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AN: Moab Cherokee and show reaction

16K views 82 replies 33 participants last post by  LeeRyder 
#1 ·

Mike Manley mentioned, almost as a throwaway comment, that the light blue Jeep Cherokee, shining brilliantly under a spotlight in the corner of the room, had recently run the Hell’s Revenge trail at Moab.  Rated moderate-to-difficult and not recommended for beginners, the trail has long, steep climbs on sandstone, with a lot of sand, as well as boulder fields and “many” spots where it’s easy to accidentally roll over.

We figured that any outer damage would have been dealt with, but that we could get a small measure of the Cherokee’s fitness by looking for damage underneath. Most of the Jeep was spotless, underneath and above, but we could see a heavy scrapes on one skid plate and some various bits of missing paint, evidence of tackling a tough trail. There was no sign of real damage, and some onlookers were surprised at how substantial the skid plates..

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#2 ·
From the article, there appears to be good initial press reaction. Also, RG is right about the "it grows on you" comment as it does take some time to shake off the years of programming to expect seven slots and a box.
 
#3 ·
sebring96hbg said:
From the article, there appears to be good initial press reaction. Also, RG is right about the "it grows on you" comment as it does take some time to shake off the years of programming to expect seven slots and a box.
??? Jeep hasn't had a box shape for nearly 14 years? Not exactly "programmed"...and...this still has 7 slots. ;)
 
#5 ·
fenderbass said:
Do we know for sure they ran the whole trail or bypassed some obstacles?
I covered this in the other thread, complete with trail description and bypass info. This car cannot run the run the trail in its entirety, but it can easily run the "Tip Toe around Hell" bypass, which is rated 3.5 and KJ approved.
 
#6 ·
fenderbass said:
Do we know for sure they ran the whole trail or bypassed some obstacles?
We dont know, Norm posted in another thread that particular trail requires 33" tires and that it probably was one of the bypass trails.
 
#15 ·
Back to the OP . . . two points. First, I can see why people who LOVE their Jeeps do not like the new design. I get it. That said, I can also see why Jeep took this approach, considering what people seem to be buying in this segment of the market. They took a huge risk with this vehicle, and they are trying to pull non-traditional Jeep buyers into the fold . . . at the risk of alienating current Jeep owners once their Liberty or Patriot or Compass needs to be replaced.

One thing I do know . . . when Jeep came out with the Liberty (the smaller one), the Jeep community complained, yet Jeep sold a lot of them. When Liberty.2 came out, people complained again, but sales initially went up. This is according to an account I read earlier today (I'll have to go back and find it). Jeep cannot continue to do nothing in this segment if they want to be successful. They have to innovate, because everyone else is.

That said . . . I've been looking at pictures of this new Cherokee throughout the day. I WANT to like it . . . I really do. And I can buy into everything behind the front fascia . . . but it just doesn't look right to me. Perhaps it will grow on me (as someone above eluded to). I really didn't like the new Escape when it came out, and I still don't like the front . . . but the profile and rear view have grown on me. We'll see if Jeep decides to make any changes before they hit the dealerships.
 
#16 ·
Bob-blehead said:
That said . . . I've been looking at pictures of this new Cherokee throughout the day. I WANT to like it . . . I really do. And I can buy into everything behind the front fascia . . . but it just doesn't look right to me. Perhaps it will grow on me (as someone above eluded to). I really didn't like the new Escape when it came out, and I still don't like the front . . . but the profile and rear view have grown on me. We'll see if Jeep decides to make any changes before they hit the dealerships.
Well despite the headlamp issues, I think the majority of complaints would go away if the front wheels were moved 4" forward (longitudinal engine) making for better approach angles and a more traditional profile.
 
#17 ·
MoparNorm said:
??? Jeep hasn't had a box shape for nearly 14 years? Not exactly "programmed"...and...this still has 7 slots. ;)
Not ALL Jeeps have had a box shape for nearly 14 years. Commander, Patriot, KK Liberty - all boxes.
Chad Kidder said:
Kinda off-topic, but I see this version has the Sky Slider Roof.
Correct - optional SkySlider or CommandView dual-pane roof.

freshforged said:
I think the majority of complaints would go away if the front wheels were moved 4" forward (longitudinal engine) making for better approach angles and a more traditional profile.
But lengthening the wheelbase leads to other issues.
 
#19 ·
Maybe mopar will have some off-road improvements for it , i can see it bottoming out on muddied roads here in east Tx .It needs options for lift, metal bumpers for winch ,maybe just taller tires? but i do like what i see. I wonder what it will cost and what 4 wheel system to pick?
 
#20 ·
freshforged said:
Well despite the headlamp issues, I think the majority of complaints would go away if the front wheels were moved 4" forward (longitudinal engine) making for better approach angles and a more traditional profile.
It's FWD!
If you move the wheels, the trans and engine move with it! That means the crush zone moves too, you get a longer car, you don't get approach angle. ;)
You are thinking correctly about the front, but FWD limits the ability to accomplish that.
 
#24 ·
#25 ·
To the issue that moving the wheels 4 inches fwd is somehow impossible on a FWD, traverse engine layout.....



Why couldn't they just more or less, mount the transmission upside down...or more to the point, why can't the half-shafts be coming out from in front of the engine/trans, IE, north instead of south?

That would move the wheels more than 4 inches toward the front of the car I'd think.....
 
#26 ·
uglyvaliant said:
To the issue that moving the wheels 4 inches fwd is somehow impossible on a FWD, traverse engine layout.....



Why couldn't they just more or less, mount the transmission upside down...or more to the point, why can't the half-shafts be coming out from in front of the engine/trans, IE, north instead of south?

That would move the wheels more than 4 inches toward the front of the car I'd think.....
Now I know why Bob had so much fun here!

Unless they reversed everything, the shafts would rotate the wrong direction... ;)

Seriously, cost, this layout is intended for FWD and AWD it would be prohibitively expensive to have two separate drive trains for each model car. Two castings, two transmissions, plus you have the PTU and front differential.
Even if feasible, you now have that crush zone that has to again move forward to clear the new transmission location and you end up with a car that has 70% of it's weight in the nose.
This illogical fascination with east west engine layout is severely limiting the flexibility of the common platforms. THAT should be job one at Jeep, quit trying to make car components stuff into a Jeep package and start making common Jeep packages to use across the Jeep line.
If they have Compass Patriot, KL and Grand Cherokee all cloned off of each other, it would make more sense than trying to turn Alfa's and others into Jeeps.
 
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