The car so good, Jeep don’t want to sell it

Jeep might just have the ultimate off-roader in their lineup. But they don't seem too interested in selling them

‘Supply chain issues’. We’ve heard it before from just about everyone, and sure, it is a genuine concern most of the time. But are we buying it from Jeep? They’ve just announced the fourth round of price rises in 12 months on the Gladiator and Wrangler – vehicles which just about every dealer in the country has five of in stock. There’s plenty of supply, so what’s the issue?

What you need to understand about the latest incarnation of the Wrangler, and the Gladiator, is that they are an absolutely fantastic 4X4. In a lot of ways, the best you can buy off the shelf. The thing about Jeep, though, is that they have a pretty average reputation for reliability. And probably a worse reputation for dealer support.

“A pretty average reputation for reliability, and probably a worse reputation for dealer support”

So what you’ve got is a brand with a brilliant product, and a poor reputation. That’s great. If the product is good, all they need to do is throw themselves into a huge marketing campaign, and bask in the glory of increased market share. But instead of doing that, they’ve done little to no marketing, and exploded their prices by almost 30% in a year. Madness.

On top of Jeep shooting themselves in the foot, Ford have unveiled the Next Generation Ranger Raptor. Essentially, the only other purpose-built offroader available off the shelf. It’s streaks ahead of any other vehicle in its class in terms of tech, comfort, power, and most importantly, marketing. Ford Australia has a great reputation, and it’s improving daily. Their marketing team has a clear direction, and they execute well. 

But what’s the alternative if you want solid axles front and rear? At the moment, in ute or wagon configuration, the 70 Series Landcruiser. A car so well received by the Australian public, that you can’t even order one anymore, because they’ve got so many orders already. This is a vehicle that, off the shelf, is inferior to the Jeep in just about every way. The difference is that they know what our market wants, they deliver it, and they back their product. The Jeep is so jam-packed with features that you’d need to write a novel to list them all. Toyota lists ‘engine immobiliser’ as a major feature of the 70 Series on their website.

“This is a vehicle that, off the shelf, is inferior to the Jeep in just about every way”

We’ll see Ineos release the Grenadier on our shores in the not-too-distant future. Solid axles all round, coils in every corner, and factory front and rear lockers. The closest direct competitor to a Wrangler that we will have in our market. I’d be willing to bet that they’ll price it competitively and it’ll immediately overtake Wrangler’s sales numbers.

These price rises are decisions made at the top of the tree, not at a dealer level. You’ve really got to feel for the dealers that have seen over the last couple of years how good this product is, and now the top brass want to price them out of the market. What happens next year when all these 2022 plates 4X4s are still sitting there? 30% price cuts? Figure it out, Jeep. If you don’t, it was nice knowing you.