What Jeep should have done with the rear window

[Darel]

Driving yesterday, looking at that useless, annoying thick black square right in the middle of my rear window, and something occurred to me.

What Jeep should have done with the rear window, was made it one solid pane that electrically retracts down into the back of the cab wall, like Toyota (I believe) did.

Benefits:

1. No stupid little slider that restricts rearward vision, is difficult to use and minimally effective anyway.

2. No glass in the hardtop. Time to switch tops? Drop the window. The hardtop is now significantly lighter and there's nothing breakable in it.

2a. No more electrical connections when removing the hardtop either.

3. You can now redesign the soft top to accept the rear window in the raised position, which shouldn't be too hard given that they already have those two hard cab-corner pieces. No more plastic windows to deal with. No more soft top storage bag, no more scratched plastic.

End rant.

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[sass JT]

Good idea… some other things would have to change too. Aka the whole use of behind the seats. No sub, no electrical boxes that mount to the wall… also then some lose of leg room for the rear passengers to make the mechanisms to get window up and down… but doable.

Here’s my idea…

Make the back window just like the side windows of the power top JL’s… make a twist on each corner and bamm… rear window out… open view and hardtop would be lighter and easier to remove.

Some other ideas hopefully come out of this thread.

 

[run2recovery]

They probably could have have made it a power sliding window. I don't mind the size of it, it is just useless as a manual open. You have to either open it before you start your trip, or stop somewhere to open. it is just pointless.

 

[jeepin48]

I agree the rear window with slider sucks as it is too small. I say make the entire window removable and stow behind the rear seat as is.

 

[redrider]

The rear window is definately a wart as delivered. A while back I proposed a roling track type of mechanism like the hatches on the ISS. It would slide forward, parallel to the opening for an inch or so, then as it is pushed or powered up, the top/leading edge rotated forward with the entire pane now stowed against the hard top, out side up. Similar to the way a pantograph hinged yacht door works. Otherwise, release the latches, pivot inward at the top or bottom and slide sideways an inch and remove from the "pins". Like the doors. The standard opening does make a fine gun port for tailgaters, though.

 

[Rainman519]

I like the airflow an open rear window provides with the top open (sunrider) but I wish it was power.

 

[Phred]

I would have accepted a bit larger and powered. A simply electrical coupling like in the side doors would still make the top easy to remove .

For me, I need that open to minimize the buffeting with Sun rider open.

 

[Troybilt]

As one that actually takes the top off I hate this idea. I want the top as light as possible and as cheap as I could get it. Would you pay another $300 for the top if it did this? Not I my friend.

 

[Darel]

As one that actually takes the top off I hate this idea. I want the top as light as possible and as cheap as I could get it. Would you pay another $300 for the top of it did this? Not I my friend.

Huh? Removing the window from the top WOULD make it a lot lighter and in fact to have a lighter, less fragile hardtop and a better window in the soft top, $300 is an absolute bargain (although I'm not.aure where you get that number, I think it'd be a LOT more than that).

 

[eaglerugby04]

Sliding would have been amazing. I have the soft top and it is always such a pain putting that window back in. Not to mention storing it as well.

 

[Daddiator54]

I love this idea. With an electrical retracting window housed in the body of the cab, I think an issue would be making a universal body that could be used across all trims. Jeep likes to offer their base model sport with no electronics so this might diverge from that.

Other than that, I also have to jump on the bandwagon and say I hate that window. I told my wife I don’t like using it because when I get out of the Jeep, I forget it’s down 100% of the time. Not necessarily an issue of window design I know but most of the time I have zero reason to go into the back seats so I just jump out and I’m off. I’ve already forgotten about it being open overnight a couple times and luckily it’s been nice weather but it’s only a matter of time. </rant>

 

[mazeppa]

I would like if rear window retracted into the body like the door windows do into the doors. Then everyone would complain if they weren't one-touch up or down.

Edit:

@Daddiator54 beat me to it

 

[Daddiator54]

I would like if rear window retracted into the body like the door windows do into the doors. Then everyone would complain if they weren't one-touch up or down.

Edit:

@Daddiator54 beat me to it

Make it a manual window for the sport models so they gotta hand crank it.

 

[BLK HOLE]

Being able to remove it like the freedom tops would have been better.

 

[OVERLORD]

Would have been tough with the removable top, to have a back window drop into the body. Complexity, weight, power, and component alignment.

I would have liked the entire window to flip out from the bottom perhaps in multiple positions.

Maybe function like an awning window with a simple crank.

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