While exploring the forums of Autotalk.com on this particular friday, one thread brought up an interesting question: does the Jeep Wrangler currently have any competition. Sure, it is an SUV with four-wheel drive and with the current generation’s optional four-door unlimited model, the Wrangler has finally expanded its market. On the paper, it could very well compete with other similarly sized SUVs and crossovers, such as the Honda CR-V, Toyota Highlander or Ford Escape. It is only when you look deeper into the Wrangler’s history and what it actually is that you come to the conclusion that in today’s industry, it is in a class alone.
With a history so rich that numerous books have been writing on it alone, the Wrangler has been around in some shape or form since the 1940s. The old, flat-fendered Willys military Jeeps were never meant to compete in an automotive world or be driven to the store on a Sunday. When AMC took over the rights for the Jeep and spawned the historic CJ model line of civilian SUVs, the world fell in love. Built to be fun and used hard, creature-comforts were thrown out the window so drivers could experience what it really meant to be one with a vehicle. It may have been through a lot of trim changes and owners, but the current Jeep Wrangler looks awfully similar to the first CJs of the 1960s.
When the Wrangler was still known as a CJ, it had legitimate competition. Vehicles like the full-size Ford Bronco, Chevrolet Blazer, the European Land Rover and the original Japanese FJ Cruiser all were built to take away CJ sales. They shared the same philosophy: bare-bones interiors, high-torque engines, low-range four-wheel drive, tall suspension and body parts that were easily removed. This philosophy was so common, that many people referred to trucks like the Bronco and FJ simply as “Jeeps”. Fast forward to today however, and look where the Wrangler’s competition is now. The Bronco and Blazer are dead; replaced with car-based crossovers with the importance of fuel economy. The Land Rover is basically a lifted Jaguar and the FJ Cruiser was remade into a bloated, full-bodied grocery getter. The Wrangler on the other hand can still have its doors easily removed, still has a solid axle front suspension, still has nothing other than a radio on the inside and can still go anywhere it pleases with ease.
Chrysler LLC, the Wrangler’s current parents, bills the vehicle this way. They make no attempts to hide what it really is and because of that, buyers flock to this special truck. It has massive flaws: its ride is bouncy, it isn’t very fast, it creates a lot of road noise and for some reason, it gets broken into a lot (especially the older Wranglers where the only thing required to break into one is a pen). Those flaws, are the main reason people continue to buy the most famous Jeep. No one makes excuses for the Wrangler’s faults and instead, most owners flaunt them. It’s a right of passage to experience a Jeep’s issues first hand. The Wrangler community is so tight that this truly unique vehicle, no matter how crude it is, will always have buyers and a market all to itself. For this, the Jeep Wrangler no longer has competition.
http://www.autotalk.com/forums/honda/jeep-wrangler-good-choice-suv-whats-better-hylander-705/
Do you have a Jeep Story you’d like to share? Do you think that a vehicle such as an Escape could take sales away from the Wrangler? If so, sign up to Autotalk.com’s forum page and post away. Or, share your thoughts on this story’s comment page.
