Rumors are the 2017 Wrangler will be unibody and IFS. I for one will never, ever, buy another Wrangler if the rumors are true. Would you?

 

IFS and Unibody is a different animal than the traditional Jeep Wrangler. However, if it looked good, and had good specs, a proven engine and reliability, I'd give it some consideration if I were to be in the market for a new vehicle. I'd have to give it a thorough test drive on the types of roads I drive.

I don't heavily modify my JK, so the new model wouldn't significantly affect what, where, and how I drive.

Those who modify their Jeeps to do some serious off-road driving would be prone to back away from any new vehicle that doesn't have the proper "credentials". But then again, if the new model does have unibody and IFS, the aftermarket suppliers will have a new "canvas" to paint and will be scrambling to supply the new model owners with tons of mods.

If enough people buy the new Jeep, the aftermarket mods will start another series of projects so Jeep owners can keep spending their $$$ on exciting new products. It may not be a bad thing.

 

Not a big fan of unibody both from the impact of mod possibilities, and because I don't see any way it could be as strong (remember, they haven't strengthened vehicle bodies over the years, they've made them collapsible so people survive accidents). But I could live with IFS for what I do with my Jeep (expedition/overland travel).

 

ifs has its pros and cons, more cons then pros 99% of the time.

unibody is garbage and always will be for a vehicle thats made to climb and descend mountains without using roads.

 

A good read on the 2017 Wrangler from Allpar: 2017 Jeep Wranger: an off-road worthy independent suspension?

"The next-generation Jeep Wrangler is reportedly to debut in 2016, as a 2017 model. Sources have told several outlets that Jeep is hard at work on a long-travel independent suspension for Wrangler."

 

Another good read on the potential of a 2017 Wrangler with an Aluminum Unibody.

2017 Jeep Wrangler may be built on aluminum unibody | Digital Trends

 

It this is true, then 2015 is the last year to make up your mind before it's too late.

Wonder if back in the day the CJ guys talked at the coffee shops about this new YJ model that would replace their CJ.

I'm somewhat of a purest....like to see the wrangler with solid axles and a real frame. I give up the folding windshield and a diesel.

Come on Mike Manley and your upper brass...read these forums and give your loyal customer base what THEY want. Not all soccer moms will commit to the Jeep lifestyle and keep buying wranglers.

If this happens maybe model specific....say the Sahara, and the Rubi continues to have what it should....and then some

 

It would be a tough sell, and I'd need to weigh the overall Fiat influence on the new platform.

There really just aren't any more small honest American SUV's out there anymore that don't sacrifice capability for economy.

 

"Fiat/Chrysler CEO and godfather Sergio Marchionne hinted at the possibility when he was asked about the company’s future use of aluminum. A reporter for Automotive News asked Marchionne whether he could think of a better use for aluminum than on the Wrangler. Sergio responded simply: 'No.'"

That's some pretty flimsy evidence that the next Wrangler will be aluminum, much less unibody construction. And the article waxes poetic about aluminum Land Rovers but doesn't mention all of the problems that have been experienced with galvanic corrosion between the aluminum body panels and steel support structures. A friend of mine owns a '95 Defender 90 and he had to pull off every single body panel, remove all of the rust/corrosion, refinish it, then reassemble it. I'm sure that Ford is looking at that with their new F-150, and maybe Chrysler/Jeep/Fiat is looking at the possibilities, as well. But that they won't put it on the Dodge Ram (specifically mentioned in the same article) suggests to me that they aren't convinced aluminum is what is needed for any of their vehicles.

Here's my friend's Defender (included just because Defenders are so cool, LOL) ...

 

If they go unibody, I'd be worried about taking the doors off and how structurally sound the jeep would become.

My XJ buddies take their doors off (also a unibody, for those who don't know) and they have twisted their jeeps to the point that the rear hatch won't close properly or has cracked from the twisting pressure. Also, in the event of a roll (particularly at high speed) you would be in much worse shape with a unibody, due to its tendency to give. In a vehicle where the top is also not attached rigidly to the body, this could prove fatal for almost any rollover.

If it's a unibody, I'm not interested. IFS, I can live with (I do mostly overland type off-roading)