"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2)
08/30/2020 at 14:25 • Filed to: Jeep, stellantis
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"Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available" (whoistheleader2)
08/30/2020 at 14:25 • Filed to: Jeep, stellantis | 2
| 5 |
Last time we got a French-American Jeep, we got the Cherokee. The Renault-AMC era idiosyncrasies are a big part of why the vehicles are still so beloved. A beloved American straight six and serious off-roading chops in a small package.
Guess what. Jeep just got a new French-American corporate owner and is due for some new models. Except this time there is some Italian blood in the company too.
What happened when Jeep teamed up with the Italians to make a small 4x4? The Renegade.
I like the Renegade, but it was no Cherokee. If it were better in the rough stuff, I think the cutesy pocket off-roader would be amazing. I’m not saying it sucks, b ut it just can’t quite live up to the reputation of the old Cherokee. And the current Cherokee itself is getting a little bit old and was never quite as rugged as you would expect.
Make what you will of Stellantis, it has a lot going for it and a lot of neglected brands to kill off or revitalize. Jeep has the new JL Wrangler and Gladiator, but I think they need more attention still. Even with the new Wagoner coming. They’re the company’s most valuable brand and the Grand Cherokee and Cherokee are showing their age and the poor Renegade needs an update too.
I’m not saying next year, but maybe 5 years down the line I’d love to see the Renegade get reborn as a true Cherokee successor, keeping the fun adventure aesthetic in a small package but gaining more off road kit and a more inspiring power train.
Additionally, I think the Cherokee should become a little more purposeful to steal some 4Runner sales. It doesn’t have to be as good offroad, but people are really buying it for the image after all. You can’t deny the 4Runner really looks every bit as rugged as it is. I think the Cherokee should ditch the urban chic look and return to its boxy roots.
What is your take on all this? Do you think the French-American-Italian partnership is going to result in some delightfully quirky and surprisingly capable midsized and compact Jeep crossovers or will they go soft on us again?
Just Jeepin'
> Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/30/2020 at 15:02 |
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You know what’s interesting...
After spotting the Venue I thought I’d check to see whether Hyundai offers any manual 4wd SUVs/crossovers. Apparently not.
That led me to ask myself: what new vehicles are available with a stick and 4wd? I almost posted that here, but thought to myself: cars.com will know!
So I searched for SUVs/CUVs/wagons with manual and 4wd, and a top price of 48k I inherited from some previous search.
The answer? Jeeps. That’s it. There’s literally nothing else on the first two pages of results, and I have to assume it’s like that throughout all the results, but I’m still digging.
Hell, the friggin’ Compass offers manual and 4wd, but nobody else bothers with it, at least until the Bronco comes out.
I think I’m going to start searching for used Renegades with a manual.
subexpression
> Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/30/2020 at 15:50 |
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I don’t mean to be a downer, but... I think the current market says crossov er s (aka hatchbacks with more comfortable seats ) are the thing to do, so I expect adding another European influence will give us more of the same as the current Cherokee and Renegade with, at best, cosmetic changes.
I suspect that any thing I’d consider interesting would more likely come from the US side of the house, but maybe another European partner would make it easier to take the risk on a new model or powertrain . And I’d love to see more ZF influence in their transmissions.
Jb boin
> subexpression
08/30/2020 at 16:37 |
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Crossovers and hatchbacks have the same seats, it’s juste the seating position and roofline that changes.
PSA has been using Aisin automatics and will soon switch to some unusual DCT made in cooperation with Punch P owertrain.
While PSA don’t make any traditional 4x4 (except some utility vans with Dangel), they started their Hybrid4 powertrains this yea r on the 3008, 5008 and DS7 (the 508 will have a sportier version of it) that does 4x4 with electric motors on the back the ICE in FWD that is also helped by small electric motors for a total of 300hp .
From the first review the 4x4 system seems to do the job correctly but those cars are not offroaders so i don’t know if it could be applied to a proper offroading use but electric motors seems like a good pairing as there is torque all the time and hill assist can be done with regeneration .
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Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> Just Jeepin'
08/30/2020 at 16:40 |
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Now how many two door 4x4s are there now? Wrangler, Defender, Bronco, and what else that isn’t a pickup? Nothing.
Where did all the small cheap 4x4s go? Well just think of how many people have bought Renegades. I thought it would be a runaway best seller for Jeep but it hasn't been.
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Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
> subexpression
08/30/2020 at 16:43 |
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This post was pure speculation and pointing out Jeep will eventually have a French-American designed Cherokee again (hopefully).
Though I mostly agree that with so many brands the remaining Jeep crossovers aren't likely to see a new edition soon. But the motive will be there to develop a new cross brand small crossover platform that could underpin a new Renegade, Cherokee, etc and allow for hybrid models. I am not convinced it really will be the return to form I'm hoping for.