Funny thing is we test drove the old and new Gās. The old solid axle rode far far far worse than my Gladiator. Wouldnāt buy one for anything. The new G is a wonderful SUV but it is no longer the off-road tank that it was. Which for the vast majority of its market is a good thing. Even so, it still does pretty damn well off road.
IFS is more than enough for 90% of the "off roading" I see Jeeps doing on this forum. The other 10% needs $20k+ in upgrades for a Jeep to be able to do it, and a heavily modified IFS rig would also be able to do it.
Lift spacers, shocks, and longer bump stops is all it took to get 39s under our 2022 JLUR with the xr package. $3500 all in and it rolls through trails like John Bull, the Rubicon, and pritchet canyon. Toyotas have to trim body mounts on top of large lifts just to clear 35s (new generation have larger when openings but I've yet to see one on the trail). Put $3500 including the tires on to any IFS rig you want a gage it through even 1 of the trails I mentioned. If you mage it through his the body? Need tire rods already? Now do it for 50k+ miles. A-arm mounts braking off the frame? It happens. Steering rack number 3 already? Anyone who thinks they are that close off road doesn't wheel very hard.
Exactly. A modified IFS rig can do those trails just like your modified Jeep can. And all those things regularly break on Jeeps doing those trails as well. You're not really saying much other than "my rig built for the Rubicon can do the Rubicon, and a stock Toyota can't"
You'll have to spend the $20k plus you mentioned to build the Toyota though. Add the fact that the new Tacoma and 4runner are every bit as expensive as the JL and the math doesn't add up. And they'll still have worse approach, departure, and breakover angles. Their suspension and steering will still be weaker and more failure prone. You'll still be far more likely to get body damage die to the design differences. They'll still have far less articulation. It's not really impressive when you say my $100k rig can almost keep up with your $65k rig. And I've run the Rubicon in a stock xr and seen many of them out there... never seen a stock Toyota out there though? The Jeep is far better stock and modified. Modified on the same budget it's not even close. Longer shocks and a spacer lift on a solid axle can greatly increase articulation. On an IFS rig that already was lacking in flex you just lose downtravle as the A-arms, drive shafts, and ball joints are only capable of so much angle. Further even a relatively small lift like 2" really changes their operating angle and massively increases wear. The same budget boost on a Jeep doesn't change ball joint angles at all. The tire rod is still straight and flat. The drag link has plenty of travel in its end for not only the new ride height but the new droop. Those tie rod ends are still at less angle than the IFS ones were stock.
And they all picture it like the bullet proof 4.0L with a turbo so it makes real power. It's an over complicated nightmare that has resulted in a whole bunch of warranty claims. Way more complicated, far less reliable, not nearly the same sound, basically the same power output, and similar fuel economy to the 5.7L... and it's too long to fit in the Jeep. Where's the upside vs the 5.7L?Straightsixsexuals more like it
Agree entirely. The heat cycling is usually what destroys the plastic. Not that I'm saying composites are bad- but there's too many wildly variable scenarios in a road vehicle that one engine design could see in say, 30K vehicles in a year is an unnecessary risk when a simple metal impeller could suffice. Especially for a brand new motor intended to be the standard bearer for the future of the brand... and replaces the beloved Hemi's.
