There we go again with those "pesky" airbags.....
OY...................

Well airbags can always be disabled if you choose to. Although I am not sure if your vehicle would pass state safety inspection (probably depends on your state).

Wow. You guys are tough on each other! I have browsed this site a few times and decided now is a good time to jump in and get my feet wet. I have been a Jeep-only guy since 1988. My first vehicle was a '79 CJ-7 Golden Eagle with the 304 and four speed. Not bad for a 16 yr. old kid at the time.....I am now working for a Chrysler/Jeep dealer and have been there nine years. Prior to that, I worked in yet another Jeep dealer that has since been sold to Lowe's home improvement chain! Ok- enough about me. The buzz about the major changes in Wrangler and the new entry-level Jeeps are mostly accurate. As far as the "mini-Jeeps" as I like to call them- they obviously are geared toward competing with Toyota, Hyundai, Suzuki and other mini-ute manufacturers. This is anew market for Jeep and honestly, a wise choice to jump into. We all know the vast majority of people with SUV's (even Jeep owners) don't ever take their junk off road. The new Jeeps are not trail rated, therfore will be less capable and less expensive. Perfect for the younger crowds or the petite soccer-moms...my personal favorite. They will all share the upcoming "world engines" platforms. These engine and driveline combinations are a joint effort from DCX, Hyundai (sorry) and Mitsubishi. Let's face the facts. Everything has gone global. Look in any store, any franchise. you will more likely see "MADE ELSEWHERE" rather than "MADE in USA". There are just not many true USA products anymore. I hate it, but it is reality and there is nothing any of us can do about it. It's not all gloom and doom, because these new vehicles are still going to have a very "American" appeal to them. I guess that must mean they will ride like a YJ?? Probably not, but I figure you guys pick on OOJ, so I will take a jab here and there too! All out of fun, of course.

As far as the Wrangler is concerned, unfortunately for the open-air tub-bodied Jeep lovers, our days are coming to a close. I'd love nothing more than to see the future with open-bodied vehicles, but the reality is they soon will be gone. I restore older CJ's as a hobby, so look me up if you want one built for you! They still will all be more than capable and probably remain better than the competition. I am not worried about Hummers, as they attract a whole different crowd anyway. You know not many of "those" guys take them off road. For the few that do, they wind up breaking most of the front end. Have any of you actually looked under one of those piles? Our Liberty is heavier in the front. Check out the clip on Big-Boys.com.

Safety is the number one concern in any manufacturer's design now, since 1996. That was the first year for major changes in vehicle safety, starting with dual airbags. Since that point in time, we have all noticed the commercials tend to lean more toward the safety of a vehicle rather than what it actually looks like or what engine is available! We are forced to embrace the technology. Look at the insurance industry and we can see the result of what happens when lawyers and engineers meet. I have a four month old boy to think about now, and would rather see him in an all airbagged-out something or other instead of my '74 CJ-6. Until, ofcourse, he is old enough to decide on his own!!

Anyhoo- keep the funny comments coming and feel free to ask me pretty much anything Jeep or DCX related. I have access to all the latest and greatest news before the new models arrive as part of our training regimen. If I can't answer a question for you, then I may need to look into a new career with that food chain that has the paper-mache' headed king scoring touchdowns in their commercials.

Take care and keep it Jeep!

BTW: The YJ's truly were a perfect waste of decent recycled sheet metal and oil. I made more money fixing those things that I did on Neon cars.....and do we really need to go down that road??

Sorry, Dude. My YJ is the poster child for UN-Technology. That's why I like it so much. NO airbags,NO ABS,NO side curtain airbags, hose out interior;
I feel sorry for the chaps who have to buy the TK...all that its' gonna be is a "StayPuff" marshmallow with BIG tires...........

Is it true? What I heard about you?> That you just traded your RAV4 for a Liberty?

I think at this point this Hummer "Concept" is not likely being displayed as it would be sold. Sure it might be IFS, but it might not be. Also it would likely have roll protection added later too. I suspect this is a simple exercise to test customer attitudes and get an idea of how well the style and overall concept appeals to potential customers.

I would be just like GM to show us a concept with IFS and then sell us a product with a more traditional live axle (which costs less to manufacture and sell).

No matter what the case may be I like this first peek. Personally I want a slick and ultra-capable new Wrangler. Oh, and I wish they would drop the Wrangler name I hate it, they should go back to simple nomenclature like "CJ" or "TJ", etc.