The Jeep Wrangler, redesigned in 2006, is an old-fashioned vehicle, particularly if you look at its axle setup. Both axles are solid, taking its inspiration (like it has for everything else) from the World War II’s military general purpose vehicle. These have the advantage of offering superior degrees of wheel articulation, thus being excellent off-road and for fitting custom parts to easily.
However, AutoNews says that the next-gen Wrangler, due in 2016, may ditch the traditional setup, and just go down the wishbone route like everybody else. This would make it a far better road-going SUV, and would put it in line with all of the other models in the Jeep range, none of which retains the solid axle idea.
If this is done, there will be many who will complain that it’s become just another model in the Jeep lineup, but they’ll probably keep the familiar styling cues so as not to estrange all of its buyer base. Make no mistake; it will still remain a capable off-roader, though it is reportedly going to be more heavily reliant on electronics – taking the Land Rover route to conquering the terrain by way of rotating knobs and switches.
This news comes after the model recorded 11 percent better sales through September of this year, so it’s still appreciated as is, and would be for years to come. Still, a new and fresh approach is not bad in principle, especially since Jeep brand boss Mike Manley said "We're already in an environment where it's a challenge to produce a vehicle in that way, and it's going to get harder," making it clear that "What I can tell you is that the vehicle is absolutely fundamental to our DNA, and it's going to become progressively harder to make sure that the vehicle meets all of the standards that are required for it."
At least Mr. Manley is aware of the consequences of getting it wrong, as he jestingly concluded that "Frankly, I know that if I screw up the next Wrangler, then I probably wouldn't be able to leave my house for a long time."
By Andrei Nedelea
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