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Devil's advocate with the KJ

I know a lot of traditional jeep owners are undewhelmed by the Liberty, so I thought I'd ask a few questions. Keep in mind these are only for discussion: A KJ would not suit my needs so I'll never buy one. I'm keeping my XJ for a long time, then I might look at a newer one or else a grand.

  1. Why is a Liberty considered "less a Jeep" than a Grand Cherokee? At least a Liberty has distinctive styling, and last time I checked the Jeep Jamboree people thought a KJ was capable on the trail.

  1. How many KJs were sold in their first year compared to XJs in their last year? I seem to notice more KJs than late model XJs on the road.

  2. Isn't the market for basic mid-sized SUVs slowly declining in favor of "blown up cars" like the KJ, Ford Escape, Honda CRV, and full sized soccer mom vehicles like the Suburban and Expedition?

  1. If you took an XJ and outfitted it with the types of ride qualtiy and creature comfort things most buyers expect now, wouldn't you pretty much have a Grand that was just a bit shorter?

Reply to
Monte Castleman
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Reply to
L.W.(ßill)

Monte Castleman did pass the time by typing:

A discussion that has been ran over so many times it's almost as thin as my hair.

try google.

Reply to
DougW

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Reply to
Simon Juncal

IFS. And to a certain extent, the V6. At

Generally Jeep Jambos will have anywhere from 1/3 to 1/2 newbies, and they will pick the easier trails. The KJ is quite capabale for what it is.

Don't know but the KJ is one of D-C's best selling vehicles.

Bingo.

Yep.

The problem many people have with the KJ is they believe it signals a new path that Jeep will take in design for *all* its models. Some concern is warranted, yes, but D-C knows better than most people here believe what Jeep means to its "hard-core" customers, not just soccer moms...that said I'm still not going to remove my "It's A Jeep Thing, Daimler Doesn't Understand" decals just yet...

  • * * Matt Macchiarolo
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Reply to
Matt Macchiarolo

Let me preface this by saying a purchased a KJ "Sport" last May. Using a scale of 1 to 10, with "1" being a washboarded/potholed dirt road, and a "10" going up a trackless rock climb (like out in Moab), I wouldn't take it on more than a "5". This was a "road" going up at 40 degrees, lots of rocks, etc. It did very nice in 4wheel low. I would have liked to have a tad more clearance, oh well. I did not experience any problems with the IFS, if anything, it seemed to give a slightly smoother ride.

It comes down to what the vehicle's purpose is. I can't afford to keep something for weekends only, I have to use the same vehicle for my everyday life. The KJ provides a nice compromise. If I want to do something beyond its bounds, I'll go out with my friend in his CJ.

Incidentally, according to my dealer, the 2005 Grand Cherokees are also being redesigned along the same lines as the KJ. He also said that they're going to go to IFS. Gonna be "interesting" (grin).

Regards,

Bruce

Reply to
Bruce Yelen

It isn't ";ess a Jeep" so much as it is a lesser Jeep. The independent front suspension is a large part of the problem. Basically, the rule of thumb is anything that improves road worthiness will detract from trail worthiness.

Really? I hardly ever see them.

No. This is a myth. There is a market for this size, and it is growing mostlly because it is a new size in the class. The other sizes on the class have probably attracted its customer base already, so it is a mature market.

Just a bit shorter? I don't know about you, but from where I sit, it is a tad bit more that a bit shorter.

The KJ ought not attract anybody that is interested in any kind of serious offroad travel, the ZJ and WJ are excellent offraod performers, albeit a rather expensive option if one wants an offraoder. The KJ is an excellent choice for the frequent freeway flyers and occasional offroaders, but it is worthless for the frequent offroader and occasional freeway flyer.

Reply to
CRWLR

Salesmen/company reps are always completely knowledgeable and never lie, of course.

Who cares? What does this have to do with off-road worthiness?

See response to previous question.

No.

Reply to
E.L. Lambert

the germans have no clue so they dumped the xj! now for the wj it's going bye bye and will look exactly like a liberty but longer and wider

i seen > I know a lot of traditional jeep owners are undewhelmed by the Liberty,

Reply to
mic canic

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