Oscar_Lives

"Benjamin Lee" <benmlee@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:7AEBf.538553$zb5.288252@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Not to mention the '07 weights more than the '06. The '07 weights in at
> 4,104 lbs. while the '06 is 3,832 lbs. The baseline Jeep weight difference
> is even more at 3,200 lbs. vs. 3,785 lbs. Heavier = worst off-road.
> Car companies have this larger and heavier is better mentality. Bigger car
> give them higher profit margin. Every car I see have been getting larger
> and heavier. The bigger better does not apply to offroad vehicle, and they
> obviously don't realize gas price has been going thru the roof.
>
> Ben

Wow! I'll bet performance and/or gas mileage suck.















>
>
> "mabar" <xyzz4568@HotPop.com> wrote in message
> news:43d5865c_3@newsfeed.slurp.net...
>>I think you will find that for now, most folks on this group will prefer
>>the
>> 2006 model. The 2007 is slightly longer and wider, with LOTS of modern
>> upgrades. If that's what you are looking for, then the '07 might be right
>> for you. The '07 should ride and handle better on the road. The '06 is
>> quite
>> a bit more "basic," even with all the options available. The '06 with
>> it's
>> narrower wheelbase will also maneuver through those "tight trails" better
>> than the wider '07.
>>
>> I have an '06 Rubi that I purchased last October and I love it so much,
>> that
>> if I was independently wealthy, I would buy another and store it for
>> years
>> and use it when this one "wears out." Of course "wearing out" is a
>> relative
>> term, since a well maintained I-6 Wrangler can go 100 - 200 or 300
>> thousand
>> miles.
>>
>> Also, the '06 model with it's I-6 engine should be a lot easier for a
>> backyard mechanic to repair.
>>
>> Just my two cents.
>>
>> Tom
>>
>> "INDIVIDUAL" <NOT@NOT.COM> wrote in message
>> news:43d50354$0$2937$9a6e19ea@unlimited.newshostin g.com...
>>> Just when I have decided to buy a 2006 Rubicon all this information on
>>> the
>>> 2007 comes out. I'm not a Jeep person but the specks for the 2007 look
>>> impressive as hell. In particular the more left elbow room when driving
>> and
>>> the built in GPS unit. As long as they haven't gone to a unibody I think
>> it
>>> might be wise to wait and get a 2007. Anybody care to share there
>>> opinions
>>> on this?
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Oscar_Lives

"Benjamin Lee" <benmlee@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:7AEBf.538553$zb5.288252@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Not to mention the '07 weights more than the '06. The '07 weights in at
> 4,104 lbs. while the '06 is 3,832 lbs. The baseline Jeep weight difference
> is even more at 3,200 lbs. vs. 3,785 lbs. Heavier = worst off-road.
> Car companies have this larger and heavier is better mentality. Bigger car
> give them higher profit margin. Every car I see have been getting larger
> and heavier. The bigger better does not apply to offroad vehicle, and they
> obviously don't realize gas price has been going thru the roof.
>
> Ben

Wow! I'll bet performance and/or gas mileage suck.















>
>
> "mabar" <xyzz4568@HotPop.com> wrote in message
> news:43d5865c_3@newsfeed.slurp.net...
>>I think you will find that for now, most folks on this group will prefer
>>the
>> 2006 model. The 2007 is slightly longer and wider, with LOTS of modern
>> upgrades. If that's what you are looking for, then the '07 might be right
>> for you. The '07 should ride and handle better on the road. The '06 is
>> quite
>> a bit more "basic," even with all the options available. The '06 with
>> it's
>> narrower wheelbase will also maneuver through those "tight trails" better
>> than the wider '07.
>>
>> I have an '06 Rubi that I purchased last October and I love it so much,
>> that
>> if I was independently wealthy, I would buy another and store it for
>> years
>> and use it when this one "wears out." Of course "wearing out" is a
>> relative
>> term, since a well maintained I-6 Wrangler can go 100 - 200 or 300
>> thousand
>> miles.
>>
>> Also, the '06 model with it's I-6 engine should be a lot easier for a
>> backyard mechanic to repair.
>>
>> Just my two cents.
>>
>> Tom
>>
>> "INDIVIDUAL" <NOT@NOT.COM> wrote in message
>> news:43d50354$0$2937$9a6e19ea@unlimited.newshostin g.com...
>>> Just when I have decided to buy a 2006 Rubicon all this information on
>>> the
>>> 2007 comes out. I'm not a Jeep person but the specks for the 2007 look
>>> impressive as hell. In particular the more left elbow room when driving
>> and
>>> the built in GPS unit. As long as they haven't gone to a unibody I think
>> it
>>> might be wise to wait and get a 2007. Anybody care to share there
>>> opinions
>>> on this?
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Oscar_Lives

