In a day and age when off-road activity has become more popular then ever, and the aftermarket for off-road suspension parts, especially for the solid-axle Jeep Wrangler has exploded, why would the company consider changing over to an IFS setup for the next-gen version of the famous four-wheel-drive vehicle?

Your guess is as good as ours, but according to statements made recently by Jeep brand boss Mike Manley, he is making no guarantees that the redesigned Wrangler, scheduled for 2016, will stick with the solid-axle front design.

Michael Manley, Jeep brand boss, said the next-gen Wrangler might have to be redesigned with an IFS setup.

In a recent report in Automotive News, the Chrysler Group was said to be advertising for engineers to help in the redesign of the Wrangler, and the author claimed the help-wanted postings lead him to believe the company was looking for people with expertise in designing lighter vehicles with more electronic gadgetry. Vehicles with solid axles are typically heavier than those independent suspensions.

Through September of 2013, Jeep Wrangler sales in the United States are up 11 percent to 119,941. The brand set a sales record in 2012, and Chrysler has the Jeep Wrangler to thank for that. Chrysler can’t build Jeep Wranglers fast enough to satisfy consumer demand, despite the fact the popular off-road sport-ute hasn’t seen more than a superficial redesign since 2006.

Years ago when the Wrangler front end was switched over from leaf springs to coils, the same debate raged. However, coil-spring suspensions have proven themselves extremely good for axle articulation in off-road situations, and the current generation Wrangler’s front end helps make the vehicle one of the most popular for customization.

If the Wrangler were to be redesigned with an IFS setup, much of the current aftermarket would have to completely re-tool. The expense would be enormous. Worse yet, the hardcore off-road consumer would not take to an IFS Wrangler well at all.

One of the most daunting challenges faced by Jeep are the ever increasingly more strict federal fuel economy standards, and that may be what ultimately threatens the thing that real off-road Wrangler fans love most about the vehicle — the fuel savings that could be gained by ditching the heavier solid front axle in favor of a lighter IFS setup.

Manley acknowledged the challenge facing engineers. What he didn’t promise, though, is that the off-roaders’ current suspension setup would remain. “We’re already in an environment where it’s a challenge to produce a vehicle in that way, and it’s going to get harder,” he said. “What I can tell you is that the vehicle is absolutely fundamental to our DNA, and it’s going to become progressively harder to make sure that the vehicle meets all of the standards that are required for it.”

Off Road Xtreme just can’t picture the Wrangler with IFS. It seems like a nightmare. Your thoughts? Let us know in the comment section below.

This could be what the next-gen Wrangler’s front end looks like.