The Jp article stated that diesels don't do much in the mud and sand, but we're talking about Jeeps and not those overgrown, over-horsepowered, suburban pickups that can't fit on the truly challenging trails. I believe that you bozos will have to eat your words in the future when the diesel is king of the trail, especially once I take over as the new Jp editor and return you poop-throwing primates to the jungle where your intellectual abilities are better suited for eating bugs out of each other's fur.Sarcastically yours,
Stephen Kutchko
Berkeley, California
Hey, easy there, I keep my fur pretty clean, Christian is bald, and Pete, well, I wouldn't eat anything off of him.
Yep, a diesel will out-idle a gas engine, hands down. This is perfect on a boulder-strewn trail where low-rpm torque is king. However, most of our Jeeps spend a good amount of time on the road where that particular low-rpm diesel engine wouldn't be quite as fun or practical.
Now there are diesels that have good high-rpm and low-rpm traits along with less vibration, however, the new emissions laws for 2007 have put a little bit of a binder on what can be run in a smaller vehicle (GVWR below 6,000 pounds). Ultimately, the new small diesel engines that will pass emissions are very expensive to build and often have complicated emissions systems that are nowhere near as simple and compact as the Cummins industrial engine you saw on the trail.
Opened Eyes
Thank you for doing the reasonable and unbiased article on the new Wrangler JK ("Problem Solved," November '06). I found it very informative, and it actually shot down much of the bad info I have read on Internet message boards.
I keep wondering why so many people hate change so much? Every time we get a new Jeep (or any car with such a loyal following), everyone cries that it's the end of the segment as we know it. Anyone who has been around the hobby for a while has heard them all.
It was before my time, but my dad remembers CJ-5 owners saying the CJ-7 was too big. When the CJ gave way to the YJ, all the "loyalists" said it was awful, horrible, a girls vehicle, and not a real off-roader. Because of the designation "YJ," many dubbed it the Yuppie Jeep. But now it's hard to find someone who will admit to hating the YJ as an off-road vehicle.
When the TJ came out, everyone bitched about coil springs. The whole "I love leaf spring" crowd went nuts. Many people said they would never be as good as a CJ/YJ off-road. We all know how that worked out. I'd bet some of those complainers even converted their CJ/YJ to coils.
The JK is the same thing. In two years, no one will admit they hated it. All the people on the message boards who said it was crappy will say they always loved it. The bottom line: it's better in many ways, is still the best off-road option offered by any manufacturer, and is cheaper than last year's model.
Jay Gordon
Via e-mail
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