Jeep Wrangler May be Ditching Their Solid Axles

The off-road beast needs to go on a diet to meet government regulations

            The big Jeep news is the arrival of the 2014 Jeep Cherokees but that isn’t the only noise that Jeep is making right now.  With government regulations continually being stricter on manufacturers to meet a specific fuel economy, it’s no surprise that companies are putting countless efforts into conserving weight and increasing gas mileage.  Jeep fans typically don’t worry about fuel economy but when they find out that Jeep is looking to get rid of their signature Solid Axes for a lighter independent suspension.

            Right now this isn’t a concrete idea but since Jeep is already reducing weight with the idea of aluminum body panels, and air suspension like the Grand Cherokee has.  What effect will this have on the off-road champion? Look at the Hummer for an example of lost performance going from a solid axle to the independent suspension.   Jeep fans don’t want to suffer the same fate as their signature axles and coil-suspension are what makes them so customizable.  If they remove this feature, it is very likely Wrangler fans will backlash more than they did over the Cherokee.   Without a concrete answer until closer to 2016, we can only wonder what kind of world it will be like in a Jeep Wrangler equipped with an independent suspension.