They should have made TJs until 2010!

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Biggest issue I see with the hybrid Jeep is the complexity...I just about see the hours long videos on fixing them.

Electric should be simple.

Electric hub motors on all four wheels for IFS or single motors in solid axles. No transmission or driveshaft. Just a charger, batteries, a cooling system and wires.

Toss in a small ICE or diesel if you want a hybrid.

Manufacturers are making these too complicated for the sake of parts commonality...

-Mac
Yah? Interesting, because in my eyes things like Jeep, offroading and overlanding should not be mixing with current hybrid and electric concept, in its current state, AT ALL. Two completely opposite concepts that rely on approaches that contradict and go against each other purpose, in every way.

Sometime when i read your posts, i wonder what planet did you teleport from.
 
Way gas prices are now...that's a good thing...with all the modern computer stuff you can do it and still have plenty of torque and HP.

-Mac
The problem is how it is achieved. I have a friend with a 1988 Honda Civic with a manual. It can get 40mpg highway easily, but it also weighs almost nothing in comparison to modern vehicles. You can't have heavy vehicles that meet safety standards and simple engines that get great fuel economy. All it means is that more vehicles will be hybrid or partial EVs with direct injection turbos and CVT transmissions. What you gain in fuel economy (which is arguably only in optimal conditions especially on turbo charged cars/trucks) is miniscule compared to the increased purchase price and maintenance/repair costs.
 
We need this little guy here! Not a very quick thing though but looks fun

https://www.globalsuzuki.com/automobile/lineup/jimny/
View attachment 322459
Two year wait for a new one in Australia. They are very popular here, but then again they always have been! We called them a Suzuki Sierra Asia always called them a Jimny I think US called them a samurai? anyway they have been a top seller in Australia since the late 1970,s, Name in Australia changed to Jimny when they stopped the soft top I think?
In Asia most of the Suzuki jeep types were 2wd but were and still are 4wd in Australia.
 
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The internal combustion engine has pretty much reached its ultimate efficiency/power/torque limits. There aren't any more tricks in the bag to improve them.
As in up to today as far as limits?

Because of the last few years we have seen cylinder deactivation under light engine load, tighter tolerances internally, direct injection, lighter parts to make up the engine components, start stop technology, and a lot more. I dont think the internal combustion engine has seen it’s end of life yet.
 
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As in up to today as far as limits?

Because of the last few years we have seen cylinder deactivation under light engine load, tighter tolerances internally, direct injection, lighter parts to make up the engine components, start stop technology, and a lot more. I dont think the internal combustion engine has seen it’s end of life yet.
We're running up against material constraints for combustion energy efficiency right now. Steel can only get so hot before deforming and only hold so much pressure. There's a lot of research going into ceramics or ceramic/metal alloys, but not much progress up until now. If someone can figure out how to achieve ceramic cylinders & pistons, there will be another huge jump in efficiency.
 
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Are sales numbers published by year from 97-2006?

I wonder if they saw numbers dropping and wanted to refresh the model to bring up sales again?

But like already mentioned, it was a plethra of mandates from the Gov that pushed them to redesign.

While I’m not the biggest fan of four-door Wranglers (I have a 21 JLU) what a genuis move by JEEP at the time. They’ve sold so many Jeep’s because of the four-door Wrangler.
 
Are sales numbers published by year from 97-2006?

I wonder if they saw numbers dropping and wanted to refresh the model to bring up sales again?

But like already mentioned, it was a plethra of mandates from the Gov that pushed them to redesign.

While I’m not the biggest fan of four-door Wranglers (I have a 21 JLU) what a genuis move by JEEP at the time. They’ve sold so many Jeep’s because of the four-door Wrangler.
Sales were steadily increasing from a low point in 2002, but they spiked from about 80k sales in 2006 to almost 120k sales in 2007. Those numbers are based on calendar year though, so maybe sales were driven by discounted TJs in addition to the JKU?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep_Wrangler#Sales
Lots of reasons already mentioned for the TJ to be on it's way out, but no doubt the increasing popularity of larger SUVs paved the way for the JKU to dominate the market. I see so few 2 door JKs and JLs on the road that they look out of place.
 
