Jeep has been making two door, straight axle, open top four wheel drive vehicles for what, 60+ years? I would hope for their sake that they have gotten good at it. That evolution from the old CJ3 to today has also created a bizillion aftermarket options.

The X? 5 years. Not much history there.

Jeff. When you say a modded X can keep up with a Wranger, the real question is: What does modded mean? To an X owner a heavily modded vehicle goes to the extent of an SAS. For most , the average off-road equipped X means a modest 3 inch lift to clear 32 and possibly 33 inch tires. Based on the imperical evidence on this board, there are just a handfull of pre-05 X's running larger than 33inch tires.

Compare that to what is considered a lightly modified Jeep. Strengthened axles, Detroit lockers, 5 inch plus of lift to clear 35+ in tires ect. How many Jeep have been fitted with a roll cage Vs. Xs with cages? I only know of one caged X. Running 35's on a Wrangler is also considered pretty average as well.

So, taking the "average" modded X with 32's stock axles and a modest 3 inch lift, it is a pretty big reach to think that that is on the same level as the "average" modded Wrangler off-road taking things like trail difficulty, traction and rock garden size into consideration.

The "average" Wrangler would be much more likely to excape the same trail with less damage and do it in less time. That's just how it is. If you want to factor other things into the equation like seating capacity, storage, hauling, towing, comfort , zero to 60 speeds, breaking distance ect. then the X might come out on top. But as a pure trail vehicle the X will fall short.

XMountaineer, there's really nothing to support your argument that a stock Liberty is a better trail or off-road vehicle. The Libby suffers from the same limitations that the X does in regards to IFS ,axles size, tire size maximums and wheelbase. And once you start talking about an SASd Libby, it really does not have any advantages over the SAS'd X.

Your thoughts on your Jeep and it's abilities make you come off as a bit arrogant since a stock Jeep is really just a little better than average. The essence of the Jeep is that it is stripped down to the basics and your ability to flop it has more to do with the fact that there really isn't much to a Wrangler and so since they are cheap and basic they are a lot less expensive to roll. Disposable doesn't necessarily mean better. Just cheaper to replace.

For that same reason the Wrangler is so easy to dent without conscience contributes to the same factors that make it a big compromise when it is pressed into duty as a functional daily driver.
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