How far would Fiat have to go to lose you

[NerfHerder]

I've been a Jeep guy pretty much my whole life. I watched Mork & Mindy growing up just to see her CJ5 every week (Pam Dawber was hot, too, but I didn't realize it when I was 9). My first Jeep was an 85 CJ7, and I have owned two Wranglers.


But hearing some of the rumors about the next gen Wrangler, and the ongoing safety issues Fiat is having with the Cherokees and GCs, I'm a little worried that they may be tanking the brand.


I figured I would ask other Jeepers, what would "too far" look like for you? What would it take for Fiat to poison the well?


Also curious to see what mistakes (or improvements) you think they have already made.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

Too far for me would be IFS/IRS on the Wrangler.

Chrysler was just as bad as Fiat, making the Wrangler more car-like with every reiteration.

 

[Pixie Duster]

Not a matter of how far can FIAT go, but more of what are the other offers out there. I love my JK, but when the time comes I will be looking at all available options.

 

[brankz]

Too far for me would be IFS/IRS on the Wrangler. Chrysler was just as bad as Fiat, making the Wrangler more car-like with every reiteration.

shit they kill the wrangler with the 3.8

They should make a wrangler with a hemmi

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

shit they kill the wrangler with the 3.8

They should make a wrangler with a hemmi

They redeemed themselves slightly with the 3.6L, it's a strong engine. A Hemi option would be nice and the diesel is purportedly going to happen by the end of the decade. Love our 3.0L EcoDiesel so much we just ordered a second one.

 

[brankz]

They redeemed themselves slightly with the 3.6L, it's a strong engine. A Hemi option would be nice and the diesel is purportedly going to happen by the end of the decade. Love our 3.0L EcoDiesel so much we just ordered a second one.

wait! 3.0? That's a Diesel engine? How did you order one?

 

[superj]

i am done with getting wranglers, unless they are older then 07. we had an 07 and it was not comfortable, got bad gas mileage, and was cheaply made. the old tj was the last great wrangler, to me. the new wranglers are too big to do what jeeps should be doing, well, the four doors are. i never had a two door jk so i cannot say how those are

 

[TerryMason]

I'm on the fence about this. Wranglers have been selling like gangbusters, which I think is good for us overall - from a business perspective I'd say Jeep has been knocking it out of the park. Just keep putting special stickers on Jeeps and call them limited editions. This may not be what we enthusiasts want, but it's better than going the way of the Land Rover

Body on Frame - I think that getting rid of the body would be a big deal for the Wrangler. I'm not sure exactly how bad this would be, beyond killing body lifts.

IFS - I guess what Bounty said about IFS would be a huge blow, but if coils could be brought back in the aftermarket for a reasonable price (and be bolt on) the damage could be mitigated. Having said that, I wounder how many Wrangler owners have given up on Jeep because of death wobble - I personally know one guy who sold his because the dealer couldn't fix it.

Aluminum Body - I don't know any downside to this one. Perhaps it would add to the overall cost, but if the Jeep weighed less, and had been fuel economy that sounds good.

 

[Bounty__Hunter]

wait! 3.0? That's a Diesel engine? How did you order one?

The 3.0L is a diesel designed and manufactured by italian engine builder VM Motori. It's currently only available in the Grand Cherokee and the Ram 1500. My wife has it in her '14 Grand Cherokee and I just ordered a '16 Ram 1500 with the same engine.

Already plan on installing a GDE tune so the stock 27mph should shoot up to 30-32mpg highway. Hard to beat 16mpg when towing as well. It's a great engine.

 

[superj]

/\ good post.

 

[Jeepergeo]

Why don't they include and OEM CB radio?