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Yah? Interesting, because in my eyes things like Jeep, offroading and overlanding should not be mixing with current hybrid and electric concept, in its current state, AT ALL. Two completely opposite concepts that rely on approaches that contradict and go against each other purpose, in every way.

Sometime when i read your posts, i wonder what planet did you teleport from.

Planet Oregon but I'm originally from Planet California... =)

Isn't one of the best things you can do to an overlanding rig is to add batteries, solar panels and all that?

Why not just have an electric vehicle like the Rivian...even has a pull out kitchen.

Price is insane.

And we've got 8 cent a kilowatt electricity here from all the hydropower... totally get that not making sense elsewhere like Hawaii.

Consumers keep demanding and buying bigger vehicles. Agreed they are generally safer...but bigger vehicles are also more dangerous to other vehicles. That demand leads to higher vehicle purchase prices...and higher used car prices.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkb...-now-almost-as-big-as-the-tanks-that-won-wwii
As always I just wish we'd all just get everything we want. =)

-Mac
 
There isn't enough lithium in the world to replace ICE with EV. So battery technology will need to evolve past lithium batteries.

But that's not what they want. They want you to stop driving.

Capacitors would be good.
 
Are sales numbers published by year from 97-2006?

I wonder if they saw numbers dropping and wanted to refresh the model to bring up sales again?

But like already mentioned, it was a plethra of mandates from the Gov that pushed them to redesign.

While I’m not the biggest fan of four-door Wranglers (I have a 21 JLU) what a genuis move by JEEP at the time. They’ve sold so many Jeep’s because of the four-door Wrangler.
Yes, they are out there- I can’t remember any particulars.

The Tj had a long production run for one body, 3 engines and 5 transmissions-to me it was the platform that proved a warmer, cooler, better driving, more comfortable yet capable Jeep was what the market wanted- and paved the way for the JK.
 
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Are sales numbers published by year from 97-2006?

I wonder if they saw numbers dropping and wanted to refresh the model to bring up sales again?

But like already mentioned, it was a plethra of mandates from the Gov that pushed them to redesign.

While I’m not the biggest fan of four-door Wranglers (I have a 21 JLU) what a genuis move by JEEP at the time. They’ve sold so many Jeep’s because of the four-door Wrangler.

From Jeep Forum. I think there is a similar chart for the LJs in the years they were made.

Jeep Wrangler TJ 1997-2006 Global.jpg


edit - here are the LJ numbers - total almost 56k over 3 years. Below table is from allpar.com. Note that the TJ numbers slightly different from above table but overall similar ballpark. Just short of 1 million vehicles which is impressive. The above table is from a well established member who had access to production information and it looks like that above table includes both LJs and TJs.

TJ1997199819992000200120022003200420052006Total
Standard149,073108,17496,369105,55674,24976,83176,51790,52566,86165,340909,495
Unlimited13,02820,25722,68555,970
Total149,073108,17496,369105,55674,24976,83176,517103,55387,11888,015965,465
 
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I think the Wrangler line should have stayed largely what the CJ/YJ/TJ was. I think when Jeep decided to expand their most heavily cherished utility vehicle into a more diverse market share they made a mistake. If I was king I would have kept the new Wrangler generation unchanged and released a vehicle like the JK as the re-release of the Cherokee. The JK almost looks like an upscaled XJ.

That would have freed up their smaller SUV's to be their economical options and the Grand Cherokee could have filled the role of a large family vehicle. I think this would have gave them the same kind of diverse control of the SUV market that they had in the 80's and 90's. Instead through the late 00's and 10's they've released largely unremarkable vehicles. Imagine if they released a new generation of TJ with a mild diesel option from the factory? And then dropped the 'Cherokee' JK?? The market would have ate it up.
 
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