"Benjamin Lee" <benmlee@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:7AEBf.538553$zb5.288252@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Not to mention the '07 weights more than the '06. The '07 weights in at
> 4,104 lbs. while the '06 is 3,832 lbs. The baseline Jeep weight difference
> is even more at 3,200 lbs. vs. 3,785 lbs. Heavier = worst off-road.
> Car companies have this larger and heavier is better mentality. Bigger car
> give them higher profit margin. Every car I see have been getting larger
> and heavier. The bigger better does not apply to offroad vehicle, and they
> obviously don't realize gas price has been going thru the roof.
>
> Ben

Wow! I'll bet performance and/or gas mileage suck.















>
>
> "mabar" <xyzz4568@HotPop.com> wrote in message
> news:43d5865c_3@newsfeed.slurp.net...
>>I think you will find that for now, most folks on this group will prefer
>>the
>> 2006 model. The 2007 is slightly longer and wider, with LOTS of modern
>> upgrades. If that's what you are looking for, then the '07 might be right
>> for you. The '07 should ride and handle better on the road. The '06 is
>> quite
>> a bit more "basic," even with all the options available. The '06 with
>> it's
>> narrower wheelbase will also maneuver through those "tight trails" better
>> than the wider '07.
>>
>> I have an '06 Rubi that I purchased last October and I love it so much,
>> that
>> if I was independently wealthy, I would buy another and store it for
>> years
>> and use it when this one "wears out." Of course "wearing out" is a
>> relative
>> term, since a well maintained I-6 Wrangler can go 100 - 200 or 300
>> thousand
>> miles.
>>
>> Also, the '06 model with it's I-6 engine should be a lot easier for a
>> backyard mechanic to repair.
>>
>> Just my two cents.
>>
>> Tom
>>
>> "INDIVIDUAL" <NOT@NOT.COM> wrote in message
>> news:43d50354$0$2937$9a6e19ea@unlimited.newshostin g.com...
>>> Just when I have decided to buy a 2006 Rubicon all this information on
>>> the
>>> 2007 comes out. I'm not a Jeep person but the specks for the 2007 look
>>> impressive as hell. In particular the more left elbow room when driving
>> and
>>> the built in GPS unit. As long as they haven't gone to a unibody I think
>> it
>>> might be wise to wait and get a 2007. Anybody care to share there
>>> opinions
>>> on this?
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

L. Ron Waddle

Jack Carter wrote:
> .............and nobody's mentioned cost. It sounds good to me but I'm
> betting it's going to be REAL expensive compared to the '06.
>

And I bet you it won't. The '06 Wranger is the only Jeep still using the
I-6 engine. There is a reason for that. The tooling for the I-6 engine
is almost 20 years old, and results in engine parts that need a
considerable amount of hand filing, boring and cleanup in order to be
usable. Each engine is, basically, hand-made, and is quite expensive to
make. The '07 Wrangler, on the other hand, uses a standard Chrysler 3.8L
minivan engine, made in a computerized factory at the rate of one every
couple of minutes with considerably less hand labor involved per engine.
The engines for the '07 Wranger will be considerably cheaper to make
than the I-6 engine.

