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This is what I thought the new Jeep would look like; they make auto parts for Jeep among other Autos. I cannot confirm that they are showing the actual 2005 Grand Cherokee since after further review this is the 1999-2000 Commander Concept.

here is my comment First the 2004 Durango and now
the 2005 Grand Cherkee. Bring back Tom Gale only
if that could be possiable. Trever Creed should be sent

back to design school, or better yet clean house and hire new desingers! I guess every car company has there

I was just getting excited about getting the new GC after I turn in a lease car next January. I owned a 97 GC, which I liked, but swore I would never buy another Jeep due to poor reliabilty, expensive maintenance, etc. I then leased a 2000 GC, which I loved and had better reliability (still expensive to service).

In order to keep up, the new model needs to be new. It shouldn't take this many years to end up with such minor tweaks -- this one may have been great in 2002, but not for 2005. I just hope the official introduction turns out to be a pleasant surprise.

Jeep took the position that they had to feminize the current GRAND CHEROKEE because in the late ninties their surveys told them that women were buying SUV's. I think that the ladies now have the LIBERTY for their consumption. The new concepts now are being directed at the HUMMER customer and will lose that buyer when the H3 is on themarket. They should go forward with the COMMANDERS CONCEPT's appearance it is a fresh face for a JEEP. What is the use of putting all these concept vehicles together if they never follow through on them. That is also directed at the Willy's II vehicle that is unique and much more plausible than the COMPASS (waste of time)Take the ISUZU VEHI
OSS, it was ahead of its time and should have been a product that Jeep should have come up with.

"That is NOT the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee WK" - Chad S.

How do you know this, have you actually seen the WK? I've read a lot of posts about the pics and many Jeep experts feel they are representative of what the WK will look like.

That is NOT the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee WK. It does not have circular headlights and is slightly more slanted in the back. Also, the front sits higher, like the ZJ (WHICH I DRIVE A BLACK '98 ZJ by the way). In my opinion the '96-'98 Grand Cherokees are the best (most ground clearance and best looking). The 2005 looks good but I don't like the slanted rear glass.

here is my comment
Looks like a Jeep. Do you suppose it will also require brakes every 30,000 miles like the 93 and 98's? Also wonder if they've finally figured out how to make the front stabilizer ends last more than that. Love my Jeep, but it seems like they ought to be able to cure this predictable, repetitive shortcoming.

I not even a Liberty owner but what the hell is a "Real Jeep"?
Is it a Wrangler with power steering, brakes cruise control, Cd player, tilt wheel, air bags, reclining front seats, leather wrapped steering wheel, air conditioning etc? Give a TJ IFS and you have a two door Liberty! I think we are a long ways away from what some think a real Jeep is. Hopefully Jeep will continue to evolve and become a safer, more convienent, more fuel efficient, better looking and more versitile vehicle that will appeal to a wider range of people so they can sell and compete in a ever changing market. Oh yea, this dosen't mean they have to be any less capable off-road.

Independent front suspension is one of the worst things to have when offroading!! I hate it. I will keep my ZJ for as long as possible now.

Rob's got it. It looks good, except for the front headlights.

Hmm, I guess it would be a good vehicle for the average family. While it will not live up to the WJ Grand when it comes to off-roading, this new Jeep seems like it would be good for traveling, towing, and hauling people around. I kind of look at it as a Jeep version of the Ford Explorer - which I'm not sure is necessarily bad, especially if it will have a lot of sales.
I wonder if the Quadra-Drive will be available on this vehicle?

Electronic limited slip? How does that work?

You know, you guys keep referring to Jeep as it was in the 80's and early 90's, but that's really not fair to Jeep

Back in the 80's, Jeep was owned by AMC, which was only successful at losing money. In the 80's, Jeep was the biggest and only profitable brand in a small, eventually bankrupt company. Even though Jeep was successful at this time, it had no money for R&D, new designs, etc., so they had to stick with the same 4.0L and solid axles under all 3 models. And though their production numbers probably ecliped everything else AMC owned combined, they were still a small-production company.

