The what & how of being the '05 Jeep Grand Cherokee: staying true to a pedigree is something that Jeep engineers—and executives—take seriously. Very seriously

Automotive Design & Production, Oct, 2004 by Gary S. Vasilash

WHAT IS A JEEP? Jeff Bell, vice president, Chrysler/Jeep, suggests that at some point, perhaps, Bob Lutz (who was with Chrysler Corp. from 1986-98, where he was vice chairman, president and COO), was sitting at a campfire along the Rubicon Trail* after a long day of driving the exceedingly demanding route and held forth that henceforth. "All Jeeps will be Rubicon-capable." Among Jeep aficionados, such an ex cathedra announcement was undoubtedly received with unmitigated glee.

But Bell says that when he became part of the Jeep team in June, 2002 (he was named vp of the group then; he added the Chrysler responsibilities in November, 2003), he had a concern: "'Every Jeep will go down the Rubicon Trail'--what does that mean?" What, he wondered, were engineers supposed to do with such a statement? How could they develop future Jeep products with just that as a guide? The short answer: They couldn't.

So Bell and his colleagues set about to define just what it is for something to be qualified as a "Jeep." They went beyond, he says, the automotive analog to identifying ducks (looks like, acts like, quacks like) to establish measurable attributes that would be first of all understandable to and useful for the engineers and second, valued by the customer. Although Bell says that Jeeps are sold with far fewer incentives than other brands, he also says that there are business cases to be made for products, so there has to be a consideration of cost limits when developing Jeeps (just like anything else).

Bell says that they defined 37 specific attributes of what it takes for a vehicle to be a "Jeep." For example, a vehicle must be able to drive through 8 in. of standing water for 50 feet at 45 mph. That is one of the 37 criteria. "We don't say how this is to be done," Bell says. The criteria are the what. The Jeep engineers are responsible for figuring out the means to the ends. "Eric Riddenour and his group does that," Bell says, speaking of the Chrysler Group's executive vice president, Product Development.

Those 37 attributes, incidentally, are then segmented into five groupings, groupings that are said to be customer-oriented. These are: traction, ground clearance, maneuverability, articulation, and water fording. A vehicle that meets the specifications in those areas can be designated "Trail Rated." Fundamental to being Trail Rated is being a 4 X 4. Bell admits that the 4 X 2 version of the Grand Cherokee is not a Trail Rated Jeep.

One of the issues of what a Jeep is--or isn't--tends to be considered by some people to be a factor of physical aspects of the vehicle: the what, not the how. What is perhaps the most controversial aspect of the '05 Grand Cherokee from that point of view is the deployment of an independent front suspension. (At this point we'll pause to let some of the true Jeep zealots pick themselves up off of the floor.) This is a short- and long-arm (SLA) suspension that features nodular iron, single-piece lower control arms; forged steel upper control arms; aluminum steering knuckles. While it is often though that solid axles are better for off-roading, it was determined that this independent arrangement--which, incidentally, provides about 10% more travel than the system it replaces--not only reduces unsprung weight by 100 lb., but also reduces head-toss during off-road driving. In other words, the Jeep engineers found a better solution, yet one that still fulfills the requirements for a bona fide Jeep. Tom Cowing, manager, Jeep Grand Cherokee Vehicle Development, describes it as a "Jeep-engineered independent front suspension." Bell observes: "That's what Jeep engineers do. They take an idea and make it better."**

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One of the concerns that exists for those for whom the "Jeep" brand stands for all that is robust and capable is that there is the possibility that some clever financial analyst might take a look at Jeep's performance--as in market performance, not off-road (e.g., through July '04, the brand had a 9% year-to-date sales increase)--and determine that the brand has some significant strength in the market such that putting the logo on other, less-robust vehicles would be beneficial. But Bell is adamant that such a thing will not happen. He is a strident supporter of brands, of what a brand means, or stands for. He suggests that one of the problems that other vehicle manufacturers are facing with regard to their SUVs is that their vehicles lack the "genuineness" or "authenticity" of what they purport to be. Or they lack the capability that they seem to have. Bell maintains that as new Jeep models are developed--and he says that the line up will go beyond the current Grand Cherokee, Liberty and Wrangler--they will be developed as 4 X 4 Trail Rated Jeeps. It could be that the developed Jeep is then un-Trail Rated to become a less-proficient off-roading product. In other words, it is unlikely that they would start with a car platform and make it robust enough to be designated a Jeep; they'd go in the other direction.