With the CJ morphing into the YJ and then the TJ there is plenty of room for debate as to just when the CJ roots were lost but what I see is that the Jeep wave is alive and well to some extent through the TJ years albeit a little more hit and miss with the latter. However to me Jeep really stopped being Jeep when Daimler took control. Within a few years they “Germancated” the TJ starting with the coil over plug in 2000, and then by neutering the interior color palette in 2003 making them all a dark monotone; they even killed the much loved Sahara tan and green that had held true since the Sahara’s inception in 1988 making the Sahara just another drab, dark interior. And what was that stupid piece of plastic around the window frame for that showed up about the same time? Really, what’s wrong with a Jeep having a little painted steel exposed inside the cab? Then let’s not forget that the Germans also gave us the V6 in lieu of the one of the best (my opinion) motors ever put in a vehicle, the I6 - 4.0; a new motor that burns a quart of oil every 1,000 miles is nothing short of a joke by anybody’s standards but then the KJ is so far removed it makes you think Hummer rather than CJ. Now Jeep is owned by FIAT and the recently leaked photos of the new Grand Cherokee body style are leading to gasps and not the good kind. I mean really, has anyone taken a good look at that thing J-Lo was hocking on TV? (I haven’t seen much to like from them since the Dino.)
So, after that rant (I'm sorry all) what am I trying to say about the Jeep waive is simple, a CJ or military equivalent is a must, a YJ or TJ is an option, and a KJ is a pass, let the Hummer types form their own kinship.
atriot:
