Is it almost over for Jeep?

It's no secret that many (nearly all) of us hate the new Cherokee. The Jeep facebook posts about it garner huge amounts of disdain, and probably only 5% of posts are in favor of it. There are all kinds of excuses about why Jeep is doing what it is doing, but to me it rings hollow in most cases. I've long said that my objections are less about the mechanics and more about the styling. Terrible styling that is then badged with an iconic nameplate that we all know and love. It would be like Porsche putting "911" on a lawn tractor.

Now, they hit us with the 2015 Renegade. Talk about adding insult to injury! Let's blaspheme another legendary Jeep vehicle!! I wouldn't be nearly as angry had they called the new Cherokee the "Campgrounder", or called the new Renegade the "Picnicker" or "Soccermommer". I still wouldn't like them or buy them, but at least I wouldn't feel like I'd been slapped in the face by a brand I've been loyal to for years!

Out of frustration, I mocked this up in photoshop this evening:



Also, this is probably one of the funniest posts I've seen surrounding all of this:

 

it's all owned by fiat now. what did you really expect?

and I just don't understand the outrage over this and I never post in any of the "wtf is jeep doing" threads. but seriously? the market for people who want to by a stylish comfortable 4wd MASSIVELY outnumbers the last few old jeep enthusiasts (or college kids who can only afford XJ's). why would they ever cater to a single one of our needs? if we had our way they'd be manufacturing straight axled bricks all over again. and if they're naming them all Cherokees and renegades just to **** us off, well at least I get the joke.

they're not jeeps any more. just enjoy the XJ's we've got left and stop worrying about it

 

 

Well stated.

 

I remember the same outrage when Porsche finally decided to let air cooled engines go an move into the modern world with WATER cooled.

The sky was falling, the company would be bankrupt by the end of the year, it's not even really a Porsche anymore....

As far as I can tell, the company survived an seems to be thriving.

This is what happens when you build iconic vehicles, you gain a very vocal fan base who is loyal to that iconic vehicle. Anything you change from the shape of the headlights to the style of the engine causes that vocal fan base to absolutely lose their minds.

Sometimes the companies listen. All generations of Porsche 911 and jeep cj/wrangler had round headlights except the 996-911's and the yj wrangler. In both cases the company made a change to a different headlight shape, Porsche went "fried egg" jeep went square. In both cases the fan base lost their minds with complaints. In both cases, the next generation went back to round headlights.

That said, don't expect the 2019 cherokee to go back to our xj's.

 

Porsche went from air cooled right on to air cooled again?

 

At least that Bronco in the first post kinda looks like the original Bronco's did.

 

Lol, that would have kept the fan boys happy but alas it's just a typo. Air cooled to water cooled.

 

I was thinking Scout!!!

 

FIFY

 

As I stated in my original post, for me it's more about the styling and naming rather than the mechanics. It's not about boxy vs. curved. It's about attractive styling vs. ugly. The Grand Cherokee is curvy. And great looking. The Nissan Cube is boxy. And butt-ugly. The Grand Cherokee is comfortable and stylish without looking like it is powered by unicorn farts and designed by the folks that brought us Pokemon.
And, calling that new 2015 the Renegade makes about as much sense as the Mustang II did for Ford back in the late 70's.

The new Cherokee has a good engine, some nice tech, and a nice interior (too nice in my opinion for any real off-road use). The transmission is a "wait and see" affair that has had some issues out of the gate. The bottom line is that, I probably would be considering a new Cherokee at this point if the styling was more evolutionary than revolutionary, it had the ability to put a lift on it, and had an option to put some decent bumpers on it that could take a hit or two.

And there are still people that don't want all the electronic nannies being built in. Sure, I'd like a back-up camera to make hooking up my trailer easier. But I don't want to have to pay two grand to get it because it's only available with the technology package that has a bunch of crap I don't want. I don't care about auto or adaptive headlights. Dual zone climate control? No use for it. Tire pressure monitor? No thanks. I want a radio that maybe plays MP3's and has Bluetooth. What I don't want is a combination radio/navigation/vehicle info device that is molded to the specific contours of my dash and costs $2200 to replace if it stops working, and the car won't start without it.

I'm not alone in this respect. The Subaru BRZ is a call back to a simple driver's car without all the techno-gadgetry, and that decision was driven by consumer demand. I'd prefer they stop increasing the costs of new cars by forcing these kinds of things on buyers, and instead let our money be spent on things we do want. I'll trade you a touchscreen for a rear locker. How about you take out the adaptive cruise control and give me an on-board air compressor?

I know I'm ranting, but I truly feel that 15 years from now, this time period will not be viewed favorably in the history of Jeep.

 

what history of jeep? real jeeps died in the 80's and the Cherokee and the wrangler had a good run for a decade there, but I can't emphasize enough that it is no longer JEEP. the jk is cool but who knows how long that will last.

face it man. there's just not enough people who want to modify a 2014 car for anyone to give a bother. that's why there's XJ's for us to tinker with

I like the way the new Cherokee looks. I sure didn't at first, but it grew on me. and I'm sure the new renegade will too. just wait 20 years and folks like you and me can get our hands on these things and get a real good go at modding them out. that's how it's always been

just have faith that there are a lot of really well educated guys out there designing these things for a target market. they know a hell of a lot more than me or you, and it's all about money

 

Yep, you are right Jeep is done, time to start the mods on a C7.

 

What does everyone think about the 2015 Renegade?

I think they should have called this a Cherokee instead of the KL, this is better looking and looks more rugged than a KL which I think basically looks like just another minivan.

'

 

I want to see one lifted.