Even at 25 loaded, I think thats too much. I would say like 20-22k. But thats being optimistic. Im sure your 25 is right on.

I think under the "the good" you should add fuel economy and weight (which will be good in sand and mud). And under "the bad" you should add IFS (which people seem to hate, unfairly in my opinion).

As someone who just picked up a left over 2013 Abarth for under $20K, I think I can do a lot better with adding my own go-fast bits than I could spending $70K for this one. One can do a lot with $50K of play money. Not that I actually have $50K of money to dump into a car.

Edit reread the question. This:

Any Southern Belle with well-off parents would be driving this all over campus.

Had a bit of AR-TIC-U-LAY-SHUN on that rig!

• "It's got decent ground clearance" - True, unless the photos are deceiving, it looks better than most full size models.

Agree with everything you said about this Garrett! Love this little thing. It just looks like a winner IMHO, and reading the specs, it gets more awesome by the minute. Must definitely be a Cherokee thing, cause I (sadly) have a MJ that's been cooped up in a garage for 3 years now :( (college 1000 miles away from home…

yea chrome trim looks silly - i like the trucks with black plastic trims - i think it makes them seem more ruggedized or something.

Are they going to ever do another SVT Lightning? Or is that what the Tremor was for? This would be cool. Supercharged, side exhaust, flare side bed.

Its like a perfect eclair at the very top of the trash can. So enticing.

Also, I found video of the extraction & subsequent start-up/drive off:

Right, aside from the weird front fascia, the Cherokee follows a lot of the same lines and patterns as the rest of the CUV lineup. This Renegade looks rad and fun. It reminds me of a lot of the practical small SUV's you see in Japan as well, with the boxy styling. I wonder if there will be much room for…

Jeans are also much less casual in other places in the world. Not to say it's like wearing a full suit, but it's certainly not like wearing jeans is here in the US.

Samurai helmet?

I think that's just the Rubicon trim of the Wrangler that means it's Rubicon capable straight from the dealer.

Sure, it will have 9 speeds, but they're not going to gear the first two to the moon. They're already using that transmission in Europe, and they are very much fuel economy gears.

yeah a dealer by my house has had like 3 just sitting on the lot for the past few months. i guess they expected to sell them in numbers like the raptor but i guess people would have rather had the V8

I had thought it'd be around $30k, which, hell, I'd trade in my beater truck and mustang for. $40K? No.

There are more of us than you'd think, the more vocal ones just happen to be the hardheaded people stuck back then.