Now, Jeep is the smallest brand in a huge, relatively profitable corporation, both in their number of models and in their overall production. Now that Jeep has money, R&D, designers, a HUGE parts bin to dip into (remember 80's Jeeps, with AMC engines and GM interior pieces?), and facilities galore, DC needs them to expand their market share and overall production. And for the first time, Jeep has an opportunity to move into other types of vehicle, without risking total failure (as they would've in AMC). I'm sure people at Jeep 20 years ago would've loved to have the opportunity to make more civil, carlike vehicles. Now they need to, or DC would probably shut them down. And who would want that?

And as an aside, I happen to be a very satisfied Liberty owner. I know all you "hardcore" offroad people shun the idea of IFS, but recall that both the "bling bling" H2 and the solely utilitarian HUMVEE possess independent front suspensions (hell, the original H1 had independent rear suspension!). I'm not going to get into a pissing fight with anybody over the abilities of the Liberty, but consider this: if it was really a worthless "soccer mom" vehicle, would the large 4x4 equipment companies like ARB, Old Man Emu, Skyjacker, Superlift, Rancho, etc., be risking their money and reputations on equipment for this Jeep? I highly doubt it. None of these companies make anything for the RAV-4,
-V, Escape, etc., etc.....

I own a liberty.
I will tell you it puts the crv to shame.
I will have to agree with lib. you must have hit your head.

The liberty is a great vehicle. I have wheeled in it and have been very surprised at just what this thing will take and go through.

When I sold jeeps I sold a jeep to an engineer who tested the liberty. He told me it is just as capable as a grand off road. That was before I owned a liberty. I didn't belive him. Then he was telling me some test's they put it through..
and the rest was history.. I am very happy with my liberty. SO bash all you want. but don't compare a liberty to a frickn honda crv.

First of all, IFS isn't a new technology. It's been around for a long, long time so the argument that solid axles are somehow "old school" and IFS is "high tech" is completely false. There's nothing new or novel in the design of the Liberty. The inclusion of independent front suspension in SUV's and trucks has more to do with manufacturers wishing to cut costs by the sharing of components between car-based platforms and SUV platforms. The current Grand Cherokee has solid axles, and a better-quality ride than the Liberty, which has IFS. Go figure.

I've also noticed a tendency towards contradiction among Liberty owners: in one breath they decry that no one off-roads, then in the next they defend how well the Liberty does off-road. Make up your minds...

"Personally, the other future problem I see Jeep is heading towards is the use of components throughout the DC line. So many auto makers share everything but a basic grill between each division. What’s the point?"

This is why the imports are starting to out sell the big 3. They don't look the same!!>..

Yes that is very very close to what the new grand is going to look like.. It will have a pacificaish back end on it. Roundish head lights up front. From insiders I have been told from chrysler. Alot of them don't even like the new grand. It doesn't impress them.(maybe why jeep hasn't shown it at an auto show event). Jeep has clearly missed the boat.. No third row seat??? Isn't that the norm for an upscale suv now..
I don't see the point on even redesigning this jeep. It isn't much differnt from the one out there now. Jeep is not going to win too many new buyers (which they want and need sooo bad to do) with this one.

As far as IFS. I have been told yes the new grand will have the IFS along with the 3.7L V6. Not the 4.0L.
But IFS isn't that bad.. How many people actually take a 30,000 plus vehicle rock climbing or off road?? Come to think about it.. How many people take thier hummer h2's off road. Very Very few. Jeep can't compete with the market out there now. It's all old technology. Yes it was good then. But people want new. If your paying over 30,000 grand for a vehicle it better stand out. Not look like it has since 99.

as far as the liberty goes. I guess if you have never driven and wheeled in one you may think it sucks. but drive one for a little bit and wheel it. You become satisfied real quickly. IT does deserve the jeep badge. That's all I have to say about it.

Isn't the Liberty front end a simple variation of the Willy's, CJ, TJ front end(round headlights and seven slot grill)? I mean, It looks like what a front end of Jeep should look like right? Or should the front end of a Jeep look like a Cherokee with square headlights? When I think of Jeep I think of round headlights and a seven slot grill.

