Trailhawk Concept!
Thread Starter
|
Veteran
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 307
Likes: 0
From: Portland, OR
Trailhawk Concept!
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/12/28/j...-detroit-show/
Finally, a good look at this bad boy. That little drawing in the news/rumors section showed us nothing.
What I like:
--Finally, a REAL sport utility again! Full frame and solid axles a la the TK-L. Its about time. Its all truck, as opposed to passenger car infected SUV components like psuedo-unibody frames and independent suspensions.
What do I mean by "real sport utility"?The Wranglers are straight up 4x4s like scouts, early broncos and FJ land cruisers.The GC, commander, and Liberty are SUVs. Ballsier than Explorers, Escaladesor Pathfinders but still SUVs. This is a sport utilityin the vain ofthe fullsize bronco, Wagoneer,FJ-60 LandCruiser, XJ cherokee, etc. There IS a difference.
--The overall look of this thing rocks. Much more macho, sculpted looking and generally badass than the Crap-mander, upcoming liberty, or even the GC. The patriot/compass dont even count. The front clip is angry and aggressive looking; has a little tough truck and a little muscle car sleek in it.
--The removeable roof panels. Any REAL 4x4 should be able to go at least partially topless. I absolutely love the rear end, what with the real tailgate and the rollcage look to the empty pillars, although the T-tops are a bit impractical. They look cool, but a huge panoramic sunroof or sliding canvans roof would be more do-able.
--The diesel. Fuel economy. Longevity. Power. But of course it needs a Hemi as an option also.
--The interior--Hey, it incorporates an iPod so you gotta love it. Round pods for the guages are the ONLY thing that looks right inside a vehicle. 'Nuff said.
What I dont like:
--Ugly, ghetto *** 22" wheels, and low profile tires.. Barf. This is supposedly an offroad rig, not some boulevard cruiser. 17's are plenty big, and if you had a 17x10 deep dish version of the hot wheels mag style rims that the Jeepster concept wore, wrap them in 33" BFGs that would be the right look for this. It'd look hot on the Rubicons too.
--traditional 4-door bodystyle. C'mon, a clamshell door arrangement(like on the Honda Element, or Toyota FJ) would really compliment the sporty style of this perfectly! And you wouldnt have to give up any room or rear seat access.
--Play-it-safe bean counters. Do us all a favor, and go work for GM, Toyota, etc. Grow some ***** and build this thing! Done right, this could be a hit!
Finally, a good look at this bad boy. That little drawing in the news/rumors section showed us nothing.
What I like:
--Finally, a REAL sport utility again! Full frame and solid axles a la the TK-L. Its about time. Its all truck, as opposed to passenger car infected SUV components like psuedo-unibody frames and independent suspensions.
What do I mean by "real sport utility"?The Wranglers are straight up 4x4s like scouts, early broncos and FJ land cruisers.The GC, commander, and Liberty are SUVs. Ballsier than Explorers, Escaladesor Pathfinders but still SUVs. This is a sport utilityin the vain ofthe fullsize bronco, Wagoneer,FJ-60 LandCruiser, XJ cherokee, etc. There IS a difference.
--The overall look of this thing rocks. Much more macho, sculpted looking and generally badass than the Crap-mander, upcoming liberty, or even the GC. The patriot/compass dont even count. The front clip is angry and aggressive looking; has a little tough truck and a little muscle car sleek in it.
--The removeable roof panels. Any REAL 4x4 should be able to go at least partially topless. I absolutely love the rear end, what with the real tailgate and the rollcage look to the empty pillars, although the T-tops are a bit impractical. They look cool, but a huge panoramic sunroof or sliding canvans roof would be more do-able.
--The diesel. Fuel economy. Longevity. Power. But of course it needs a Hemi as an option also.
--The interior--Hey, it incorporates an iPod so you gotta love it. Round pods for the guages are the ONLY thing that looks right inside a vehicle. 'Nuff said.
What I dont like:
--Ugly, ghetto *** 22" wheels, and low profile tires.. Barf. This is supposedly an offroad rig, not some boulevard cruiser. 17's are plenty big, and if you had a 17x10 deep dish version of the hot wheels mag style rims that the Jeepster concept wore, wrap them in 33" BFGs that would be the right look for this. It'd look hot on the Rubicons too.
--traditional 4-door bodystyle. C'mon, a clamshell door arrangement(like on the Honda Element, or Toyota FJ) would really compliment the sporty style of this perfectly! And you wouldnt have to give up any room or rear seat access.
--Play-it-safe bean counters. Do us all a favor, and go work for GM, Toyota, etc. Grow some ***** and build this thing! Done right, this could be a hit!
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
RE: Trailhawk Concept!
This looks grate, but I can't understand why people are bashing it's offroadability.Just because the Trailhawk has a sporty look, does not mean it can’t perform off road. After all its just plastic and sheet metal. I like the way it looks, and would have no problem wheeling a nice looking 40-50k SUV. It’s a really mean aggressive design; the way jeeps should be.
The real credentials of the Trailhawk come in the form of a full fledged Wrangler frame, solid axels, and a diesel motor. If you do not understand what this means in a rig, then you know nothing about jeeps/off-roading and have no business commenting on the Trailhawk. Offer the Trailhawk with options of a 4:1 transfer case, electronic lockers, and electronic disco sway bars, some nice off-road tires and you are going to have something basically capable of a Wrangler Rubicon. The option of the 6.1 HEMI in a non-SRT8 form would be awesome too. I’m sure the 22" rims are show car only and will never see production; if so, they can easily be removed and replaced with something more trail appropriate.
I drive a lifted '98 5.9 Limited Grand Cherokee, which can keep up with everything on the trail short of TJs on locked front an rear on 40" boggers. Why cant people understand that you can have luxury, speed/power and off-road capabilities all in one! How does a nice interior hamper the offroad capability. Thats what made the XJs, ZJs and WJs so popular when they were new. Jeep has lost what made them so popular in the 90s with the new Grand Cherokee, Commander, Liberty, Compass, and Patriot; off road capability. Jeep is now just another SUV and has no differentiation from the Trailblazers, Explorers and Imports on the road today.
I hope they make this concept essentially as is; i.e., not totally watering it down and running the design concept. It will be a step in the right direction for a quickly failing jeep brand, and I am sure that these will be flying out of the dealers’ lots.