Hummer Forums by Elcova - here they come.....

The new TK and TKL designs will be 2007 model year but will be introduced between January and August 2006, ?when? depending entirely upon the construction progress of the new Toledo Jeep assembly plant (presently in the structural steel stage). The 4-door TKL version will be introduced first and 2007 model year production at the new facility will overlap the production of 2006 model year 2-door TJ and Unlimited TJ models at the current Toledo facility. The shorter 2-door TK?s will follow the TKL within 5 weeks. The original Jeep Toledo facility will eventually be demolished.

2) The 2-door TK will be approximately 6? wider than the TJ, and the wheelbase will be around 101?, similar to the Unlimited TJ. The 4-door TKL will share the general dimensions of the Gladiator concept, meaning about 6? wider than the TJ and with a wheelbase of 138?. (Don?t bemoan the larger dimensions, this will allow the factory to safely fit optional 33? diameter tires.) Two different packaged TKL versions will be initially available, these will be called Laredo and Rubicon. Three initial TK versions are planned, to be called SE/Sport/Rubicon.

3) Both TK and TKL will come in a single body version with full height doors and roll-up windows, integral roll cages, rear liftgate, and removable roof panels. The top options will represent solid or tinted transparent plastic ? solid panels will be body paint color. Front fenders and rear fender flaress will be body-contrasting bolt-on plastic. Protective plastic body cladding will be used above the sills, save for Rubicon models which substitute diamond plate steel cladding. There is provision for storing the roof panels behind the rear seat.

4) Both TK and TKL will incorporate side impact and head restraint safety systems as well as standard airbags, soft interior surfaces, and anti-dive dashes. Unlike the full-length vehicle frames used in prior Jeep Universals, the TK and TKL will incorporate ?shorty? frames with impact-absorbing structures and conventional styled bumpers at both ends. Again, don?t be displeased, an optional winch bumper will be available on front and a tow-rated receiver bumper on the rear. Tow capacity will be greater than TJ but nobody?s speculating by how much.

5) Standard engine for the TK SE will be the 2.4L 4-cylinder gas engine. Available TK optional powerplants will be limited to the 3.7L V-6. The standard TKL engine will be the 3.7L, the available option will be the 5.7-liter Hemi with MDS (multi displacement system, for 4-or-8-cylinder operating modes). Diesel engines will be available for Export vehicles only, not for US models. Available transmissions will initially include the 6-speed manual and a new (for Wrangler) 5-speed automatic. The 5-speed will include the ERS (Electronic Range Select) feature of the current WK, and should satisfy those who cannot decide between manual and automatic.

6) The remaining powertrain pieces include both part time and fulltime 4WD transfer cases derived from Mercedes SUV products, with available options that include the center ELSD (Electronic Limited Slip Differential). The same basic transfer case will be available with two different low range gears, the lower gearing being available only for the Rubicon models. AAM axles will be used on both vehicles with downsized versions standard and an available heavy duty axle for the 3.7L TK, also standard on TKL and Rubicon TK. The standard differentials will be open, with optional helical-gear LSDs ?soon?. Rubicon models will have standard electric locking differentials made by AAM. Full-on electronic traction control will be available on ?some? models. 4-wheel power disk brakes and power steering are standard in all TK and TKL models.

7) No photos of TK and TKL are yet available. Anything you see on the Web is a photo-chop job. Some of the heavily disguised test mules that have been labeled ?Commander? by the press are in fact 4-door TKL test mules. However, the published photos of the Gladiator concept ?greatly resemble? TK and TKL from the ?B? pillar forward (that is from the rear edge of the front doors).

8) Jeep Gladiator has not been OK?d for 2007 production. DCX thinks it and the Power Wagon are too similar. The Gladiator and TKL will share many components including the frame and powertrain, therefore Gladiator MAY be produced as a 2008+ model at the new Wrangler facility.