If this truly the new grand jeep is in trouble. It looks like every other suv on the road and has the dang liberty front end. This looks like a GMC Envoy with a jeep front end i hope they took an envoy picture and photoshoped it. DCX please reconsider the release of this vanilla suv it just does no justice to jeep.............

I can't believe someone out there dosen't have a better picture of the new Grand.
Also, does anyone have a picture of the redesigned Renagade that was featured in the USA Today awhile back? I would just like to see what direction they are taking the Liberty.

here is my comment
The Jeep show at NAIAS had nothing to show. Why wasn't the new GC there? The Rescue was junk. OK lets make a kinda big wrangler out of plastic. Pile lots of fake plastic junk on it. Hmm I have a pile mountain bike shocks, those would look great on the seats. How dumb. Lets call it Rescue every 4 year old boy loves rescue stuff these days. It only took 30+ years to figure out the CJ6 was a good idea.

"On the negative side - not that radically different than the current design. The changes might not even be noticed by too many. Looks like a typical soccer mom SUV that is in every car line. SUVs are just morphing into stationwagons." - ScramblerKen

It's funny how in the 80's stationwagons turned into SUVs, but then it looks like we're going in circles all over again, doesn't it?

Jon,

So people who think the current Grand looks like a minivan don't know what's beautiful when they see it? Tough words from someone who doesn't know how to spell "John"... (just teasing)

I had a Cherokee and liked it, but from a styling point of view I can't say it was the best to ever come from Jeep.
Let's face it, and I know I will piss alot of you off, but hardcore Jeep guys don't know what a good looking vehicle is. Nor should they care, they take them out on the trails and looks have nothing to do with being capable off-roaders. I have a Wrangler and love it but really is it really that great in the styling dept? We are so use to it that we think it is, but really it's pretty much like a brick on wheels. The current Grand Cherokee is much more pleasing to the eye. But that's not what makes a Jeep, right?

On the Plus side - I prefer the boxy style. More like the ZJ. The WJ always appeared to look a bit like a minivan.

On the negative side - not that radically different than the current design. The changes might not even be noticed by too many. Looks like a typical soccer mom SUV that is in every car line. SUVs are just morphing into stationwagons.

IFS, enough said.

The I-6 engine not listed as one of the power plants. More hints as to what will be in the 2007 Wrangler?

I thought DC management was telling us current Jeep models would retain their off-road capabilities? Or is it we need to make Jeeps more car like to compete (or is it be just like) the competition? DC management uses which ever statement fits their mood of the day.

I guess we should be grateful they are building the Jeep Unlimited. Now if we can get them to add a manual transmission and a Rubicon version to the Unlimited. The Jeep Rescue? Keep dreaming......

Horrible! I appologise if I'm pissing in your cheerios, but come on! I agree that there is way too much Pacifica in this possible replacement. Lets keep a real jeep a little longer and try to find some better, and more original styling cues in the process. I'm not afraid of change, but the pictures I saw scared the hell out of me! Yuck. On a positive note... if jeep makes this a reality, I will but two. "One to crap on, and one to cover it up with."

Wow, another oversized station wagon for soccer moms! ......BUILD THE RESCUE NOW!!!!!!!!!!! NOW DAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It looks pretty good to me, a little more square than my current ZJ. As a friend of mine says, "Square trucks are more manly." The XJ was about perfect in styling. Are we sure it's IFS? I don't see A-arms in these photos, but there's a tie rod or sway bar hanging down. Looks like a fair amount of daylight underneath. It might work for me.

You guys are tuff!
My first reaction was someone took a current Grand and Photoshopped the front end and rear. If you look at the doors and the fender flares they look almost identical to the current model. But the more I look at the current Grand and the last one they don't look that much different, they just evolved gradually.
Personally I like what I see styling wise. The front end looks Jeep with the headlights. I don't think every Jeep needs to have a Wrangler front end. Hopefully they will make a Rescue like vehicle to fill that niche. If you look at the Jeep's from days gone by the big Jeeps didn't look anything like the CJ's.
I think some Jeep "fans" just don't like change.
I will by a new one when it comes time to trade in.

looks like an mdx...what's the big draw?

here is my comment
Why does every Jeep need to conquer the Rubicon trail? I'm guessing few if any of us here have. I can't understand why they would make all Jeeps capable of doing it. The 50's Willies Wagon couldn’t nor the 60's Cherokee, Grand Wagoner, the pickups or the Jeepster. There is a huge list of Jeeps that can't do it. All of them made the Jeep brand what it is today. Jeep made the very first SUV and it wasn’t an off roader.

