There's a guy who went on the Colorado trip recently who had that 4wd system. He ended up having to get winched up a hill because he didn't have 4wd Low and his transmission overheated. I'm really surprised that Jeep even offers a 4wd system without low. Seriously...isn't that something you expect on a crossover SUV, but not on a traditional SUV?
I was waiting on top of Imogene Pass with the rest of the group while he was winched past a bad spot. (A 40 degree slope about 50~75 feet long) It overheated because we had been driving for a solid 45 minutes up a road steep enough to made you rock back in your seat like a La-Z-Boy recliner. It's too rough 'n' rocky to go any kind of real speed, so in high range, it's all torque converter slippage and minimal air flow 'til the tranny goes off the map in temp. The computer shut him down, and things were fine 'n' dandy again once things cooled off. The winch job was because we got impatient.
A 20 minute wait, and he could've just completed the climb up.
It's Mopar marketing at its finest. Make a decent luxury rig for off roading, then drop a model down to entry level with stuff like a single mode X-fer case and V6 just to gain a few more buyers. IMHO, the lowest available trim level of a Commander should have been a QTII system, even if they kept the V6. Even the transmission is different (and lighter duty) in the V6, probably adding to the overheating problem.
Another good reason for low range is control on a down slope. With high range, you depend almost 100% on brakes which is nuts. The 1st gear, low range speed is only about 5 MPH max in the XK, so you can let 'er do its own thing on a steep downhill run without worry. AND... you have much better control with differentials doing their thing as opposed to dragging brakes.
Years ago, our company had a Vemco converted Ford E-350 van. It also had a single mode transfer case. It was a great system otherwise, and was known as a ''chicken foot'' 4x4 system. That's because the rear driveshaft went back to a solid axle, but two drive shafts went to each side of an IFS front axle, forming a Y of sorts underneath. It had limited slip with full time 4x4. But... it suffered from the same overheating problems going to remote radios sites. You just can't climb rediculously steep slopes in a high range 1st gear that will do 35 MPH, for more than a few hundred yards. And... it was also a ''death ride'' down steep hills. :grim:
