You could always go with a quad-cab truck and tow an old CJ or Willys!

 

This is a great question, and I had the same dilemma. Here is what I did after much research: a 4-door Wrangler with a 4 inch lift, rock rails, side air-bags and the best baby seat I could buy (Britax) in the center.

Research accidents in lifted Jeeps - they all go under the truck, not into it. The rock rail adds more strength and with the seat in the middle, there is plenty of "crush zone".

There are pictures on this forum of lifted Jeeps being hit hard by other vehicles (I am thinking of a mini-van in this case) that drove away without a dent, and the van was totaled.

If you wanted to add more strength, a Rock Hard/OR-Fab cage could be added (bolt-in IIRC).

 

Go with the 4 door JK and you should be fine... remember the test was on ONE vehicle several years ago. The 11's and 12's have side airbags.

The other option is to get a quad cab pickup. I had a lifted F250 and it was like a tank!!

Good luck...

 

I have two kiddos, 7 and 3...in a 2 door JK. WE love it, and I am not concerned about safety. Good luck in whatever path you go down!
For the record tho, in my line of work I have seen a lot of smashed rides...and unless you are in an 80's fiesta your probably going to be ok or completely screwed depending on the force of the accident. Wear your seatbelts and have fun!

 

niether, i made it work with a yj!

 

Yjs are fun and are pretty reliable. Mine had 173k miles when I sold it with no major problems

 

What Jeeeep and SiliconTi said.
Get the 4-door and put rock rails on it. Lift is optional.
If somebody hits you from the side and you have frame-mounted rock rails, his front end will collapse and leave you looking down at his steering wheel. That'll leave a mark.
Rock rails and side air bags will do all you'll need. There's nothing will protect against a semi T-boning you at 60 mph.

I predict you'll love the 4-door.

 

...I've owned three Subarus ('04 WRX, '06 STi, '06 Legacy GT).

I'm tailoring my response to your choice of the Outback. What trim level are you looking at/considering? If it's the base, 2.5 liter, naturally aspirated, I think you're in for quite a change. It's a lovely car, relatively economical, Subaru's AWD system is wonderful, and the current model is huge. The one concern I will warn you against is the gas mileage. AWD eats gas. With my LGT, I experienced 33 - 34 mpg on the highway, but 18 - 19 in the city. Now, that is a turbocharged model, so you'd experience a slightly higher city gas mileage with the NA version.

Having driven the Grand Cherokee a few times (test drive and as a rental car)... I'd take the Outback hands down. I am curious as to what model line you are looking at though, as the Outback is not cheap when you start looking at the non-base versions. It's probably still cheaper than the GC though.

 

Explain to her with the correct lift everything will go underneath the Jeep!

 

Is there any way you can keep the JK and swing a second payment?