5th gens sales keep climbing

[KingPrat]

I was just curious and bored: Jeep GC.

Not sure why sales on those are so high when it's a POS.

Has as much to do with marketing and brand identification as it does with production volume. When my father bought the 4R, there were really only 4 options for what he was looking for (fit in the garage, SUV, he FIT in it)/needed for his business and tax write-off incentives (6000# GVWR).

Went to the (very small) Jeep dealer in town and they had 20 GCs on the lot. They were ALL 2015 MY (this was in December...) Told him that they're "so popular" they haven't switched over to 2016 inventory. He hated how cheap it felt for a $40K+ vehicle. And don't get him started on the gear selector....

Went to Toyota dealer which had about triple the volume of vehicles, they had 2 4Rs on the lot: a white Trail and an SR5 Prem. Drove and loved the Trail, hated white. Took them a week to find his. The final straw on the sale was that it was a 2016 MY vehicle. He bought a (technically) 1 year newer vehicle for $5k less than the GC, and it will hold its value MUCh better than the Jeep. No brainer.

The reality is that the 4R has become a niche vehicle. If you get down to the bare bones of it all, it is in a class of its own in terms of how it's built, price point, etc. Other manufacturers have switched to chasing the soccer mom/mall crawler "SUV" market, and the only BOF SUVs they build are the full-size true people haulers for $60k+

Toyota is doing the proper thing in letting the 4R sell itself. How many 4Runner commercials have you seen? How many Toyota commercials do you see that even have a 4Runner IN them? Even without a national campaign and advertising the crap out of it, they're still selling 90k+ units per year. It's a sustainable business model for that specific model vehicle, and it is what has kept the 4R the way it is for so many years.

Hopefully it will help sustain the 4R for the foreseeable future.

 

[wanderMT]

It has always been Unibody, the only BOF Vehicle Jeep ever made was the Wrangler.

ever made?
remember the Gladiator and Wagoneer

Think one of biggest reasons for increased sales is low $$$ per gallon!

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Toyota is doing the proper thing in letting the 4R sell itself. How many 4Runner commercials have you seen? How many Toyota commercials do you see that even have a 4Runner IN them?

Actually here in Colorado I see more than a few 4Runner commercials and I do see them in print ads too.

 

[sn_85]

Pretty sure the durango is built on the same platform as the grand cherokees now, I looked them up awhile ago for who knows what reason. I test drove the new Nissan Armada the other day, aside from a gx460, Land Cruiser or G-Wagon, I'm pretty sure it's one of the only other bof suv's. I will say that aside from some concerns about interior quality, the new Armada was a pretty sweet driver. Wheelbase, angles, and overall size make it inappropriate for tighter trails.. thing is a whale.. but still nice. Maybe I'm just a sucker for big v8's :shocked:

I'm actually intrigued by the new Armada. Won't consider one now but maybe in 5 years. It's not going to be a rock crawler or go on the most narrow of trails but if you're building an overland rig I think it would do great. Compared to the Land Cruiser it's a downright bargain. You could get an SL 4x4 for about $50-55k and then add a new suspension from Kings, Radflo, or ARB, wheels and AT tires, and some air lockers and this thing could seriously rock and you'd still be $25-30k under a brand new Land Cruiser. ARB already makes a front bumper for the Patrol and hopefully it makes its way stateside. While not as capable as a Land Cruiser in stock form, once you add a few mods to it it makes a great competitor for much, much less.

Also if you've looked at some of the youtube videos on the Patrol from the UAE, Aus, and Russia this thing can go about anywhere and it absolutely kills it on sand dunes.

 

[Brandonium]

My first reaction to this was gross.. the Armada but then I went and looked. Was unaware of the new design. I hated the 1st Gen design. Nissan is rarely on my radar but the 2nd gen looks promising. Only thing I really don't like is all the wood crap on the inside. I feel the same way about lexus. If it were a nice satin wood like the Subaru Outback I would like it more but this high gloss stuff doesn't do it for me.

I'm actually intrigued by the new Armada. Won't consider one now but maybe in 5 years. It's not going to be a rock crawler or go on the most narrow of trails but if you're building an overland rig I think it would do great. Compared to the Land Cruiser it's a downright bargain. You could get an SL 4x4 for about $50-55k and then add a new suspension from Kings, Radflo, or ARB, wheels and AT tires, and some air lockers and this thing could seriously rock and you'd still be $25-30k under a brand new Land Cruiser. ARB already makes a front bumper for the Patrol and hopefully it makes its way stateside. While not as capable as a Land Cruiser in stock form, once you add a few mods to it it makes a great competitor for much, much less.

Also if you've looked at some of the youtube videos on the Patrol from the UAE, Aus, and Russia this thing can go about anywhere and it absolutely kills it on sand dunes.

 

[Koddo]

I would not consider the Armada to even be the -slightest- bit off-road trail worthy....its just an obnoxious fat *****.

It really comes down to only the 4R and Jeep Wrangler.

There soon will be new competitors, well sort of - Jeep Wrangler pickup, Ranger, and Bronco....all a few years out.

 

[Brandonium]

I seriously doubt that the Bronco will be what everyone is assuming it will be. I can hope that it's going to something that is not like the Ford Everest or Endeavour in other markets. I have a feeling though that it'll be more like this and less like some of the concepts that we have seen. Time will tell.

