Thu Aug 18 23:36:35 2005 From: john some thoughts and comparisons on the new 7 passenger Jeep and it's specs... Jeep Commander http://www.jeep.com/commander/specs/index.html Wheelbase 109.5 Overall length 188.5 Overall width 89.0 Track, front/rear 62.6/62.6 Height: Overall height 71.9 Ground clearance (rear axle): 8.6 Approach/departure angle 34 deg/27 deg Breakover angle 20 deg COMPARISON: Wheelbase Length Width --------------------------------------- Commander 109.5 / 188.5 / 89.0 SJ Wagoneer 108.7 / 186.5 / 75.6 SJ J10 118.8 / 194.0 / 78.9 XJ 101.4 / 165.3 / 70.5 WJ 105.9 / 181.5 / 72.3 ZJ 105.9 / 177.2 / 70.9 TJ 93.4 / 156.1 / 68.2 KJ 104.2 / 174.7 / 71.8 WK 109.5 / 186.7 / 84.2 GMC Jimmy K15 106.5 / 184.8 / 66.10 123 110.0 / 186.0 / 70.3 124 110.0 / 186.6 / 68.5 126 115.6 / 202.6 / 71.6 201 104.9 / 175.0 / 66.1 Thoughts: -------------------------------- can't tell for sure, but it looks like it's got the same independent front end setup as the WK. Jeep has surely been ruined by Chrysler and Mercedes. The demise of the SJ in '92 was the beginning of the end... with the death of the XJ in 2003 or whenever and the ending of the WJ in 2005... it's over... Even the CRD in the KJ doesn't do it for me... the Liberty is butt ugly, has the terrible Mercedes style seats, center controls for the windows like a Mercedes, even looks a bit like one... not that I don't like Mercedes... I have two in the drive right now... but Mercedes is NOT Jeep and Jeep is NOT a Mercedes. The engine selections in the newer Jeeps, other than the 2.8L CRD, are all heavily influenced by Chrysler. All are simply not impressive, sorry MOPAR freaks, I'm not impressed by the Hemi. The 4.7L V8 is fine by itself and one of the best V8's I've ever owned or driven... the 3.7L V6 is a gutless waste of metal, the 5.7 multimode hemi is a disaster waiting to happen. Doesn't any one remember the 4-6-8 engines in the Cadillacs? :) The 2.8L CRD is fine because someone else built it... too bad they didn't offer that in the XJ or WJ before killing off the lines. Might be a good swap in a few years into an XJ or WJ. Not sure it has enough giddyup for an SJ though. The 4.7L V8 driveline from a WJ would be perfect for an SJ, or the 4.0L setup out of the WJ. I'm still convinced that the 4.0L setup would have been fine in my J10. I've very happy I went with the 6.2L Detroit Diesel setup out of the GMC truck. The '83 K15 Jimmy is getting 20mpg commuting in Seattle traffic, my J10 should do at least that good, all the while using waste veggie oil... something I couldn't have done with the 4.0L. The 4.0L would have gotten maybe 18mpg at best. The 6.2L will get 18 when towing at it's worst... ;) The SJ Jeeps had the best visibility, ride and feel. You fall in love with the panascopic vision... If setup properly they ride great and have a classic look... However, the WJ is probably the best looking Jeep ever produced, nice sleek lines. The WK looks boxy and like some sort of Dodge. The XJ, while very boxy, is a beautiful Jeep, probably the best all around Jeep ever built. Versatile, comfortable, economical, nimble and so on... The 4.0L is the best engine ever put in a Jeep product. The 4.7L V8 in the WJ is probably a very good 2nd place winner. We'll see on the 2.8L CRD. The 2.5L I-4 with either TBI ('86 and up) or MPI is also a very good engine. Very common to see 250,000 miles out of a 4.0L or a 2.5L. The other AMC engines, especially the V8s and I-6s leave a bit to be desired. Given my choice I go for a 4.2L if I have to. :) Maybe I'm getting old or something, but even the new Mercedes don't do much for me... other than the engine in the 320 CDI... But the complexity and costs make it impractical. I guess I'll just have to keep my old iron and build my own Jeeps. :) Guess I'm going to let my Mercedes club membership lapse... $45 a year to get the STAR Magazine just isn't worth it... great publication and all that... :) I'm leaning toward keeping my '91 300D when the '83 J10 stepside is done... Having both and the '99 WJ doesn't seem too outlandish or excessive... however, I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the '83 Jimmy yet... if I get it painted I might be able to sell it. ;) It's unlikely I'll have a willing partner in the idea of keeping it as well as shadowfax and superdawg... :) My wife keeps asking the question, how many vehicles do you really need? :) Tough question dear... later, john http://wagoneers.com/johns-vehicles.html ---- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ** http://JohnMeister.com **** http://wagoneers.com ** Snohomish, Washington USA - where Jeeps don't rust, they mold ** http://freegift.net *** http://greatcom.org/laws/languages.html ** -------------------------------------------------------------------------