JK vs. KK

ryno · **Posted:** Thu Oct 11, 2007 1:59 am

What benefits, if any, does the KK have over the JK?

The JK has all of the Jeep characteristics we've become accustomed to, e.g., a real transfer case shifter, a rear-mounted spare, etc.
The JK has a SFA and real articulation.
The JK can run 33" tires in stock form.
The JK has more off-road goodies.
The JK has more cargo space.
The JK has a removable roof.
The JK has round headlights.
The JK looks a heck of a lot better. (Yes, that's a fact.

)
The JK gets the respect of others in the off-road world.
But most of all, the JK feels like a Jeep!

On the other hand, the KK has a peppier engine and squeezes out a few more miles per gallon on the highway.
The KK has more towing capacity.
Um... I guess it's a little cheaper too.
Anything else?

I don't hate the KK. The JK just makes more sense from an off-roader's standpoint. I guess not everyone needs the capability of a Wrangler, and I suppose a Liberty is a better daily driver. I'm sort of biased though because I got to take a JK out for a weekend at Canyonlands National Park. Some of those obstacles would have eaten a stock Liberty for lunch!

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

There are a few things to consider with KK,
KK costs less when equally equipped
KK is more comfortable (less drafty and less noisy) and handles better on high speed
With KK you will keep more money in the pocket, since you will not be lured into modifying it as much.

Otherwise, if I had to buy a new jeep, like you said, it all depends on the reason it is being bought for.
If I will be wheeling, I would get JK, if not, I would go with KK especially with the price it is at right now.

Both has their own pluses and minuses, apples and oranges. OK, not that much but like two types of apples, like Red Delicious (KK) and Sour Green (JK) :lol:

Fulltimer · **Posted:** Thu Oct 11, 2007 10:51 am

As a KJ owner that drives it as an only vehicle there is no comparison for me. My daughter has a JK and I wouldn't want to have to drive it all the time. She is young so not a problem. At 60 I want some comfort :lol:

Terry

hyedipin · **Joined:** Thu May 11, 2006 10:20 am **Posts:** 1667

Fulltimer wrote:

As a KJ owner that drives it as an only vehicle there is no comparison for me. My daughter has a JK and I wouldn't want to have to drive it all the time. She is young so not a problem. At 60 I want some comfort :lol:

Terry

Terry you are 60? :shock:

Umm. Sir.

priell3 · **Posted:** Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:27 am

Do you need 4 doors or 2? Go on jeep.com and build a Liberty, 2 door and 4 door Wrangler to your liking then compare the final specs and price. The 2 door JK is going to work out to be the least expensive and more "Trail Rated" right off the lot. Either way, it is a Jeep so be prepared to Just Empty Every Pocket.

I am a KJ to JK Unlimited convert, so I can compare the two.

Ride comfort and handling seem pretty equal. My father said the JK rides nicer. The wider track of the JK gives it stability on and off road. I haven't had a problem with comfort on long drives. I have the Freedom hard top, so noise and drafts are non-existent and I can go topless. I didn't get the dual tops because I don't have storage space. If you want the Sky roof on the Liberty it adds another $1060. I can live without the lighted vanity mirrors.

My JK gets better MPG than my KJ according to the trip computer in each vehicle.

Cargo space in the JK is much better. I can load up for a week long family vacation with room to spare.

My stock JK did well in minor off-road situations and is also adequate as our daily driver.

I get the Jeep Wave all the time now.

For complete specs and pics of my JK, click the link in my signature.

CRDLIBERTY · **Joined:** Thu Aug 02, 2007 11:52 pm **Posts:** 72

Im still on the fence compairing 4.0 straight six new v6 stuff even though they have more power. But i would swear my 4.0 kicked the liven crap out jk i test drove.

jason thompson · **Posted:** Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:58 pm

CRDLIBERTY wrote:

Im still on the fence compairing 4.0 straight six new v6 stuff even though they have more power. But i would swear my 4.0 kicked the liven crap out jk i test drove.

That is because the I-6 makes it power at much lower RPMs then the new V-6
thus less RPM when out on the trail
thus it is easier on the drive train then the newer engine
I almost never break 1500-2000 rpm on the trail unless I get into some mud
but for steep hill climbs it is around 1500 even on hill I can not walk I still can go this slow
the same for rocks and sand slow and steady

ryno · **Posted:** Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:17 am

The 3.8L is by no means insufficient for off-road use--it works just fine. Put it in 4-Lo and it will nearly idle over most obstacles. On the other hand, it's a bit of a dog on the highway. The 4-door JK that we rented downshifted to third on hills my KJ would have handled in fourth all day long.

SethX9 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 25, 2007 12:55 pm

"it will nearly idle over most obstacles"

Then you're not pointin' yourself at the right obstacles

ryno · **Posted:** Thu Oct 25, 2007 2:26 pm

SethX9 wrote:

"it will nearly idle over most obstacles"

Then you're not pointin' yourself at the right obstacles

I said that sort of tongue in cheek. :lol:

The JK will nearly idle over most obstacles, as in... you don't have to mash down the gas and get the RPMs way up like most people have been led to believe. In 4-Lo, the JK and the KJ feel very similar torque-wise.

jason thompson · **Posted:** Thu Oct 25, 2007 5:37 pm

ryno wrote:

SethX9 wrote:

"it will nearly idle over most obstacles"

Then you're not pointin' yourself at the right obstacles

I said that sort of tongue in cheek. :lol:

The JK will nearly idle over most obstacles, as in... you don't have to mash down the gas and get the RPMs way up like most people have been led to believe. In 4-Lo, the JK and the KJ feel very similar torque-wise.

I think you miss the point
the V-6 makes more torque but at higher RPM
the I-6 makes it torque at lower RPM thus making it a better trail motor
I know a guy who has a '01 XJ auto I-6 and he just got a JK 4 door
he says the XJ is "easier" out on the trail when it comes to managing the throtle
he says that the JK tends to want to "jump" when it should just crwal
I have noticed this in our KJ vs TJ the TJ can manage to go MUCH slower than the KJ
they both have auto's and 3.73's with 31" tall tires
You have to drive the V-6 motors working gas and break or with 2 feet the I-6 motors you dont need gas
it will idle over or you can give it a few extra rpms on the good stuff but it will not jump

ryno · **Posted:** Thu Oct 25, 2007 6:34 pm

jason thompson wrote:

ryno wrote:

SethX9 wrote:

"it will nearly idle over most obstacles"

Then you're not pointin' yourself at the right obstacles

I said that sort of tongue in cheek. :lol:

The JK will nearly idle over most obstacles, as in... you don't have to mash down the gas and get the RPMs way up like most people have been led to believe. In 4-Lo, the JK and the KJ feel very similar torque-wise.

I think you miss the point
the V-6 makes more torque but at higher RPM
the I-6 makes it torque at lower RPM thus making it a better trail motor
I know a guy who has a '01 XJ auto I-6 and he just got a JK 4 door
he says the XJ is "easier" out on the trail when it comes to managing the throtle
he says that the JK tends to want to "jump" when it should just crwal
I have noticed this in our KJ vs TJ the TJ can manage to go MUCH slower than the KJ
they both have auto's and 3.73's with 31" tall tires
You have to drive the V-6 motors working gas and break or with 2 feet the I-6 motors you dont need gas
it will idle over or you can give it a few extra rpms on the good stuff but it will not jump

I get it--the I6 makes its peak torque at a much lower RPM than the V6. I was comparing the 3.7L to the 3.8L (both V6's) to give those people who haven't driven Jeeps with the 4.0 I6 an idea of what the 3.8L feels like off-road.

SethX9 · **Posted:** Fri Oct 26, 2007 1:07 pm

I just recently switched from a Liberty to a Wrangler (see sig) and of course the first and most obvious difference I noticed was the clearance and articulation but moving from the 3.7 V6 auto-trans to the 4.0L I6 5-speed was a HUGE difference in the way power is delivered.

Basically, the only way I know how to put it, is that the Liberty is an on-road vehicle with surprisingly capable off-road abilities while the Wrangler is a purpose-built off-road vehicle that I can drive around town. I'm sure the new Liberty will be capable of getting in the dirt but the algebra seems to be a firm A+B=C where A is the off-road ability, B is the on-road manners and C is the total driving experience. That said, given that the new Liberty seems designed with more on-road comfort in mind it will have to be less off-road capable by that same measure.

kj in a tight spot · **Posted:** Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:25 pm

SethX9 wrote:

Basically, the only way I know how to put it, is that the Liberty is an on-road vehicle with surprisingly capable off-road abilities while the Wrangler is a purpose-built off-road vehicle that I can drive around town. I'm sure the new Liberty will be capable of getting in the dirt but the algebra seems to be a firm A+B=C where A is the off-road ability, B is the on-road manners and C is the total driving experience. That said, given that the new Liberty seems designed with more on-road comfort in mind it will have to be less off-road capable by that same measure.