My guesstimate is that the pricing is basically going to be unchanged.
While DC would *like* to increase the price of the Wrangler, the facts
of the marketplace say they won't be able to do so. While there may be
only one Jeep, the Nissan Xterra Offroad has almost as much capability
as the '07 Wrangler, more interior space, and a much better engine, at
roughly the same weight. Toyota is itself introducing an Xterra
competitor next year that's going to also compete in the low-priced
off-road marketplace (a marketplace that right now contains only Jeep
and Nissan here in the USA, though other Japanese manufacturers have
good little offroad 4x4's that they sell elsewhere). If you have
competition, you simply can't raise the price unless you want to have
lots of vehicles sitting on the lots.

> "mabar" <xyzz4568@HotPop.com> wrote in message
>> 2006 model. The 2007 is slightly longer and wider, with LOTS of modern
>> upgrades. If that's what you are looking for, then the '07 might be right
>> for you. The '07 should ride and handle better on the road. The '06 is
>> quite
>> a bit more "basic," even with all the options available. The '06 with it's
>> narrower wheelbase will also maneuver through those "tight trails" better
>> than the wider '07.

Also worth mentioning is the engine situation. Due to the narrow width
of the Wrangler, the 90 degree 3.7L Dodge truck engine used in other
Jeeps won't fit in the engine bay. Thus the '07 Wrangler uses the 3.8L
minivan engine, which is a narrower 60 degree V6. This engine works fine
in Mom's minivan hauling around a soccer team, but is hardly "exciting"
by any measure of the word. While the specs look great on paper, the
reality when hauling around 4200 pounds of porkitude is going to suck.
The I6 in the '06 Wrangler is no fireball but at least does have plenty
of low-end grunt, which the '07's soccer mom V6 lacks (albeit the soccer
mom V6 does have more power overall, just distributed higher in the RPM
range). Add in the fact that the '06 weighs less than the 07, and...

-Elron

L. Ron Waddle

Jack Carter wrote:
> .............and nobody's mentioned cost. It sounds good to me but I'm
> betting it's going to be REAL expensive compared to the '06.
>

And I bet you it won't. The '06 Wranger is the only Jeep still using the
I-6 engine. There is a reason for that. The tooling for the I-6 engine
is almost 20 years old, and results in engine parts that need a
considerable amount of hand filing, boring and cleanup in order to be
usable. Each engine is, basically, hand-made, and is quite expensive to
make. The '07 Wrangler, on the other hand, uses a standard Chrysler 3.8L
minivan engine, made in a computerized factory at the rate of one every
couple of minutes with considerably less hand labor involved per engine.
The engines for the '07 Wranger will be considerably cheaper to make
than the I-6 engine.

My guesstimate is that the pricing is basically going to be unchanged.
While DC would *like* to increase the price of the Wrangler, the facts
of the marketplace say they won't be able to do so. While there may be
only one Jeep, the Nissan Xterra Offroad has almost as much capability
as the '07 Wrangler, more interior space, and a much better engine, at
roughly the same weight. Toyota is itself introducing an Xterra
competitor next year that's going to also compete in the low-priced
off-road marketplace (a marketplace that right now contains only Jeep
and Nissan here in the USA, though other Japanese manufacturers have
good little offroad 4x4's that they sell elsewhere). If you have
competition, you simply can't raise the price unless you want to have
lots of vehicles sitting on the lots.

> "mabar" <xyzz4568@HotPop.com> wrote in message
>> 2006 model. The 2007 is slightly longer and wider, with LOTS of modern
>> upgrades. If that's what you are looking for, then the '07 might be right
>> for you. The '07 should ride and handle better on the road. The '06 is
>> quite
>> a bit more "basic," even with all the options available. The '06 with it's
>> narrower wheelbase will also maneuver through those "tight trails" better
>> than the wider '07.

Also worth mentioning is the engine situation. Due to the narrow width
of the Wrangler, the 90 degree 3.7L Dodge truck engine used in other
Jeeps won't fit in the engine bay. Thus the '07 Wrangler uses the 3.8L
minivan engine, which is a narrower 60 degree V6. This engine works fine
in Mom's minivan hauling around a soccer team, but is hardly "exciting"
by any measure of the word. While the specs look great on paper, the
reality when hauling around 4200 pounds of porkitude is going to suck.
The I6 in the '06 Wrangler is no fireball but at least does have plenty
of low-end grunt, which the '07's soccer mom V6 lacks (albeit the soccer
mom V6 does have more power overall, just distributed higher in the RPM
range). Add in the fact that the '06 weighs less than the 07, and...

