Hello all,

I wanted to drop in and let everyone know we have recently updated the Jeep website to include new information on the 2007 Jeep Wrangler. Amongst these new additions is the option to take an online 360 degree tour of the 2007 wrangler inside and out.

Click the below link to check it out.
http://www.jeep.com/07wrangler/gallery/?pid=Forum&adid=07Launch_Fl_AUTO

The 2007 Jeep Wranglers have begun making there way to your local dealership. If you haven’t seen them in person, here is your chance to do so sneak a quick glance into the Wranglers styling for the 2007 model year.

If you have any additional questions please feel free to ask.

Dan

Why does it have to weigh half a ton more than a YJ?  That's an awful lot, don't you think?  

look how small the old flaties were. in another few decades, you'll need a CDL  

Yeah.  Guess this is what happens when the Unlimited sells like hotcakes--DCX thinks everybody wants their Jeep BIG.  Granted, not everyone wants their wheelbase 80"; but not everyone wants a Hummer H1, either.  And look what Hummer is doing--making them smaller!  

Are you comparing the GVW? The JK has about 700 pounds higher GVW than the TJ, but it also has 200 pounds more payload, which means the JK is about 500 pounds heavier than the TJ. I have yet to find the specs on the YJ. Don't forget, the YJ does not have a fully boxed frame and is quite flimsy compared to the TJ and JK. `

Ya, and the H-1 is no longer in production for general public.  

Geez man! Who was in charge of the marketing on the new Wrangler? Jeep bugs for an ad? Hey, I get that it's arty and all and maybe it will win some art award but it doesn't tell me squat about the '07 Jeep Wrangler. The guys at Toyota (yeah the company pushing the FJ with great technical ads and engineering-like visuals) are probably laughing all the way to the bank. Don't get me wrong. I really like the JK. But the eight-year-old girl running the marketing team needs to be canned. That's just embarrassing.

John Cappa
Editor, Jp Magazine    

Same dude who came up with the karaoke Compass. Makes your marbles just suck up into your throat on their own, doesn't it?  

I was referring to curb weight of the vehicles.  YJ is something like 3,200 lbs. and JK is 4,200 or so.  If the payload is higher, that's fine, but the extra empty weight certainly can't help gas mileage.  Also, the YJ frame is fully boxed.  About the Hummers, the H2 shrank down to the H3, and I read that they were going to make a smaller-yet H4.  

so we can look forward to a dualy Wrangler and a Hummer built of the Aveo Chassis, H6?

They keep on pushing for roomier vehicles, but it'll be a long time before I have kids too big for the back seat of my TJ.

another consideration, they upped the GVWR to a point were thay can use a dirtier deisel. (that why the grand cherokee gets a deisel and the liberty lost its)

I don't know about a dually Wrangler, but the Gladiator sure looks a lot like the new wrangler, doesn't it?  In other words, they made the Wrangler so big so that they could use it as the basis for the Gladiator.  Is that what I'm seeing?  Well, if they made the Gladiator (and I had any money...) I would buy one, but I'll have to keep my little-bitty CJ-2A.  

The TJ is 3600 pounds, but the frame is stronger than the YJ, plus it comes with a real rear bumper. Strength adds weight. Also, the coil spring suspension also adds weight. Don't forget that the old YJs are not exactly built to a very high quality standard.  

Hmmm...  I don't know about the quality of a TJ, but my '89 YJ is holding up well--although I haven't taken it 'wheeling nearly as much as I'd like.  Here's some interesting info, straight from the Jeep book:
         
                    1995 YJ        2005 TJ
Base curb weight      
w/4.0l engine, lb     3085           3438

I hadn't realized there was that much difference between the two (353 lb).  That means that the new Wrangler weighs even more than a half ton more than a YJ.  With proper engineering, strength can be increased without adding mass, and it looks like Jeep isn't doing all the engineering they could.  Of course, the better engineering is going to add to the cost--using the better-engineered materials is expensive.  

Far more goes into the cost of manufacturing than engineering and materials.

Stronger does mean heavier. Just can't get around it. The TJ frame is much stronger than the YJ and the JK is even stronger. The YJ was made weaker so the frame would flex more to make up for the antique suspension system it has. Cheaper to do that than engineer a better suspension.

I don't want to get into a discussion of engineering principles here.  I will defer to the working engineers at Jeep, who have to make the thing to sell, at the direction of people who have to guess what the market will support.  I do wonder how closely they are paying attention to Jeep history.  When Jeep made the CJ-8, they could hardly give the things away; 10-15 years later, they're major collector's items.  Do people really want a big Jeep now?