1000k in a KK... a brief review

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Luke

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I just recently had the chance to spend a couple weeks in a 08 Liberty "North Edition" with 20k km's (12,500 miles) on the odo. and I thought I would share my observations... or more acurately comparrisons with the KJ.

To begin I should state that it was a daily rental and although it appeared in mint condition, I worked as a car jockey when I was younger so ... in other words I would never consider it to be on par with a privately owned 08. I should also state that I love my KJ and am biased to the extreme ;) (but i can still give you my untainted thoughts on the KK)

First some pics ...

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I will not get into anything subjective like the appearance of the KK because quite frankly who TF cares what what someone else thinks about that kind 'o' stuff. I will say that it has grown on me in that category. Also some things are obvious upgrades like the sound system for example, again not relevant really when comparing it to a late model KJ.

I didn't notice a lot of difference in build quality or materials used for the interior or exterior really although the comfort of the seats has to be mentioned, the KK seats must have more cushion material, side bolsters seamed very similar to the KJ. The deleted grab handles on the A pillar were sadly missing from the KK, although lighted rear passenger retracting handles were a nice addition.

Without measuring anything or looking at the specs, the KK is obviously larger in every direction by a few inches or more, which would have the obvious if not fractional advantage in storage and comfort, and an opposite however marginal effect on a skinny trail.

The electronic controls for the transfer case functioned as they should, I won't get into the whole which is better ( a separate research topic :D ). I prefer the manual controls but as I said they worked.. period. However, if I was buying one of these I would want to know that having for example "Fun in the snow" etc. is somewhat limited by the safety features (ESP), I tried deactivating the ESP during my "experiments", with limited success. Cutting the throttle and activating the traction control on me when I'm trying to have a little fun is not something I enjoyed. All that having been said there are some obvious advantages to these technologies and they are designed to thwart this kind of activity when it is not "planned" so in the end they work. :)

The ride in general is much more smooth and dampened, this again is a matter of preference, I definitely felt less connected with the road surface than in the KJ, something I personally do not enjoy. The tires were GY SRA's so I did not expect much and that's what I got :D. In the end however the ride quality has to be rated as "improved".

In conclusion I have to say I liked it ... It seemed equal to (sometimes better) than the KJ in most respects... but I enjoy my KJ more :)

Cheers All,
 

Dave

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Nice comparison Luke.

I also like my manually shifted t-case also. I do like the looks of them and the stock KK wheels though.

Dave
 

LibertyTC

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Luke,
You mentioned lit rear door handles in rear. Were the window switches lit and handles in front? Was there puddle lights front and rear? Did you get any interior night photos of dash? Same kind of dash or any extra gauges? Come with heated mirrors/power seats?
What kind of EVIC or info center did it have? How was the stereo improved, better sound more speakers?
 

Luke

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Your garage needs a two post lift,and some junk thrown about:D

That would be nice! ... as for the junk no problem... give me a little time I just moved in :D

Luke,
You mentioned lit rear door handles in rear. Were the window switches lit and handles in front? Was there puddle lights front and rear? Did you get any interior night photos of dash? Same kind of dash or any extra gauges? Come with heated mirrors/power seats?
What kind of EVIC or info center did it have? How was the stereo improved, better sound more speakers?

Sry "lighted grab handles" above the pass windows is what I was referring to, they are kinda kewl. They pull down and retract back up when not in use. No EVIC but digital compass and temp in the gauge cluster. The stereo is no comparison, too many feature changes to list, your talking about 4-5 yrs of improved technology. I can tell you it was nicer than the 05 stocker that's for sure, but I did not take any time to play with it :) Sorry no interior pics :(
 

KeswickDave

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Nice review Luke, you beat me to it! ;)

As I mentioned in my other thread, I'm currently driving a white 2010 KK, with almost 6,000 miles on the odometer.

I agree with much of what you said, and especially the ride quality, which as you say could be considered "improved" - smoother and more dampened, I think I'm copying your words but I fully agree, it loses the "road feel" and firm, rugged feel of the KJ which I very much enjoy.