-Elron

L. Ron Waddle

Jack Carter wrote:
> .............and nobody's mentioned cost. It sounds good to me but I'm
> betting it's going to be REAL expensive compared to the '06.
>

And I bet you it won't. The '06 Wranger is the only Jeep still using the
I-6 engine. There is a reason for that. The tooling for the I-6 engine
is almost 20 years old, and results in engine parts that need a
considerable amount of hand filing, boring and cleanup in order to be
usable. Each engine is, basically, hand-made, and is quite expensive to
make. The '07 Wrangler, on the other hand, uses a standard Chrysler 3.8L
minivan engine, made in a computerized factory at the rate of one every
couple of minutes with considerably less hand labor involved per engine.
The engines for the '07 Wranger will be considerably cheaper to make
than the I-6 engine.

My guesstimate is that the pricing is basically going to be unchanged.
While DC would *like* to increase the price of the Wrangler, the facts
of the marketplace say they won't be able to do so. While there may be
only one Jeep, the Nissan Xterra Offroad has almost as much capability
as the '07 Wrangler, more interior space, and a much better engine, at
roughly the same weight. Toyota is itself introducing an Xterra
competitor next year that's going to also compete in the low-priced
off-road marketplace (a marketplace that right now contains only Jeep
and Nissan here in the USA, though other Japanese manufacturers have
good little offroad 4x4's that they sell elsewhere). If you have
competition, you simply can't raise the price unless you want to have
lots of vehicles sitting on the lots.

> "mabar" <xyzz4568@HotPop.com> wrote in message
>> 2006 model. The 2007 is slightly longer and wider, with LOTS of modern
>> upgrades. If that's what you are looking for, then the '07 might be right
>> for you. The '07 should ride and handle better on the road. The '06 is
>> quite
>> a bit more "basic," even with all the options available. The '06 with it's
>> narrower wheelbase will also maneuver through those "tight trails" better
>> than the wider '07.

Also worth mentioning is the engine situation. Due to the narrow width
of the Wrangler, the 90 degree 3.7L Dodge truck engine used in other
Jeeps won't fit in the engine bay. Thus the '07 Wrangler uses the 3.8L
minivan engine, which is a narrower 60 degree V6. This engine works fine
in Mom's minivan hauling around a soccer team, but is hardly "exciting"
by any measure of the word. While the specs look great on paper, the
reality when hauling around 4200 pounds of porkitude is going to suck.
The I6 in the '06 Wrangler is no fireball but at least does have plenty
of low-end grunt, which the '07's soccer mom V6 lacks (albeit the soccer
mom V6 does have more power overall, just distributed higher in the RPM
range). Add in the fact that the '06 weighs less than the 07, and...

-Elron

Jerry Bransford

I know the Xterra VERY well and it's nowhere near the TJ in terms of
it's offroad capabilities. I know the XTerra better than I care to
admit to here, and I have a TJ... there's no comparison in terms of
offroading ability, I'm surprised anyone thinks the XTerra is even a
"decent" offroad vehicle. :).