HOW ARE THEY GOING TO REST THE FRONT OF THE 2005 GRAND ON AN INDEPENDANT SUSPENTION?????JEEPS SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE THE STRONG LIVE AXLE FROTN AND BACK. THEY FUCKED UP BY PUTTING THE LIBERTY ON A INDEPENDANT SUSPENTION NOW THE GRAND???? GUESS I HAVE TO KEEP MY 04 OVERLAND....

I'm not buying that this is the long awaited GC. Those pictures are a computer generated Pacifica with Jeep stuff pasted in. No way!

I ran the Rubicon twice in an XJ Cherokee, along with many other Cherokees, and many trails that are even harder. When I go on hard trails I see lots of other Cherokees and Grand Cherokees, and once, even a Liberty. Andy C101, the Willys Wagon 4WD verson was extremely capable. I used to own a 1956 Willys pickup (L6-226) and in stock form it would put many built Cherokees to shame. The reliability and comfort of an old truck left something to be desired though.

hmmmn:
"I guess if you have never driven and wheeled in one you may think it sucks. but drive one for a little bit and wheel it. You become satisfied real quickly."

jeepers04:
"The liberty is a great vehicle. I have wheeled in it and have been very surprised at just what this thing will take and go through."

jeepers04 = hmmmn

HEY NUMB NUTS

The liberty does very good off road. put a stock liberty, a stock grand off road and you will be shocked.

ask any engineer from chrysler. Some will actually tell you the liberty does better (not the grand with qadra drive). don't belive it. then you need to try it before you compare a liberty to a honda crv. You must have fell and hit your head.

It is very obvious that most of you are stuck on your old jeep vehicles. when a change comes around you can't stand it.. No one thought the cheorkee was good until a couple of years after it was out. The truth is. there are soo many suv's jeep has to compete with. If they stay old school. They will lose the game and lose ton's of sales. And from the engineers I have talked to and the sales people I have talked to. No one is buying a grand right now. In fact people are turning in their current lease's to get the new trail blazer's or explorers. That can't go off road. SO they have had the jeep that is the most capable. but now they are going to a vehicle that they know isn't. They want style. and they want a third row seat. as long as it get's them through the ocassional snow storm. They are happy. I agree with the point that a jeep should always be capable of doing off road stuff no other 4x4 can do.. If they lose that . Then they are exactly like the ford, chevy, honda, toyota.

With the Liberty the engineers were telling themselves "Well, it actually does do pretty good in light off-roading" wich is true. But, on the other hand, so does the Honda
-V.

Same thing with this new WeaK Jeep. Though it would be good for sales, it is not meant to be a solid off-roader like the Cherokee or the CJ (and even the Cherokee had some problems *cough* unibody *cough*)

lol it's funny how no one can agree on what the WK looks like, except that it looks like EVERY OTHER SUV out there. In fact, I thought it looked more like a cross between the new Explorer and 4Runner. Ah well, as long as it sells.

Horrible! I appologise if I'm pissing in your cheerios, but come on! I agree that there is way too much Pacifica in this possible replacement. Lets keep a real jeep a little longer and try to find some better, and more original styling cues in the process. I'm not afraid of change, but the pictures I saw scared the hell out of me! Yuck. On a positive note... if jeep makes this a reality, I will buy two. "One to crap on, and one to cover it up with."

looks like an MDX? you're being too kind. Don't you guys see the obvious Pacifca styling cues, look at the back end and the chrome trim with pussy rims... I'll wait for the new Discovery thanks anyways.

I saw it this morning. Kudos on picking up the story so quickly. However, I am not at all pleased with the new design if this is indeed it. I am a Jeep loyalist (2 ZJ's, 2 YJ's, 1 WJ) and I am seeing what I feared. The Libertyization of the Grand Cherokee......just look at the headlights, yuck! The rest of the vehicle looks OK, but the cross-eyed, bubble hood, liberty look, doesn't belong on the Grand Cherokee!