BINGO

kj in a tight spot · **Posted:** Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:26 pm

jason thompson wrote:

he says that the JK tends to want to "jump" when it should just crawl......You have to drive the V-6 motors working gas and break or with 2 feet the I-6 motors you dont need gas
it will idle over or you can give it a few extra rpms on the good stuff but it will not jump

Good points, couldnt have said it better

65thKJ · **Posted:** Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:49 pm

I actually just bought a 2d JK X w/ the 3.8L and manual tranny. I just went throught the KK vs JK thing myself and I realized that I do not need the xtra 2 doors and its nice to have the removable top and SFA. My JK was 22k because it is 2D X w/ only a few options. The KK would have been a little more but better on road, and convenient for 4 people. In the end I decided that I didn't need the convenience or power windows etc. so I went for the more capable offroader.

BTW The power is really good particularly because I have the 3.73 and manual tranny. Although my brother has an '05 wrangler w/ the 4L and I had one in an old GC and it does pull a lot better at low rpms.

Northbee · **Posted:** Tue Dec 04, 2007 10:51 am

ryno wrote:

What benefits, if any, does the KK have over the JK?

You can order the KK with the Selec Trac - which offers Full time all wheel drive ... so it makes the KK a safer vehicle in heavy rain or other conditions where you don't want to engage part time 4x4

...basically the main reason that keeps me from buying a JK unlimited - so I stay with my Liberty.

ryno · **Posted:** Tue Dec 04, 2007 5:01 pm

Northbee wrote:

ryno wrote:

What benefits, if any, does the KK have over the JK?

You can order the KK with the Selec Trac - which offers Full time all wheel drive ... so it makes the KK a safer vehicle in heavy rain or other conditions where you don't want to engage part time 4x4

...basically the main reason that keeps me from buying a JK unlimited and keeping my Liberty.

With the JK's new traction control system and other electronic doodads, a Full Time 4WD mode isn't even needed. I drove a JK in 2WD in the rain down some slippery mountain switchbacks with no problems (count the prepositional phrases in that sentence! :lol:

). I actually felt the system kick in on a loose gravel road. It was kind of cool to have the Jeep whipped back into line without any driver input, although it was an unfamiliar feeling because my KJ doesn't have any of the electronic stuff that comes standard nowadays. The thing that would hold the JK back in the rain would be the tires--unless you get the Sahara model, you get crappy Badyear Wranglers or knobby BFGoodrich MT's, neither of which perform very well in the rain.

Albert · **Posted:** Tue Dec 04, 2007 9:43 pm

I have not driven a KK.

I have driven my Son's JK on two seperate weekends. So I kinda got the feel of it. It is a Sahara with dana 44's and mtr's. 3.8liter with the A/T which I believe is the 42rle. He has both tops but the hard top was on when I drove it. It drove smooth and I was impressed with it. He has an aftermarket intake (can't remember the brand) and a Borla Cat Back exhaust on it. I wanted to try 4lo but didn't get a chance. It drove much smoother than his TJ on the road.

Anyway I am used to the 4 full time which I use a lot in the KJ and the JK won't tow 5000 pounds (which I can't figure out why) so for now I'm keeping the KJ. I'm not sure I like the full time system in the KK but I havn't driven it so I can't say for sure. I guess I am a "pull the lever" type.

Uffe · **Posted:** Sat Dec 08, 2007 9:44 am

To be honest I test-drove a JK and loved its diesel engine and the car itself just as much.

Danish car taxes are bogus. To afford a JK I have to convert it into a 2 seat cargo carrier. Registering it as a cargo car I only pay 50% tax instead of 180%. Also I want any offroader to be a diesel because diesel is cheaper than petrol here, so that leaves only JKs for me.

I'm running a KJ until I can afford a used JK in a few years

JK vs. KK

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