L. Ron Waddle wrote:
> Jack Carter wrote:
>
>> .............and nobody's mentioned cost. It sounds good to me but I'm
>> betting it's going to be REAL expensive compared to the '06.
>>
>
> And I bet you it won't. The '06 Wranger is the only Jeep still using the
> I-6 engine. There is a reason for that. The tooling for the I-6 engine
> is almost 20 years old, and results in engine parts that need a
> considerable amount of hand filing, boring and cleanup in order to be
> usable. Each engine is, basically, hand-made, and is quite expensive to
> make. The '07 Wrangler, on the other hand, uses a standard Chrysler 3.8L
> minivan engine, made in a computerized factory at the rate of one every
> couple of minutes with considerably less hand labor involved per engine.
> The engines for the '07 Wranger will be considerably cheaper to make
> than the I-6 engine.
>
> My guesstimate is that the pricing is basically going to be unchanged.
> While DC would *like* to increase the price of the Wrangler, the facts
> of the marketplace say they won't be able to do so. While there may be
> only one Jeep, the Nissan Xterra Offroad has almost as much capability
> as the '07 Wrangler, more interior space, and a much better engine, at
> roughly the same weight. Toyota is itself introducing an Xterra
> competitor next year that's going to also compete in the low-priced
> off-road marketplace (a marketplace that right now contains only Jeep
> and Nissan here in the USA, though other Japanese manufacturers have
> good little offroad 4x4's that they sell elsewhere). If you have
> competition, you simply can't raise the price unless you want to have
> lots of vehicles sitting on the lots.
>
>> "mabar" <xyzz4568@HotPop.com> wrote in message
>>
>>> 2006 model. The 2007 is slightly longer and wider, with LOTS of modern
>>> upgrades. If that's what you are looking for, then the '07 might be
>>> right
>>> for you. The '07 should ride and handle better on the road. The '06
>>> is quite
>>> a bit more "basic," even with all the options available. The '06 with
>>> it's
>>> narrower wheelbase will also maneuver through those "tight trails"
>>> better
>>> than the wider '07.
>
>
> Also worth mentioning is the engine situation. Due to the narrow width
> of the Wrangler, the 90 degree 3.7L Dodge truck engine used in other
> Jeeps won't fit in the engine bay. Thus the '07 Wrangler uses the 3.8L
> minivan engine, which is a narrower 60 degree V6. This engine works fine
> in Mom's minivan hauling around a soccer team, but is hardly "exciting"
> by any measure of the word. While the specs look great on paper, the
> reality when hauling around 4200 pounds of porkitude is going to suck.
> The I6 in the '06 Wrangler is no fireball but at least does have plenty
> of low-end grunt, which the '07's soccer mom V6 lacks (albeit the soccer
> mom V6 does have more power overall, just distributed higher in the RPM
> range). Add in the fact that the '06 weighs less than the 07, and...
>
> -Elron

--
Jerry Bransford
PP-ASEL N6TAY
See the Geezer Jeep at
http://members.***.net/jerrypb/

Jerry Bransford

I know the Xterra VERY well and it's nowhere near the TJ in terms of
it's offroad capabilities. I know the XTerra better than I care to
admit to here, and I have a TJ... there's no comparison in terms of
offroading ability, I'm surprised anyone thinks the XTerra is even a
"decent" offroad vehicle. :).

L. Ron Waddle wrote:
> Jack Carter wrote:
>
>> .............and nobody's mentioned cost. It sounds good to me but I'm
>> betting it's going to be REAL expensive compared to the '06.
>>
>
> And I bet you it won't. The '06 Wranger is the only Jeep still using the
> I-6 engine. There is a reason for that. The tooling for the I-6 engine
> is almost 20 years old, and results in engine parts that need a
> considerable amount of hand filing, boring and cleanup in order to be
> usable. Each engine is, basically, hand-made, and is quite expensive to
> make. The '07 Wrangler, on the other hand, uses a standard Chrysler 3.8L
> minivan engine, made in a computerized factory at the rate of one every
> couple of minutes with considerably less hand labor involved per engine.
> The engines for the '07 Wranger will be considerably cheaper to make
> than the I-6 engine.
>
> My guesstimate is that the pricing is basically going to be unchanged.
> While DC would *like* to increase the price of the Wrangler, the facts
> of the marketplace say they won't be able to do so. While there may be
> only one Jeep, the Nissan Xterra Offroad has almost as much capability
> as the '07 Wrangler, more interior space, and a much better engine, at
> roughly the same weight. Toyota is itself introducing an Xterra
> competitor next year that's going to also compete in the low-priced
> off-road marketplace (a marketplace that right now contains only Jeep
> and Nissan here in the USA, though other Japanese manufacturers have
> good little offroad 4x4's that they sell elsewhere). If you have
> competition, you simply can't raise the price unless you want to have
> lots of vehicles sitting on the lots.
>
>> "mabar" <xyzz4568@HotPop.com> wrote in message
>>
>>> 2006 model. The 2007 is slightly longer and wider, with LOTS of modern
>>> upgrades. If that's what you are looking for, then the '07 might be
>>> right
>>> for you. The '07 should ride and handle better on the road. The '06
>>> is quite
>>> a bit more "basic," even with all the options available. The '06 with
>>> it's
>>> narrower wheelbase will also maneuver through those "tight trails"
>>> better
>>> than the wider '07.
>
>
> Also worth mentioning is the engine situation. Due to the narrow width
> of the Wrangler, the 90 degree 3.7L Dodge truck engine used in other
> Jeeps won't fit in the engine bay. Thus the '07 Wrangler uses the 3.8L
> minivan engine, which is a narrower 60 degree V6. This engine works fine
> in Mom's minivan hauling around a soccer team, but is hardly "exciting"
> by any measure of the word. While the specs look great on paper, the
> reality when hauling around 4200 pounds of porkitude is going to suck.
> The I6 in the '06 Wrangler is no fireball but at least does have plenty
> of low-end grunt, which the '07's soccer mom V6 lacks (albeit the soccer
> mom V6 does have more power overall, just distributed higher in the RPM
> range). Add in the fact that the '06 weighs less than the 07, and...
>
> -Elron

