Jeep Thread

[TheCracker]

Jeep's intention was to maintain brand identity by keeping the silhouette SUV-like by hiding the fastback/kammback behind butresses and a wing. Wagon shapes are always going to suffer in terms of aero efficiency so since most customers at this level don't necessarily use any more cargo space than they'd need in a sedan, Jeep went ahead and followed the trend of fastback rooflines so the sake of efficiency.

Pretty sure by buddy told me that they had experimented with an open grille like the Charger concept but decided against it. I'm not sure if that's because it compromised cargo space up front or what. You can still see vestiges of that experiment in the grille design.

So Jeep have basically designed the Range Rover Velar, but with squared off wheel arches and a corporate grill.

 

[Keef]

That’s the best interpretation of the “Coupe-like” SUV rear that I’ve seen. Pretending it’s not there is the best thing for it.


I was curious on the genuine improvement, on an efficiency basis that the shape change creates. AMG does the GLE63 in the C (“Coupe”) and V (Wagon) variants, which is a pretty fair comparison. Both use the same 450KW, 4L Turbo V8. Data from carsales*

“Coupe” - Wagon / Measurement
2525kg - 2621kg / Tare Mass
1790L - 2010L / Boot space max
9.8L - 9.4L / Highway L per 100km
17.5L - 17.4L / City L per 100km
12.6L - 12.4L / Combined L per 100km

I wasn’t expecting the “Coupe” to be much better, but I definitely wasn’t expecting the heavier wagon to get better fuel consumption. It may be down to environmental differences on test day and it’s only one data point, but it shows that there’s not a massive real-world difference between the two shapes.

Knowing that drag increases at the square of speed, I feel like the “coupe” would comprehensively win a test at 200KPH. In all honesty though, real people’s cars just don’t do that type of speed.

I’d be interested to see some more comparison data, but on aesthetics and cargo volume alone, I’d much prefer the traditional wagon in this sector.

Coupe- https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/de...&gtssaleid=OAG-AD-22503966&pageSource=details

Wagon- https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/de...&gtssaleid=OAG-AD-22368965&pageSource=details

Could be multiple reasons for minor differences and sometimes the tiniest little design quirk can make a big drag difference. The Coupe may have kammback roofline but the rest of the rear isn't good. The vertical corners of the rear are more smoothly rounded than the SUV which is going to promote airflow curving around behind the car rather than breaking off smoothly, creating "lift" in various directions which creates drag. Some of that rear fender/taillight surface is nearly horizontal which will create actual lift which needs to be counteracted somehow. EVs counteract it with genuine smooth underbodies and diffusers. Also note that roof rails aren't always as detrimental as you might think - in this comparison its likely that the SUV's roof rails are controlling the direction of flow across the roof, like a wing fence, while on the coupe it is relatively uncontroled and can spill over the egg-shaped sides and rear. You might think the Model X has similar rear haunches, but Tesla gave its coupe a full-width trailing edge, and edges that begin in the til light housing and run down the side into the rear bumper to control separation. Besides the tailgate spoiler, airflow around the rear haunches of the GLE coupe is almost completely uncontrolled. Because its roof is so bulbous I imagine most of the mass airflow has already spilled off to the sides by the time it even gets to that spoiler which of course is creating a slight high pressure zone in front of it creating more resistance to flow. Terrible rear end aerodynamics is the main reason old-school Porsches had such poor high speed stability. The Model X and Prius have much more horizontal roof surfaces and much more vertical side window surface which helps prevent mixing in the adsence of fences or rails. Another thing you'll notice is that the GLE coupe's "wing shape" is actually more complete than the Model X or Prius - the GLE has a more cab-forward design, the front end is taller, and the rear spoiler is a bit lower. If you look at the cross section of a wing, the Model X and Prius would encompass only the front portion of the wing profile, pointy at the front but wider at the rear, whereas the GLE encompasses probably half or more of the wing profile to a point where the leading edge and trailing edge are actually at the same height. It's literally shaped like the high-camber wing on a WW2 bomber aircraft.

