Top 10 Jeeps

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Squatch said:
Only one on the list that I have no love for is #8. Just was never a fan. The other nine listed are fantastic vehicles, in their own right. I'll take one of each, please... :)
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Just one? :)

I agree that #8 doesn't really belong there. Also, the CJ-7 looks so very stately in the photo they have included.
 
psrivats said:
Just one? :)

I agree that #8 doesn't really belong there. Also, the CJ-7 looks so very stately in the photo they have included.
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Yep, just the one. The CJ-7 in its stock form may need a little assistance to realize its full potential, but that Grand Cherokee is not even a good platform to improve on. Its value is in that it put more members of Joe Public behind the wheel of a Jeep brand vehicle. Beyond that, I cannot see what it offered the off-roading world in improvements that translated to any of the other models. To me, it's nothing more than a station wagon, and to tell you the truth, I could come up with a dozen station wagons I'd rather have than that GC. This is, of course, just my opinion, and, well...you know. ;)
 
That is a great list.

As for the ZJ Grand Cherokee, It wasn't what I was looking for back in 1996, I wanted an XJ Cherokee which the wife didn't really like. It was going to be primarily her car and she said it was too much like my 15 yr old VW Rabbit due to the fake vent windows and the ancient design of the interior, things like the sliders for the heater controls and other stuff. She looked at the window sticker of a ZJ and found out the price was similar an XJ with the options I wanted and many of those options were ZJ standard equipment. We did end up without a locking rear end but the electric windows were stock. With a towing package and the Up Country suspension it was only about $38 more than the XJ and came off the lot that day instead of waiting a couple of months to get an on order XJ. I found out how lucky I was not getting that 1996 XJ for her when 6 months later the 1997 XJ had a redesigned interior which was more like the ZJ and nothing like that old Rabbit.

Regarding the off road ability of our ZJ, and I did eventually end up with a used XJ, I'd say the off road ability was the same on both. While it was the wife's "car" I took it off roading with no problems except one time I broke a bumper mounted fog light, oops!

The WJ in 1999 should have not only never been on that list it really shouldn't have been called Grand or Cherokee, or even Jeep in my book. One of the first ones I pulled up to a traffic light behind I noticed that I couldn't even see the rear axle because it was blocked by the gas tank. What kind of departure angle was that supposed to be? A couple lights later I pulled up behind an Impala from the 1980s. The bumper was lower but I could still see almost half of the rear axle.
 
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I definitely agree with that list 100%. The TJ is just right. It's a balance between old and new. A Jeep that feels right both on-road (the coil springs make a big difference there, trust me) and off-road.

It's got just enough modern features to make you happy, but not so many that it would have you cursing at it while trying to do a trail repair.
 
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Squatch said:
Yep, just the one. The CJ-7 in its stock form may need a little assistance to realize its full potential, but that Grand Cherokee is not even a good platform to improve on. Its value is in that it put more members of Joe Public behind the wheel of a Jeep brand vehicle. Beyond that, I cannot see what it offered the off-roading world in improvements that translated to any of the other models. To me, it's nothing more than a station wagon, and to tell you the truth, I could come up with a dozen station wagons I'd rather have than that GC. This is, of course, just my opinion, and, well...you know. ;)
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@Squatch I meant, you wanted only one of each vehicle in that list ? Wouldn't one for driving and one for safe safekeeping be more prudent :) :D

Agree on everything you said about the GC.
 
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Devil's advocate about #8: We as off-road bias Jeep owners view the Jeep brand as that; a versatile off-road platform. Therefore, we as a community (forum), do not view the benefits of the GC to suit our needs. However, from Chrysler's viewpoint, they needed a way to get into the luxury/fancy pants market share, hence the GC.
The XJ was not luxurious, the TJ, well, it's not well suited for daily travel/usage for the average commuter. The GC is direct competition for the Ford Explorer, Chevy Blazer (going with introduction years) and any other full-size (mid?) SUV. Using this type of thinking, I think we can agree that the GC played a pivotal role in maintaining Chrylsers financial well being.
I do not think the GC is one of the "best" Jeeps of all time, but it is an important model to the lineup. Also, consider the publication of the list, had this list been placed on a financial/marketing, etc. type publication, it would make more sense to include the GC. When I see "Four Wheeler", I assume I am looking at an article aimed for an off-road audience.
I had more to write, but I'll leave it for future debate.
 
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S.McArthur said:
Devil's advocate about #8: We as off-road bias Jeep owners view the Jeep brand as that; a versatile off-road platform. Therefore, we as a community (forum), do not view the benefits of the GC to suit our needs. However, from Chrysler's viewpoint, they needed a way to get into the luxury/fancy pants market share, hence the GC.
The XJ was not luxurious, the TJ, well, it's not well suited for daily travel/usage for the average commuter. The GC is direct competition for the Ford Explorer, Chevy Blazer (going with introduction years) and any other full-size (mid?) SUV. Using this type of thinking, I think we can agree that the GC played a pivotal role in maintaining Chrylsers financial well being.
I do not think the GC is one of the "best" Jeeps of all time, but it is an important model to the lineup. Also, consider the publication of the list, had this list been placed on a financial/marketing, etc. type publication, it would make more sense to include the GC. When I see "Four Wheeler", I assume I am looking at an article aimed for an off-road audience.
I had more to write, but I'll leave it for future debate.
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I'm not trying to argue with you, or anyone for that matter, and I don't think all the Grand Cherokees should be included, but the ZJ, regardless of how strangely "luxurious" it was, was just as capable off-road as the XJ Cherokee. While it did compete with the Explorer, Blazer, and/or others in the "luxury" department there was no way any of them could keep up with it off road.

I do think it's kinda weird that "Four Wheeler" felt the need to mention the 2wd version of the Willys Station Wagon. Sure that's how it started out but we're not reading "Two Wheeler".
 
JEEPCJTJ said:
The WJ in 1999 should have not only never been on that list it really shouldn't have been called Grand or Cherokee, or even Jeep in my book. One of the first ones I pulled up to a traffic light behind I noticed that I couldn't even see the rear axle because it was blocked by the gas tank. What kind of departure angle was that supposed to be? A couple lights later I pulled up behind an Impala from the 1980s. The bumper was lower but I could still see almost half of the rear axle.
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I agree that it shouldn't really be on the list, but I wheeled one right from stock on 29's up to a 4" lift on 32's and I had no issues going where similarly built JK's (next to no TJ's are wheeled here) would go.
 
JEEPCJTJ said:
I'm not trying to argue with you
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Not taken that way at all, just opens the door for thoughtful conversation.

JEEPCJTJ said:
no way any of them could keep up with it off road.
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100% agreement, GC is competing with those models from the daily driver/commuter market, not off-road. Jeep needed to tap into the fancy pants SUV market hence the GC. It would not be cost effective to create a totally new platform requiring a complete overhaul of an assembly/production line, therefore, use the same processes as the other lineups but make it "fancy" for the masses.

From an off-road perspective; no, probably not the best platform to start a build, but from a marketing/financial standpoint; yes, the GC was a profitable model added to Chrysler holdings.

So, can the GC stay on the list?
 
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