I will post more when the week is over, and maybe take a picture soon, lol

oh, almost forgot, they had a BLACK one in the parking lot but they wouldn't give it to me! :(

Dave
 

Luke

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Nice review Luke, you beat me to it! ;)

As I mentioned in my other thread, I'm currently driving a white 2010 KK, with almost 6,000 miles on the odometer.

I agree with much of what you said, and especially the ride quality, which as you say could be considered "improved" - smoother and more dampened, I think I'm copying your words but I fully agree, it loses the "road feel" and firm, rugged feel of the KJ which I very much enjoy.

I will post more when the week is over, and maybe take a picture soon, lol

oh, almost forgot, they had a BLACK one in the parking lot but they wouldn't give it to me! :(

Dave

(rotflmao)

I tried to catch you before you read mine ... :D but at least now maybe you can get some interior pics for TC .. namely the dash and rear pass grab handles :D Drive Safe!

I forgot to mention it in the review but .. the KK's exhaust note is louder... and keep your ear open for the front diff in PT mode .. does it sound a lot louder to you?
 
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KeswickDave

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(rotflmao)

I tried to catch you before you read mine ... :D but at least now maybe you can get some interior pics for TC .. namely the dash and rear pass grab handles :D Drive Safe!

I forgot to mention it in the review but .. the KK's exhaust note is louder... and keep your ear open for the front diff in PT mode .. does it sound a lot louder to you?

I hadn't noticed the lighted grab handles, although this seems to be a more basic model, I'll have to double-check that. (no cruise control - Aargh!, no compass/temp like you mentioned. No Evic.

As for the exhaust, I really can't say as it's quieter than mine is with the Flowmaster 50 :)

Since I've mainly been on paved roads I haven't had the opportunity to get it into PT yet but if I do I will keep my ears open!

OK so I'm heading downstairs to take a few pics now, hold your horses... ;)
 

tibby

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hey there, just thought i would add my two cents.....i just got my 2010 kk and love it! i have already put 11000km on it and keeps going with no complaints....except the tires! they do not do well in the snow and ice. and the traction control is a little to quick to respond in my opinon. i have had her stuck...in about a foot and half of snow that i had to dig out of.
my wife has the 05 kj and seems to be more "trail rated" then the kk. we havent done alot of off roading with the kk yet, but just the feel of it seems to suggest easy on the trails.
 

KeswickDave

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So I went downstairs with the camera, which as it turns out didn't have a memory card in it... so I saved the pics on the built-in memory. To get them off the camera however requires a proprietary cable which of course, we don't have with us here... so they're stuck on the camera. Gotta love technology ;)

I'm not going to go back down tonight but I'll get them or take some more, promise :)

Oh the other thing, and maybe it relates to what tibby said above, I found the KK feels a little "heavier" and less agile than the KJ and the steering definitely seems heavier, my wife noticed that too. I'll have to check the tire pressure tomorrow, if it's low it could be the cause.

On a bright note it appears to have maintained the tight turning radius!

Dave
 

KeswickDave

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Luke,
You mentioned lit rear door handles in rear. Were the window switches lit and handles in front? Was there puddle lights front and rear? Did you get any interior night photos of dash? Same kind of dash or any extra gauges? Come with heated mirrors/power seats?
What kind of EVIC or info center did it have? How was the stereo improved, better sound more speakers?

I'm not sure about Luke's KK, but mine had the lit handles in rear, NO handles in front, which pissed off my wife, as she is disabled and uses the handles in our '05.

Window switches were lit front and rear. I forgot to notice if there were puddle lights. This one had heated mirrors but not power seats.

No EVIC or info center, other than the Odometer which flashed "CHANGE OIL" near the end of our trip... which I ignored of course ;) I hope it doesn't get BUDKETIZED!

I put up some pics in my thread, over here...

http://www.jeepkj.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43028
 
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