here's my observation (sorry if you've already read it elsewhere) ... jeep's lineup is almost entirely made up of attempts at replacing the cherokee ... here's the breakdown: the grand cherokee was to be the original cherokee replacement, but buyers insisted that the cherokee live on as well, so they sold both ... years later, they finally axed the cherokee and put out the liberty, a second attempt at replacing the cherokee. it sold great, but not to former cherokee owners, who felt abandoned by the brand, so years later we get the commander and then the patriot, differently sized carbon copies of eachother (save for mechanics), both based on the cherokee design (the patriot being the "spiritual successor" to the cherokee and the early commander press photos clearly playing off its own resemblance) ... so basically jeep has the legendary wrangler, the compass (the existence of which is questionable), and several attempts at replacing the cherokee (grand, liberty, commander, patriot).

I just heard on the radio that GM was in talks with Daimler about possibly buying Chrysler. I wonder if that would include the Jeep Brand. Oh it would be my worse nightmare for GM to take over Jeep.....has anyone else heard this news. Its seems strange that GM would even consider this as they are trying to restructure themselves and to get involved with Chrysler doing the same would slow down both from reaching profitability.....

"Oh, and it's got a 'real' frame, not a unibody."

Didn't the XJ have a Unibody?

My Rant is this:
1.) Stay true to your roots in all products
2.) Add better options than the competition, not more platforms. Capability will sell customers.
3.) Be innovators, not imitators.

If Jeep were to be more selective in their selection process of what goes into production there wouldn't be as much overlap and confusion among products.
Toyota is having a hard time selling 4 different SUV models, and Ford had to drop the Excursion. Who knows what GM is thinking, because everyone views them as one big Chevy corp. anyway.
If Jeep is going to have more than 4 SUVs on the market, they should find a way to deliniate between entry-level and elite models by using a primo nameplate.
For the street-biased products the could keep Jeep for the more conventional offerings they could use the Willy's nameplate for superior off-road vehicles and sell them at a premium. Or the other way around-whatever.
It's much easier to add options than to develop an entirely new platform.
They've already got the Compass and Patriot for compact SUV's.
Make an SRT version of the Nitro/Liberty for the street crowd and make the Renegade mean something more than a light package.
So build the TrailHawk on the JKL chassis, drop the Hemi in it and the Wranglers.
Do the same thing for the Commander/Durango and kill the Aspen.
Make Quadra-Drive base on all entry-level vehicles and add locking diffs front & rear as an option for the premiums.
And for the love of God, offer the the BlueTec diesels in every last one of them would ya? Size doesn't matter, just quit yappin about it and Git 'er Dun already.

Regarding 2WD JK Unlimiteds... on the one hand, I agree that any 2WD Jeep dilutes the brand. Can you buy a 2WD Hummer? A 2WD Land Rover? NO! Besides, how dumb does that sound... a 2WD Hummer?... But a 2WD Jeep? Sure, ok... whatever!

But on the other hand... a 2WD model could be the perfect "builder" Jeep for someone wanting a brand new rig to build up. It's considerably cheaper than 4WD model, so get a 2WD, and with the cash you save swap in some D60's, an Atlas or STaK t'case, etc. Evolution OffRoad is doing this right now actually, and the end result is going to be pretty badarse.

The number of poeple who would do this is going to be extremely slim though, and those that could afford such an undertaking could probably afford to start with a 4WD model in the first place, besides they could recoup some costs by selling off the take-off parts.

I definitely think the CompASS needs to go. They can keep the Patriot, but ditch the weeny car. As much as I hate to compare to Hummer again... anyone think GM would slap a Hummer badge on something like the Compass? Or the Patriot for that matter?

The Commander needs to stay, but it needs to move to the Durango platform. Keep the same styling, just make it bigger so it can fit 6-7 ADULTS and so that it's more suitable as a TOW vehicle. Jeep needs a fullsize SUV, and I doubt it would eat into Durango sales very much... I see a whole lot more Tahoes towing Jeeps than I see Durangos...

The Grand Cherokee can move to the ML platform if they want. Land Rover has proven that IFS/IRS can still be viewed as off-road capable on a luxury badge as long as it's done well (that's the key). Move the GC more towards the sport/luxury end of the spectrum. They're already going that way with models like the SRT-8. They just need to fix the styling. The WK looks lower-class than the WJ.

Honestly what I don't see in the line-up, is the real purpose/use in continuing the Liberty, now that the Unlimited is available. If you look at the vehicles in the Liberty's market, there's really only the XTerra and 4Runner (on the high end of things) left, and maybe the FJ Cruiser, but I think most people are going to be shopping the Unlimited against those vehicles. The Patiot is geared more towards the Escape, Rav4, CRV, Highlander market. Things like the Explorer and Pathfinder are going to be going against the Grand Cherokee and current Commander. I don't know that the Chevy Trailblazer will be around much longer...

So where does the Liberty continue to fit in?

Things did go a little sideways. Expanding the Jeep line-up was a great idea, but some of the execution was flawed. Though there have been a lot of changes for the better, DCX tried to please everyone and you just can't do that.

What sticks in my ass, among other things, is the availability of 2WD Wranglers. The only 2WD "real" Jeeps I can tolerate are the old DJ-5s for the US Postal Service. But, a 2WD Wrangler, c'mon!

The Compass has to go. Anyone who wants that kind of vehicle would do better with a 2WD Caliber or a 4WD Patriot, and buyers know it! Who ya kiddin', DCX?

DCX is sure to make some significant changes in the next few years (Chrysler's existence depends on it). If I had a magic wand, other than my current one, I'd like to see the Jeep line-up morph into the following:

--THE COMMANDER IS ALREADY GONE... [O.K., in 2009...]
--LOSE THE COMPASS, too

--4WD JKs, with diesel, 4.0L-V6, and/or 4.7L-H.O.-V8 option.
--4WD JKLs, with diesel, 4.0L-V6, and/or 4.7L-H.O.-V8 option.
--4WD GKLs (Gladiator/Scrambler, JK or Dakota platform)

--2WD or 4WD Patriot (looks like a winner just the way it is)
--2WD or 4WD Liberty (the new '08 boxy XJ-like design is cool)
--2WD or 4WD Grand Cherokees (stretched, a little, to appeal to big SUV lovers & to get some "size-separation" from the Liberty)

That's essentially 4 vehicles (counting all the JK-variants as one) that would hold their own in sales. Who's with me? Yaaaaaa-aaaa-aaaa!

Note to Mike: Gee, how do I get on DCX's payroll for all this free advice? They owe me some "back pay", too! As it turns out, I seem to have had a strong hand in the concept for the Wrangler Rubicon... No kidding, but that's another story...

This rant is so true.... If we are lucky Jeep will be restructured and go back to its roots...