking brake that easier to adjust.

Did anyone mention hood flutter...

I know I know probably the government is to blame.

Sent from personal communicator

 

[Scott Brady]

it wouldnt cost them the company. 95% of all wranglers dont see any time off the pavement. Thats just a fact.

The Jeep Wrangler has the highest off-road usage reporting in the industry. Over 40% of Wrangler owners use their vehicles on the dirt.

For the others, it is the fact that they CAN if they NEED to. Do not underestimate the power of authenticity in the consumer mindset. Even the consumers that never use their Wranglers in the dirt know the difference between a Ford Explorer and a Wrangler off-road. It is the same reason why people buy Land Cruisers, because they know the vehicle is designed to last 500,000+ miles. Will the original owner ever drive them to that point? Not likely, but they know the vehicle is capable of it. They understand the quality, reliability and heritage of the model.

 

[plainjaneFJC]

You would think they could go aluminum body, but keep the frame, plus a new motor, to get to where they need to be on fuel numbers.

 

[Lurch]

Bah, I was looking forward to Wrangler crowd having to learn how to weld on a unibody.

 

[mikeJKUR]

I would prefer body on frame, but unibody would not be the end of the world. IFS/IRS however, would be the death knell. . .

see I am completely opposite. Unibody = end of the world. IFS/IRS = long travel, high clearance.

 

[Kevin108]

http://www.autonews.com/article/201...to-aluminum-for-next-wrangler-body-marchionne

What does that mean in terms of aftermarket parts and off road prowess?

It doesn't mean anything except you won't buy a body lift. Other than that, it will be like the old Cherokees. As long as it has solid axles, everything will be just fine.

 

[MOSDIF589]

Agreed….

Totally opposite opinion.... IFS, I don't like but it has come a long way but unibody would be the death of Jeep... There are a lot of very capable veh out there with IFS and solid frames. Hard core Jeepers could trash the IFS and install solid axles. You can do the same with unibodied vehs but over time the unibody will fail compaired to solid frame...

Just my 2cents...