Hey-- I got to test drive a new KK yesterday while heave the dealer work on my brakes and I thought some of you might be interested. I should say that while I currently own 2 KJ's I am an XJ guy at heart and while I think the KJ is a solid vehicle, I have never really fallen in love with it and have been looking forward to the KK.
Appearance--
Good--The model they had was a black Sport with a dark gray interior, black wall tires, and dark gray rims. I liked the look A LOT. Much more aggressive look than the KJ (to me anyway). To an XJ lover, it looked more like an offspring of the Cherokee. While they have grown on me, I am still not crazy about the KJ's lines.
The gray alloy sport rims were especially nice and 1000x nicer then the stock steel KJ Sport rims (mine rusted in 1 year!) It will look sweet with some real tres on it. Stock were 225/75r16.
Didn't like the Limited I saw with lots of chrome on it as much.
Bad--They had a black Nitro, balck KK, and black Commander all parked next to each other. They look WAY TOO MUCH ALIKE. Come on Jeep-- how about some creativity? The salesman actually walked up to the Nitro and I had to correct him. The front fascia is just plain ugly, especially the headlights. I think round headlights and a fascia more like the JK would have looked old school. The KK's front looks like its trying to hard to be macho.
I like the rear lift gate with separate lifting glass a lot. I think the KJ tailgate is awkward.
I miss the rear mounted spare, but will take the trade for the lift gate. The spare was tucked nicely beneath the rear end and didn't seem to compromise the ground clearance or departure angle at all.
Interior-- Seemed pretty similar to the KJ. Not as much head room, but still plenty. Maybe a litle wider? Seemed to be more room in the cargo area and less in the rear seat, but that is based on a quick look.
The 115v outlet on back of the center console is cool.
The auto transmission shifter is funny looking and awkward to shift.
The transfer case switch is lame looking.
The rest of the interior is no-nonsense and seems rugged.
Drive-- I was very impressed with test drive. It was quiter (less wind and engine noise), accelerated smoother, and seemed quicker then either of my KJ's. The transmission seemed to shift crisper (I think both of my KJ's shift sloppily). I was very happy with the way it acceleerated onto the highway. Felt powerful and smooth.
I think the new rear suspension is a big improvement. It drove much smoother and less jittery in the rear over broken pavement that I had just bounced over in my KJ on the way in.
The front suspension seems to have slightly more ground clearance, but I didn't measure. It also had less body roll while cornering.
In general, I was impressed. Died in the wool KJ lovers will probably hate it because it is very different, but I think Jeep has a winner.
Can't wait to see the retractable top and what it looks like with some larger all terrain tires.
I was also impressed with the price tag. A nice outfitted Sport was a hair over 24k, almost exactly the sticker price for my 05 KJ two years ago before rebates.
One more thing--Please bring on the diesel!
Appearance--
Good--The model they had was a black Sport with a dark gray interior, black wall tires, and dark gray rims. I liked the look A LOT. Much more aggressive look than the KJ (to me anyway). To an XJ lover, it looked more like an offspring of the Cherokee. While they have grown on me, I am still not crazy about the KJ's lines.
The gray alloy sport rims were especially nice and 1000x nicer then the stock steel KJ Sport rims (mine rusted in 1 year!) It will look sweet with some real tres on it. Stock were 225/75r16.
Didn't like the Limited I saw with lots of chrome on it as much.
Bad--They had a black Nitro, balck KK, and black Commander all parked next to each other. They look WAY TOO MUCH ALIKE. Come on Jeep-- how about some creativity? The salesman actually walked up to the Nitro and I had to correct him. The front fascia is just plain ugly, especially the headlights. I think round headlights and a fascia more like the JK would have looked old school. The KK's front looks like its trying to hard to be macho.
I like the rear lift gate with separate lifting glass a lot. I think the KJ tailgate is awkward.
I miss the rear mounted spare, but will take the trade for the lift gate. The spare was tucked nicely beneath the rear end and didn't seem to compromise the ground clearance or departure angle at all.
Interior-- Seemed pretty similar to the KJ. Not as much head room, but still plenty. Maybe a litle wider? Seemed to be more room in the cargo area and less in the rear seat, but that is based on a quick look.
The 115v outlet on back of the center console is cool.
The auto transmission shifter is funny looking and awkward to shift.
The transfer case switch is lame looking.
The rest of the interior is no-nonsense and seems rugged.
Drive-- I was very impressed with test drive. It was quiter (less wind and engine noise), accelerated smoother, and seemed quicker then either of my KJ's. The transmission seemed to shift crisper (I think both of my KJ's shift sloppily). I was very happy with the way it acceleerated onto the highway. Felt powerful and smooth.
I think the new rear suspension is a big improvement. It drove much smoother and less jittery in the rear over broken pavement that I had just bounced over in my KJ on the way in.
The front suspension seems to have slightly more ground clearance, but I didn't measure. It also had less body roll while cornering.
In general, I was impressed. Died in the wool KJ lovers will probably hate it because it is very different, but I think Jeep has a winner.
Can't wait to see the retractable top and what it looks like with some larger all terrain tires.
I was also impressed with the price tag. A nice outfitted Sport was a hair over 24k, almost exactly the sticker price for my 05 KJ two years ago before rebates.
One more thing--Please bring on the diesel!
