Today The Autopian published Sam Abuelsamid’s review of the Jeep Wagoneer S, an electric Jeep SUV sharing most of its name with a body-on-frame, Hurricane inline-six powered vehicle in the Jeep lineup. Both these vehicles in the Jeep lineup are — like the Jeep XJ and ZJ before — leveraging the name of one of the most legendary nameplates in history, one based on a beautiful Brooks Stevens-designed vehicle whose production run lasted from the early 1960s until 1991. Most remember that car from the show Breaking Bad, the moving Without a Paddle, the label of Founders IPA, or any other number of appearances, which is why Jeep keeps bringing it back. But while the new Wagoneers could be considered a blasphemous take on the old Wagoneer given their lack of woodgrain, it’s definitely not the worst example.
So, I think the most obvious example of “misuse” of a legendary brand name might be the Ford Mustang Mach-E, but that’s actually a decent vehicle, plus I’m a Jeep person so I’m just going to vent a bit about the Jeep Cherokee “KJ” model for a bit (this was called the Liberty in the U.S.). I realize that there are some other, modern examples of legendary names being chucked on vehicles without an ounce of the original’s soul/capability, but the KJ Cherokee/Liberty sticks out to me because of just how much of a downgrade it was over the XJ it succeeded.
To be sure, on paper, it was an upgrade. It had more power, a better ride, an updated interior, and more space. But the problem was: It gave up three key things that made its predecessor so great: Off-road capability, reliability, and soul.
The old Jeep Cherokee XJ was an off-road billygoat, with a solid front axle that offered articulation, durability, and above all, lift-ability. It’s a key reason why you see so many lifted XJs, and that’s a key reason why they’re so legendary in the off-road scene.
The successor, the Cherokee/Liberty, had a smooth independent front suspension, it it wasn’t as durable, couldn’t be fixed as easily, and didn’t offer the articulation or lift-ability. What’s more, the 3.7-liter V6 was a clear downgrade from a reliability standpoint, and thanks to the added weight over the predecessor, it really didn’t feel any quicker or more efficient. What’s more, the Liberty’s transmission was also a major reliability downgrade. All these compromises, plus the softer, more-forgettable styling, make the Jeep Cherokee/Liberty KJ a blasphemous sequel in my eyes. I’ll admit that these days I’m starting to come around to the styling a bit, but it’s blasphemous nonetheless.
But there are so many more examples. What do you consider the most blasphemous use of a legendary nameplate?
Images: Jeep
Mustang Mach E
Volkswagen owning Scout has to be right up there.
Was gonna say, like most have said already, Mustang Mach-E (Machiatto? Ha ha) is atrocious…but since I prefer Chevy, the #1 egregious to me is the newer Blazer…the classic ones were so damn awesome
The new Blazer sucks so hard. From truck based off-roader to soulless crossover.
Not the worst, but deserves a mention and I didn’t already see it.
The Plymouth Duster.
Went from being a compact muscle car in the ’70s to just a compact in the ’80s and finally a version of the Sundance in the ’90s.
Actually, the 70’s Duster for the most part was also just a compact. Most were sold with economical inline sixes. Some were sold with a 318 V8 (with just a 2-barrel carb), and a small percentage were sold with the muscle car 340/360 V8.
The original Duster was created to be a mini muscle car like the Nova. It’s on the same chassis as the extremely unsexy 67–69 Valiant two door sedan. This is where the market went from Mustangs etc. Nova, Maverick, and Duster coupes sold hundreds of thousands per year; Camaro and Mustang dropped off a cliff (Barracuda always was a dud).