--
Jerry Bransford
PP-ASEL N6TAY
See the Geezer Jeep at
http://members.***.net/jerrypb/

Jerry Bransford

I know the Xterra VERY well and it's nowhere near the TJ in terms of
it's offroad capabilities. I know the XTerra better than I care to
admit to here, and I have a TJ... there's no comparison in terms of
offroading ability, I'm surprised anyone thinks the XTerra is even a
"decent" offroad vehicle. :).

L. Ron Waddle wrote:
> Jack Carter wrote:
>
>> .............and nobody's mentioned cost. It sounds good to me but I'm
>> betting it's going to be REAL expensive compared to the '06.
>>
>
> And I bet you it won't. The '06 Wranger is the only Jeep still using the
> I-6 engine. There is a reason for that. The tooling for the I-6 engine
> is almost 20 years old, and results in engine parts that need a
> considerable amount of hand filing, boring and cleanup in order to be
> usable. Each engine is, basically, hand-made, and is quite expensive to
> make. The '07 Wrangler, on the other hand, uses a standard Chrysler 3.8L
> minivan engine, made in a computerized factory at the rate of one every
> couple of minutes with considerably less hand labor involved per engine.
> The engines for the '07 Wranger will be considerably cheaper to make
> than the I-6 engine.
>
> My guesstimate is that the pricing is basically going to be unchanged.
> While DC would *like* to increase the price of the Wrangler, the facts
> of the marketplace say they won't be able to do so. While there may be
> only one Jeep, the Nissan Xterra Offroad has almost as much capability
> as the '07 Wrangler, more interior space, and a much better engine, at
> roughly the same weight. Toyota is itself introducing an Xterra
> competitor next year that's going to also compete in the low-priced
> off-road marketplace (a marketplace that right now contains only Jeep
> and Nissan here in the USA, though other Japanese manufacturers have
> good little offroad 4x4's that they sell elsewhere). If you have
> competition, you simply can't raise the price unless you want to have
> lots of vehicles sitting on the lots.
>
>> "mabar" <xyzz4568@HotPop.com> wrote in message
>>
>>> 2006 model. The 2007 is slightly longer and wider, with LOTS of modern
>>> upgrades. If that's what you are looking for, then the '07 might be
>>> right
>>> for you. The '07 should ride and handle better on the road. The '06
>>> is quite
>>> a bit more "basic," even with all the options available. The '06 with
>>> it's
>>> narrower wheelbase will also maneuver through those "tight trails"
>>> better
>>> than the wider '07.
>
>
> Also worth mentioning is the engine situation. Due to the narrow width
> of the Wrangler, the 90 degree 3.7L Dodge truck engine used in other
> Jeeps won't fit in the engine bay. Thus the '07 Wrangler uses the 3.8L
> minivan engine, which is a narrower 60 degree V6. This engine works fine
> in Mom's minivan hauling around a soccer team, but is hardly "exciting"
> by any measure of the word. While the specs look great on paper, the
> reality when hauling around 4200 pounds of porkitude is going to suck.
> The I6 in the '06 Wrangler is no fireball but at least does have plenty
> of low-end grunt, which the '07's soccer mom V6 lacks (albeit the soccer
> mom V6 does have more power overall, just distributed higher in the RPM
> range). Add in the fact that the '06 weighs less than the 07, and...
>
> -Elron