Chrysler styling has lost its way. There seems to be a formula. Dodge trucks and Jeeps get bug eye headlights and 2 round tail lights and the grill just maintains brand identity. Jeep needs to develop its appearance cues into something distinctive and appealing, particularly since Hummer has been given legal permission to steal the signature 7 slot grill. This direction is not it. The last iteration was nicer.

Not arguing, but responding.
With the Liberty IFS, and now the GC going IFS and even rumors that the 06 Wrangler will be, what next?
All do the Rubicon, no, any? Yes. Without the debate over IFS vs SFA, Even DC indicated for years how effective/important it was to have SFA's on their Jeeps, and now it's not? This is why I think they may be going soft.

Build other non "Trail Ready" Jeeps, just don't loose track of why the Wrangler Rubicon sold so well. Or how important to some (those hardcore loyal Jeep buyers) why owning a Jeep that can in stock form do the Rubicon, even if they never do.

p.s. This was not meant to offend Liberty owners or to indicate they don't own a "real" Jeep.

I own a Cherokee, and a 03 Rubicon. I just bought a 04 GC limited for one thing, solid front axle. I may never really "wheel" my 04, but it's nice to know it's potential. I kinda think Jeep's going soft. The looks are not significantly different from the current model, nor does it matter that much to me. I personally like the rounded lights up front. It's the independent front end that puts me off on the 05.
Owning the 04 has kinda softened me for the amenities, the more the better. I just don't want to compromise any off road attributes when I go to buy a jeep. What sets Jeep off from other's is bluring quickly.
They may get new buyers, but may be loosing loyal, why I bought Jeep in the first place, customers. Look's like I'll be keeping my current Jeeps as long as possible, regardless of the cost to keep them running. Seems to be a dying breed.

here is my comment

looks to me there are a couple liberty owners on here.. for all the liberty owners.. if you havn't yet go to www.kjjeep.com (L.O.S.T) check out the E.Z board.

It's all liberty owners.. very good site. and they are very helpful and supportive to any questions you may have. Especially on wheeling.

No Malik

jeepers04 does not = hmmmnn sorry.

My first question is do you guys currently drive Grand Cherokees and are you even in the market for one. Second, what would you create that you would buy and that would sell as many if not more than the current model. Do you think that if Jeep made the Grand Cherokee a off-roader that was designed with that just in mind they would sell enough to keep Jeep in business? Does Jeep not need to compete with Chevy, GMC, Ford etc? What do you really want them to make the Grand Cherokee?? I really don't understand.

this can't be real. i think the 05 GC will be more rescue-ish
than liberty-ish. i agree that this looks too much like a bad
photoshop job. i can't stand the liberty and wish they'd
stop using the same vehicle designers on jeep and dodge
and chrysler. they're blending too much! have you noticed
the rear taillights on the new durango and how much that
piece looks like a liberty? jeep, please stop wrecking the
boxy jeep design! people have been buying them for a
reason for 60 years.

I think it looks good but does not stand out in a crowd. The headlights do have the liberty look but i will wait and see the final product before making and judgement.

here is my comment

Something doesn't look right. It looks like a bad Photoshop job. If this is the new GC then it is not inspiring.

The Jeep Rescue is the type of vehicle that makes people want to go out and get one. The new GC just says I'm an average, everyday SUV with IFS...I'm falling asleep now...

I think poster ‘??’ asks a valid question, but let me state a few points. (sorry, but this is a long one!)

There are several ways to compete in the auto market. You can build vehicles that the majority wants. This is a safe approach, but you risk being over powered by larger manufactures who potentially can build more vehicles cheaper and faster. The other approach is to build something the competition does not have.

Jeep in the past stayed away from building what everyone else builds, because basically they discovered they did better with building for the niche market. Now Hummer is doing something similar by building an ‘extreme’ SUV. Personally, I think their market will dry up in the future, but the concept is the same. You already see Hummer is branching out with the H3 so they can market to those that are not movie or rock stars.

