Jeep Wrangler Review
Jeep vehicles have been the transportation of choice for liberators and adventurers
for over 5 decades now. The original Jeep vehicle was born of necessity, and hand-built
in just seven weeks with lots of hard work and genius planning and designing.
It is know that soldiers and civilians alike knows that the vehicle that could
go anywhere and do anything recognizes Jeep vehicles. But where did the name Jeep
comes from? Although no one really knows for certain, everyone has their favorite
theory about how it came to be called the Jeep vehicle. Whatever the origin of
the Jeep name, the Jeep brand of vehicles has become one of the most recognized
brands in the world. Media has described the Jeep as such, "It's as faithful as
a dog, as strong as a mule and agile as a goat."
The first civilian Jeep vehicle, the CJ-2A, was produced in 1945. Advertisements
proclaimed it to be "A Powerhouse on Wheels," again selling it as a work vehicle
for farmers and construction workers. It came with a tailgate, side-mounted spare,
larger headlamps, an external fuel cap and many more items that its military predecessors
did not include. A direct descendant to the Jeep CJ, the new 1987
Jeep Wrangler improved upon the legendary design. And the Jeep Cherokee (XJ) was introduced
for 1984, becoming one of the most popular Jeep vehicles ever. However, while
the growing market for compact 4WD vehicles still sought the utilitarian virtues
of the Jeep CJ series, consumers also were seeking more of the "creature features"
associated with the typical passenger car. AMC responded to this market demand
in 1986 by discontinuing the CJ series and by introducing the 1987 Jeep Wrangler
(YJ).
Although the Wrangler shared the familiar open-body profile of the CJ-7, it contained
few common parts with its famous predecessor. In fact, mechanically, the Wrangler
had more in common with the Cherokee (XJ) than the CJ-7. With the Wrangler, AMC
was able to improve the comfort, ride quality and appearance while preserving
the durability and unrivaled off-road prowess of the Jeep CJ-7. On August 5, 1987,
a little more than a year after the introduction of the Wrangler, American Motors
Corporation was sold to the Chrysler Corporation and the popular Jeep brand became
a part of the Jeep/Eagle Division of Chrysler Corporation.