The Wrangler pickup and Ranger are not really competitors as they are trucks. If we allow them to be competitors then you can't really say it's just the 4R and Wrangler as other BOF mid-size 4wd trucks already exist at the moment (Tacoma, Colorado, Canyon, etc).

I would not consider the Armada to even be the -slightest- bit off-road trail worthy....its just an obnoxious fat *****.

It really comes down to only the 4R and Jeep Wrangler.

There soon will be new competitors, well sort of - Jeep Wrangler pickup, Ranger, and Bronco....all a few years out.

 

[amalik]

Well I mean, it is really the only BOF mid-sized SUV left out there aside from what, the Durango?

I don't consider the 5th gen a mid-size. That nose is just massive relative to the 3rd and 4th gens.

 

[dredawg]

The new Nissan Armada is actually a Nissan Patrol in other markets, it is one of the most capable off-road vehicle you can buy aside from the Land Cruisers and Range Rovers of the world.

 

[FrontRange4Runner]

Actually here in Colorado I see more than a few 4Runner commercials and I do see them in print ads too.

I was gonna say ever since the refresh came out, I see 4Runner adds all the time. Maybe its just a mountain states thing? All the adds aggressively push the "outdoor mountain life" thing.

 

[Toffees]

The new Nissan Armada is actually a Nissan Patrol in other markets, it is one of the most capable off-road vehicle you can buy aside from the Land Cruisers and Range Rovers of the world.

Looks to me surprisingly (or not) like the Prado

 

[outlaws]

Well don't forget gas prices has been at its lowest in years under $3/gallon, so it could be also a major factor for more car sales for this particular vehicle that has a relatively low mpg in it's class.

 

[CWO4CNO]

A few years back when Toyota revealed the 5th gen refresh the front end got a lot of hate and even a few members were predicting a dire future and plummeting sales but around here in Colorado they are as popular as ever and I actually prefer the aggressive nose.

Like yourself this was a selling point. The attitude looked aggressive especially with either the dark gray or black colors. I just purchased a black 2016 SR5 Premium with some of the playful options. Compared to the competition, this one kills on the looks!
Couple that with a real frame.... Bam!
The only hesitation I had was the lack of up to date features such as entertainment software and safety features like other SUV's.
But as you can tell, I looked passed those and still purchased what I did.

 

[mybabydaddy]

My first reaction to this was gross.. the Armada but then I went and looked. Was unaware of the new design. I hated the 1st Gen design. Nissan is rarely on my radar but the 2nd gen looks promising. Only thing I really don't like is all the wood crap on the inside. I feel the same way about lexus. If it were a nice satin wood like the Subaru Outback I would like it more but this high gloss stuff doesn't do it for me.

...it’s just a slightly reshaped QX80. Surprised it took them this long to adopt the body shape...

 

[ADK Explorer]

What turned me away from J(ch)eep is that they are Fiats and Fiat has a low reliability rating. I wonder how many people think Jeeps are still made in America?

 

[KingPrat]

Actually here in Colorado I see more than a few 4Runner commercials and I do see them in print ads too.

I was gonna say ever since the refresh came out, I see 4Runner adds all the time. Maybe its just a mountain states thing? All the adds aggressively push the "outdoor mountain life" thing.

Must be a regional thing. Think I've seen one 4Runner ad since the 2014 refresh came out. Otherwise it's crossovers/hybrids/cars here in southern New England.

What turned me away from J(ch)eep is that they are Fiats and Fiat has a low reliability rating. I wonder how many people think Jeeps are still made in America?

They (Grand Cherokees) are still built in Detroit. But, ever since Chrysler was bought out by Daimler, their build quality has been poor. Early iterations of the 200 and 300 were disasters, 1999+ GCs in the same boat. The 3.7 V6 was awful the first go-round... Resale value is poor as well. Too bad, I loved my 1997 GC.

 

[Jaydub514]

Funny thing I've noticed here in Los Angeles- I see an awful lot of face lifted 5th gens of all varieties but hardly any early model 5th gens (and mostly they are limited models). I really like the way early model 5th gen trails look!

 

[Mass 4runner]

What turned me away from J(ch)eep is that they are Fiats and Fiat has a low reliability rating. I wonder how many people think Jeeps are still made in America?

Wranglers are made in America. Grand Cherokee's are made in America (at least the ones that get sold here). Not sure about the others. Both of these have nothing in common with any Fiats.

 

[Brandonium]

I feel the same way. Give me the refreshed interior and an early model trail front end and I'd be in love. Also give me the black flares...I've only seen one red early model trail in my area.

Funny thing I've noticed here in Los Angeles- I see an awful lot of face lifted 5th gens of all varieties but hardly any early model 5th gens (and mostly they are limited models). I really like the way early model 5th gen trails look!

 

[4FL]

The new Nissan Armada is actually a Nissan Patrol in other markets, it is one of the most capable off-road vehicle you can buy aside from the Land Cruisers and Range Rovers of the world.

I do not know, I think for 2017 it will be the same platform, but the Patrol and Armada are different platforms pre-2017. The Armada is based on the Titan platform.

But maybe you are implying that, and that the Patrol is just Nissan's entry in other markets for this SUV class.