5a. Re: Strange future: a rant Posted by: "Kenneth Smith" caionneach@xxxxxxxxxxxxx caionneach Date: Mon Aug 20, 2007 12:57 pm ((PDT)) As much as I agree with this, I think we're all being a little too tight in our preferences here. Remember the Eagle (a 4WD car)? True, it was not a Jeep branded vehicle; it was AMC. I have long thought that since Jeep is the historic American home for 4WD technology ideally it should be the leader in innovative 4WD products for the consumer. As a purest, I could limit that definition to trucks only, and a truly "puritan" understanding of that would be that only the short wheelbase MB/CJ series could ever be called a Jeep. But since the original Jeep was a small truck, it was a short leap of logic to extend the 4WD concept to include more civilian friendly body and frame styles. Americans needed large trucks and wagons to play and work in. As we all look around, the style pioneered by the SJ (Wagoneer) has not gone away, if anything the popularity of the style is stronger than ever (Suburbans, Durangos, Armadas, Explorers et al ad nauseum). I think one of the smartest things the new Chrysler could do is release the Wagoneer again along the same model as Ford reintroduced the classic styled Mustang. As much as I like the SJ Cherokee, the Wagoneer was the first SUV, and it is a shame it is not a current production vehicle since there are so many SUVs on the road. But regarding the Compass, I think it is a good first step in claiming the 4WD market as a Jeep market, including cars. Sure other companies can have 4WD systems in their vehicles (e.g., Subaru) but Jeep (thanks to the Bantam engineers) made it possible in the beginning. Kenneth _________________________________________________________________See what you?re getting into?before you go there http://newlivehotmail.com/?ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_viral_preview_0507
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