So Jeep have basically designed the Range Rover Velar, but with squared off wheel arches and a corporate grill.

It's electric!

 

[Hayden]

Could be multiple reasons for minor differences and sometimes the tiniest little design quirk can make a big drag difference. The Coupe may have kammback roofline but the rest of the rear isn't good. The vertical corners of the rear are more smoothly rounded than the SUV which is going to promote airflow curving around behind the car rather than breaking off smoothly, creating "lift" in various directions which creates drag. Some of that rear fender/taillight surface is nearly horizontal which will create actual lift which needs to be counteracted somehow. EVs counteract it with genuine smooth underbodies and diffusers. Also note that roof rails aren't always as detrimental as you might think - in this comparison its likely that the SUV's roof rails are controlling the direction of flow across the roof, like a wing fence, while on the coupe it is relatively uncontroled and can spill over the egg-shaped sides and rear. You might think the Model X has similar rear haunches, but Tesla gave its coupe a full-width trailing edge, and edges that begin in the til light housing and run down the side into the rear bumper to control separation. Besides the tailgate spoiler, airflow around the rear haunches of the GLE coupe is almost completely uncontrolled. Because its roof is so bulbous I imagine most of the mass airflow has already spilled off to the sides by the time it even gets to that spoiler which of course is creating a slight high pressure zone in front of it creating more resistance to flow. Terrible rear end aerodynamics is the main reason old-school Porsches had such poor high speed stability. The Model X and Prius have much more horizontal roof surfaces and much more vertical side window surface which helps prevent mixing in the adsence of fences or rails.

It's electric!

I do find the intricacies of aero to be quite fascinating. A small change can make a big difference and air doesn’t always behave how one may expect. You’re definitely correct that the packaging of EVs (no low hanging exhausts, etc) can make a huge difference to overall aero performance.

I kind of assumed that Mercedes-AMG, of anyone, would’ve put the hard yards into making the petrol “coupe” version, with less practicality and more design freedom, offer a better overall efficiency.

Instead, it’s kind of just a V8 sedan on stilts that to me, is compromised in nearly every way. A proper SUV would have better storage. A proper sedan would look better and be much lighter. It’s kind of a nothing-niche but I know through my work that people do buy them and love them. Each to his own 🤷‍♂️

This Jeep, as I mentioned before, is doing it well. Actually focusing on efficiency while giving the illusion of a proper SUV will hit the mark in the EV SUV space.

If it’s range, price and reliability are good, I can see it doing well here. Currently our EV market is pretty much all Tesla’s, BYDs, MGs and the rare Volvo, BMW or Merc. No non-premium, trusted (old) brand has really penetrated our EV market yet.

 

[GranTurNismo]

Jeep to be cutting prices on all models except the Renegade, following an over 6% decline in sales from last year. The Grand Cherokee and Wrangler will be seeing $4000 and $3000 price cuts resepctively.

Jeep Slashes Prices In Attempt To Regain U.S. Market Share | Carscoops

Jeep chief executive Antonio Filosa wants to bring more value to the brand's customers

www.carscoops.com

 

[Keef]

The market bubble is bursting. Deflation comes with its own problems set of problems so let's hope the process is a slow and steady one rather than a drastic correction.

 

[Eunos_Cosmo]

The market bubble is bursting. Deflation comes with its own problems set of problems so let's hope the process is a slow and steady one rather than a drastic correction.

I mean they can't be that bad....right?

 

[Keef]

I mean they can't be that bad....right?

Almost everything I want is on sale right now, from shoes to rooftop tents, yet I lack the cash to buy the expensive items. I concentrated on paying off a lot of debts instead, but the boost in monthly income fills the coffers very slowly. I wonder if a ton of people are in the same boat right now where inflation got so bad we simply stopped buying things and focused on paying debt to bolster ourselves for a tough near-future. Prices are coming down and sales are happening due to overall lack of spending, but cash reserves are also dried up so despite the discounts, sales numbers won't increase much, likely resulting in further discounts. That's exactly how the spiral starts.