Jeep on the other hand stayed with the reasonably low cost functional vehicles that most vendors had avoided. Let’s face it, Jeeps generally are not going to win beauty contests, but when everyone was building flashy vehicles, Jeep stuck with the ‘meat and potatoes’ approach. The Cherokee (XJ) is probably the best example. The vehicle was relatively low cost, versatile, and reliable. This was not the sexy cute car you bought to show up your neighbors, but instead, it was the family workhorse.

Additionally, Jeep catered to the fleet sales market. Numerous XJs were purchased by large and small corporations as a staple vehicle to get workers and their equipment to the job sites. The XJ proved to be a handy truck for all kinds of jobs. The original Grand Cherokee (ZJ) let Jeep branch out to make an upscale workhorse. You gained better towing capabilities, but deep down, it was still a basic workhorse.

Now enters the WJ and the Liberty. I’m not bashing either one, but now it appears Jeep wants to compete with all of the other players by trying to be more stylish. The Liberty has that ‘cute’ SUV style and the WJ seems to have that hint of the mini-van look. Why? Someone high up forgets what Jeep stands for, and decides to sell Jeeps, we have to be like the competition. One of the big reasons Jeep survived all these years was because they were NOT like the other guys.

Personally, the other future problem I see Jeep is heading towards is the use of components throughout the DC line. So many auto makers share everything but a basic grill between each division. What’s the point? In the past, when you bought a Jeep, basically, it was unique to the Jeep line. Yeah, I know there was some sharing of engines or transmissions, but in the past, you could definitely look at a Jeep and be assured that you would not see the same vehicle rebadged as an AMC or Dodge.

I also think DC is overlooking the characteristics of the average Jeep buyer. Even if you bought a Jeep not to take it off-road, many buyers wanted the ‘no nonsense’ styling and a reliable, well built, practical and fun vehicle. Yeah, I know there are those that bought Jeeps for a fashion statement, but I think if you look at repeat Jeep buyers, they kept coming back because Jeeps had the fun but practical tone. Even the Wrangler is actually a very practical vehicle.

The Wrangler has been around for so many years because it is simplistic and highly versatile. It’s not roomy, and it will not win styling awards, but on the other hand, it can be used as a car, a truck, or an SUV. The Wrangler is small like a sports car and fun to drive. Taking the top down and driving around is always a treat. Need to haul stuff? Let’s face-it, the Wrangler is a little tug boat. No, your not going to haul a new ‘fridge’ or a boat load of drywall, but on the other hand, you can haul just about anything else. If it gets a bit dirty, yank the carpet out and hose it down. Under the covers, it basically is a small pickup truck. The Wrangler is not the truck for everyone, but there is definitely a large group out there that thinks so.

So to answer ‘??’, “What do I want Jeep to build?”, I want Jeep to build practical, versatile, and fun workhorses that the competition does not make.

I'm sure this will be a big success with the shallow SUV generation. More power, nices leather, and a $30 and they can out do the neighbors who just bought a new VW SUV thing. Sad thing is, the VW will be better off road, it will surely have more ground clearance with it's air suspension!

To me it looks like the bastard child of a Ford Escape and a Isuzu Axiom, or whatever they call that POS! At least DC is trying to please both sides of Jeep buyer base. The traditionalists will like the unlimited Wrangler and the shallow SUV crowd will like the new Grand... i wouldn't buy one. Dodge ruined the Durango too, who cares if it has a Hemi... it looks like a mine van!

New Jeep slogan "Jeep, once the most capable vehicles on the planet, now just the same as any other SUV" :)

here is my comment

They should just call this a Dodge. The best looking GC, in my opinion, was the 93-98 version. Granted, the Grand Wagoneer didn't look like a CJ but it did have tons of character. This new GC doesn't distinguish itself from the competition enough.

what's the latest on the Rescue...just a teaser? gc, ok, nothing to write home about, too bad no 3rd seat, i'm turning grey waiting for it. does anyone from dc read this? GIVE US WHAT WE WANT AND DESERVE...MAYBE YOU COULD EVEN MAKE SOME $$$$

Is it a badge-engineered Durango?