Topic: FOUR DOOR TK SPY SHOTS

[sbspence]

Four-Door Jeep Wrangler to Join Lineup
By: Ed Hellwig

Date Posted 07-28-2005

We knew a four-door Jeep Wrangler was in the works and now our newest spy photos confirm its existence. Built on a stretched version of the TK platform (a.k.a. TKL), the 2007 Jeep Wrangler four-door looks as though it will borrow its styling from the Jeep Rescue concept vehicle. Although the Wrangler four-door will be substantially larger than the current Wrangler, it won't be quite as big as the Rescue as the concept was based on a full-size truck chassis.

What isn't clear, however, it whether this new Wrangler will use the fixed roof design of the Rescue or an open cargo box configuration like the Jeep Gladiator concept. A slight bulge in the black disguise looks like the silhouette of a rear roll bar extending down to the bed, but we'll have to wait until its official introduction early next year to know for sure.

Solid axles are clearly visible on this prototype so the Wrangler won't be straying too far from its roots in the suspension department. Four-wheel disc brakes also look to be part of the package.

The base engine on the 2007 Wrangler will be a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with a 3.7-liter SOHC V6 available as an option. The surprising success of the Jeep Liberty diesel may have also opened the door for a diesel-powered Wrangler. All of these engines will most likely be paired with either a five-speed automatic or a six-speed manual transmission.

[StefanBidi]

Looks like square headlights are back!  Those pictures also make it look a lot wider than the current TJ.

[Jeffy]

Looks like a H3. So the 4.0L is gone then too.  Long live the 3.7L!

[sbspence]

I dunno if the lights have changed and the turning signals are mounted in the grill or they if just disguised them to confuse us further.

  There is rumoured to be a new HEMI v6 in the works and I would imagine the v8 would be an option in this monster.

[Jeffy]

The reason why the lights were moved was to be certified for export.  In many other countries the turning light have to be a specified distance.  YJ's used to have extra turn lights added to the front of the fenders which is why the TJ's have them in the same place but not flush and not as addon. With the TK being wider this probably allowed them to put them back on the grill. Which makes me suspect that it is as wide as a H3.

[sbspence]

I expect it to look similar to the H3 from the windshield back...

[Jeffy]

Well at least the H3's got a propper Leaf spring rear suspension.  I've seen an H3 in person and they don't look that bad.  More practical then any of the other Hummers.  I'd like to see the H3 SUT though.

[sbspence]

The only review I've read praises the H3 as "more than a Trailblazer with a new body"... saying that it performs well off road bone stock. Their only gripe was ,of course, lack of power.

[Jeffy]

The Jeep Rescue, seen in concept form at the 2004 Detroit Auto Show, is heading for a production line. A four-door addition to the Wrangler family, the Rescue will ride atop a new architecture that will also spawn a new Wrangler two-door and possibly a pickup truck as well.

Compare our profile shots of the prototype with our shots of the concept vehicle and you will see how true to the concept the production model actually is. The shape of the fender flares is identical on both vehicles, although the front and rear bumpers appear to differ slightly. The major differences between the show car and the real thing are found in the shape of the side windows. The concept's windows each have a dog-leg kink, and the door handles are mounted in the pillars. The prototype's windows are simply squared-off as on the current Wrangler, and the door handles are of the conventional door-mounted variety.

The new Wrangler lineup should bow in 2007, with the four-door leading the way.

[StefanBidi]

As long as the interior looks nothing like the show version I'm OK with it.



I guess it looks a little bit like the Rescue concept, but on could also argue that the Rescue looks like the current Wrangler.  I guess we'll just have to see something more reveiling than some spy shots.  In my opinion, the Rescue concept was just that, a concept, which D-C used to patent some new looks.  Not only is the side windows different, but also the front grill doesn't have a rake like the Resue.  The headlights look square and has a separate turn signal/parking light on the TK, as opposed to the Rescue's ALL-IN-ONE style headlights.