--
Jerry Bransford
PP-ASEL N6TAY
See the Geezer Jeep at
http://members.***.net/jerrypb/

L. Ron Waddle

Jerry Bransford wrote:
> I know the Xterra VERY well and it's nowhere near the TJ in terms of
> it's offroad capabilities.

Err, we were comparing the new Xterra Offroad (the Nissan equivalent of
a Rubicon, new for 2006) to an '07 Wrangler. I agree that it is not
equal to a TJ in terms of its offroad capabilities, but it is still
quite capable. I have seen the new Xterra go places I could swear that a
machine with IFS couldn't go, albeit you are correct, that it is no
match for an '06 TJ. For the majority of people, the Xterra Offroad has
all the offroad capability they need -- it will, for example, capably
handle any of the 4x4 roads in Death Valley National Park, including
roads such as Lippincott which are marked for short wheelbase 4x4's only
(i.e., CJ's, TJ's, or Zukes only).

You are correct that the 4,000 or 5,000 serious rock crawler hobbyists
in America will never buy an Xterra. But those few thousand are not
going to keep Jeep in business either.

> I know the XTerra better than I care to admit to here,

Which XTerra, the old one or the new one? They are different machines.
The old one was based on the Frontier chassis. The new one is based on
the Titan chassis. The old one had a wheezy 3.1L V6 inherited from the
Frontier. The new one has the much stronger 4.0L V6 from the Titan.
About the only thing the same between them are styling cues.

In case you are wondering, here are the statistics for the '06 XTerra
Offroad and the '07 Rubicon:

XTerra Offroad:
overall length (inches): 178.7, overall width (inches): 72.8, overall
height (inches): 74.9, ground clearance (inches): 9.5, wheelbase
(inches): 106.3, front track (inches): 61.8, rear track (inches): 61.8
and curb to curb turning circle (feet): 37.3 Curb weight 4402


'07 Jeep:
Length 152.8 (3881.1), Overall Width (without mirrors) 73.7 (1872.0)
Overall Height, Hard top 72.3 (1836.4) Rubicon
Wheelbase 95.4 (2423.2) Track, Front 61.9 (1572.3) Track, Rear 61.9
1572.3) Overhang, Front 26.7 (678.2) Overhang, Rear 30.6 (777.2) Weight
4104 lbs.

The two vehicles are roughly the same weight, width and height. The
Jeep's primary advantage in offroad situations is its shorter length and
shorter wheelbase (less chance to high-side, easier to maneuver) and the
extra articulation available via solid axle up front vs. IFS. That will
be advantageous in rock-crawling situations (along with that trick
electrically-disconnectable sway bar up front!). If you don't intend to
rock-crawl, it is difficult to think of anything the '07 Jeep will do
that the '06 XTerra won't do. Handle rough eroded roads that will
high-side most vehicles? Check. Handle boggy fishing and hunting roads?
Check. Handle trips on rough Forest Service fire roads to take yourself
and your backpacking gear to a trailhead? Check. The XTerra OR certainly
isn't a do-everything offroader like the TJ, but what it does do
offroad, it does well enough for all but a tiny fraction of people -- a
tiny fraction who aren't enough to keep a car company in business all by
themselves. Thus, from a marketing point of view, the XTerra and the TJ
are in the same marketing class, which is why DC is not going to be able
to raise the price of the TJ much beyond the XTerra's price and still
retain enough sales to keep the TJ on the market.

So you're right, and you're wrong. The XTerra is not a TJ. But from a
marketing point of view, it's close enough that Jeep can't raise the
price of the TJ much above the XTerra's price point and still sell
enough TJ's to justify selling them.

-Elron