Ok, Jeepin, I don't mind that you are expressing your opinion, and I don't mind that you have a diametricly opposed opinion from mine, but what I am failing to comprehend is I why you are not even reading what is being written...

Either you are too young to remember, or to old to have a working memory, but let's have little Scrambler 101 here...(read in a condesending tone) The Scrambler was a 2 door extended tub CJ...It had a 2 seater pickup top with a slide-in tub seperator to enclose the cab from the bed area if you wanted to have a mini pickup.

However, the removable center section could be pulled out, and it had an extended hardtop (which are very rare now) and an extended soft top (the replacement is still made by Kayline) which would enclose the rear bed area to make s 4 seater...

I should know...WE OWNED ONE...

Any way, I respect your opinion on the Willys, but I don't think you are considering the mission of each individual vehicle...

The Wrangler (Whether the JK or TJ) handles terrain by torque and articulation, it is nicely equipped with good seating, a high torque engine and excellent gearing, a good stereo system, carpeting, full size spare, removable hardtop and soft top...It is also priced proportionally to its appointments, and aimed at people who are establsihed in employment.

The Willys, although a concept, if produced was to be aimed at the entry-level market, kids who would otherwise be buying tuners and mini-pickups, and putting on thousands of dollars of CRAP on them...It had decent articulation, and, yes, higher ground clearance and larger tires, but that was to make up for the small 4 cylinder engine which was essentially a 1.6 L MINI Cooper S supercharged engine (shared development with BMW) that needed to be supercharged to make acceptable torque for offroading.

The Willys was very simple in appointments, basic seats, no carpeting, just an amplifier for the I-Pod, it had a simple hardtop, and I am assuming a simple sodt top (Although I never saw a picture of a soft top, I thought I read that it zipped directly to the Rollcage.

Both would perform well, but the Wrangler would win out, if for no other reason, that customers expect to get what they pay for....

(With my best Bill Cosby imitation) NOWWW...The Willys I am calling for is again to be aimed at the Tuner/Scion/Minipickup crowd, but based on the Compass/Patriot platform, again flexible platform sharing, the Willys would not need to sell 100,000 units itself, but it would have the 172 HP world engine, the CVT2L Transaxle, 4 wheel independent suspension, and a simple interior...

Again, I say, with the JK Starting somewhere in the area of $23,000 for an X 4x4, and a theoretical Willys entry model priced at around $14,000, they are in completely seperate markets. 4-5 seats in an JK is like a limo, and 4-5 seats in a Willys would be more like a PT Cruiser.

As far as capability, the Wrangler would win out with Torque and Brute Strength alone...

The Willys would perform with ultralow gearing and light weight, but that light weight would be a curse on steep inclines with the 4-banger, hence the low gearing..

But I still say, if you can afford a Wrangler, what are you doing looking at a Willys (Theoretically, of course).

The Liberty photos on the web site are the best I've seen, and I have to say it looks pretty good. I was worried it would be too much like a Nitro, with gun-slit windows. I think they'll sell well. It looks more macho than the current, and most users will like getting the spare off the back. I know it's better for trail tire changes, but it's hard to keep the back of the car clean. Call me a wimp. I carry a plug kit and pump, and have never cut a tire so that a plug wouldn't get me home.

We've enjoyed our 2005 Liberty, though it's a bit low. They're great around town, and get the job done on moderate trails. I don't like the button for the transfer case, but my wife will, and that's half the market. I'll buy one of these when my lease is up. Nothing else fits as well. I love the 4 door Wrangler, but I like a solid roof with rails for my canoe and gear.

The JT is more a pickup, I don't recall anyone naming it the 'Scrambler', just the JT concept...A 2 Dr Unlimited is a 4 Dr Unlimited with 2 doors welded shut...The JT is closer to a pickup truck in function (as a 2 seater), a 2 Dr Unlimited would be closer to what the Scrambler was, as a 4 seater that could be closed off as a 2 seat mini pickup, or have a full top to make it a fully enclosed 4 seater.

As far as the Willys2 Concept, how could a basic 2 door, 4-5 (small) seat 4x4 compete against the Wrangler? The only people to be worried would be SCION, as a fully loaded Willys was originally targeted to be less than a base Wrangler, so if it were built, that would/could put a production base Willys at around 1$4,000.

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In regards to the 20 new vehicles don't count out some concepts that were cut off by the DC merger, as well as ones that would have been nixed by a more conservative DC leadership, such as...
2 Door Unlimited Scrambler (a no brainer),
Jeep Willys concept (built on the Compass platform)
Dodge Copperhead
Dodge M80
Jeep Dakar/Rescue

I'd like to see these get a new shot at life, especially a Jeep Willy's concept... It would be more appealing and more profitable to have a Baby Jeep that can outperform all of the other cute-utes than a 'WRC' inspired Compass that cannot compete with other WRC cars either on the street or off-road.

I hope they put the new logo as an emblem on the front fenders like they used to. GM has started doing this again. I've got a 67 Dodge Dart with a gold pentastar and think this would bring back memories for old timers and also bring a sense of inclusion to the younger geration of new Chrysler buyers.

It was interesting to see that they were going to be offering a Hybrid Hemi with the MDS. Now when will it be put into a new wrangler...cause we know that the diesel is a ways away.

This is all really exciting. You can't help but feel a little nostalgic seeing that penastar logo back. What are the 20 new vehicles in the next 18 months? Are they counting the Liberty? Since the entire Jeep lineup will be four years or newer I wonder if there is any other new Jeep in that 18.