School Me on Jeep Wrangler

[IndyFan]

OK, so I understand that the Wrangler is less than optimal on the interstate. I have owned two jeeps in my life. The first one was a CJ5 with a 304 cu in V8 and later a 1980 model - so my information is a bit dated. I did drive a 3.6L with a manual transmission about six years ago and liked it.

I test drove several used Wranglers but they all had larger tires and rode very rough.

I really just want an around town 2-lane "fun" vehicle. Very limited off road. No towing. We have a half ton pickup truck for that.

Here are my thoughts on tops. I have both the hard top and soft top on my Wrangler. The soft top is the premium twill, which is very thick and easy to live with. It is also very durable, just as is the standard material.

The twill soft top does not flap. It is shockingly quiet. Not quite as quiet as the hard top, but not far off. I could easily live with it all year long. I usually put the hard top on in October and swap the soft top back on in April. Sometimes I run all summer with no top at all. LOL.
Here is my favorite combo and what I run on my Gladiator. Hard top with a Bestop twill Sunrider for Hard Top. It gives the best of both worlds and you can flip it open at a stop light or at slow speed. You don't have to get out. You can close it while seated, too. I keep it on the Gladiator all year long. It also has an option for a retractable sun screen. That thing is worth its weight in gold. When my soft top eventually wears out (Really if. It looks like new still, after 7 years!), I will probably get another Sunrider. It's so nice when you get a rare warm winter day to pop it open and get some sunshine. With the doors off and the Sunrider open, it feels like no top at all.

I drove a 93 YJ for 10 years. Leaf springs! It bucked and bounced down the highway. I still loved it. I'd bet the JL 2 door rides like a Cadillac compared to that old YJ! LOL.

My wife wants to trade her Compass for a Wrangler in a couple years. I'm trying to talk her into a 2 door, but I think she really wants 4 doors. We'll see what happens. LOL.

 

[demarpaint]

I did not find my soft top warmer in fact the opposite and the vinyl windows scratch as soon as you look at them..and agree noisier in an already noisy vehicle...

I agree. The soft top is cheaper if cost is an issue. But more wind noise, potential for leaks, and colder didn't work for me. I went with the insulated three panel hard top when I ordered my 2016 JKR and I'm glad I paid the extra $$ for it.

 

[jadmt]

The JL really isn't bad on the highway, but the steering does require a little more center correction than I would like. But for a 30 min run on the highway at 80 MPH, it isn't bad at all. Wouldn't want to drive it 8 hours though.

Around the city they're a real pleasure to drive, super easy to navigate, ride is good and the seats are surprisingly comfortable.

I drive mine 80mph to moab ~2X a year and we live ~800 miles from moab and do it in one shot...a properly set up wrangler handles very nice...mpg kind of sucks at 80 tho. .

 

[IndyFan]

If you go soft top you don't need a rear defroster, if that is a worry. Ice/snow melts right off those plastic windows quickly as the Jeep warms up, which is also very quickly. My 4 door's heater will run you out. The 2 door would be even better. It really takes no time for ice to melt off that back window. You might miss the washer/wiper, though. But to me, it's not a big deal.

Heated steering wheel is very nice. Very warm. The ultimate winter setup is the heated seats with cloth. Again, I have both. The cloth heats up much more quickly and much hotter than the leather. It'll darned near burn your ass. Overall, the Wrangler with heated seats/wheel is the best cold weather vehicle I've ever owned. Fast heat, HOT heat. I can't speak for the 4 banger, but I'd bet it is the same.

 

[jadmt]

I agree. The soft top is cheaper if cost is an issue. But more wind noise, potential for leaks, and colder didn't work for me. I went with the insulated three panel hard top when I ordered my 2016 JKR and I'm glad I paid the extra $$ for it.

how's it going?

 

[IndyFan]

I drive mine 80mph to moab ~2X a year and we live ~800 miles from moab and do it in one shot...a properly set up wrangler handles very nice...mpg kind of sucks at 80 tho. .
View attachment 317931

TRUE! On the way to Moab, we did 80mph with a 50mph headwind through Kansas in October. It was freaking nuts. I think my Gladiator was at about 12mpg. But the Wrangler, with it's 4.56 gears and where it landed on the RPM band with 6th gear actually got 14mpg. The one time it could beat the Gladiator in highway mileage! LOL!

That headwind later became a 40mph cross wind, which was equally difficult with these flat sided vehicles. I think I had the steering wheel at about 10-15 degrees to the right the whole time! It triggered a traction control/ABS code in the Gladiator! LOL!

 

[jadmt]

Btw, the 2.0 turbo is very nice, too. Lots of low end power. But it feels and sounds like a 4 banger. It's not as smooth. From what I've seen, it can get slightly better fuel economy, but I mean slightly. It is not a significant difference.

Personally, I like playing the long game and while the 2.0 appears to be very reliable and durable so far, I just don't like the DI and turbo when my goal is to go well beyond 200,000 miles. I'm at 107.5k with the Wrangler and am creeping up on 70k with the Gladiator. No trouble at all with either power train and they behave identically, as they should, in terms of behavior, sound level. Coolant and oil temps and voltage are the same in the same conditions, too. Identical twins.

And oil changes on the V6 are a breeze, with the cartridge oil filter on top of the engine. No mess. And the V6 takes exactly 5 quarts, so you only have to buy 1 jug of oil. That is very convenient and economical, too!

my good buddy has a the 2.0 and 4.56 gears and he actually gets quite a bit better mpg than I do on the highway when traveling fast..it is loud tho. we wheel together a lot and have been to moab many times together. he does burn premium and I use 87. he still is a couple dollars under me when we fill up...I would not hesitate to get a 2.0 but not a deal breaker either way..we both have 37's and perhaps his 4.56 gears vs my 4.10's make a little difference...both do very well.

 

[Panda87]

I’ve only ever seen women driving them around here, no joke. They are all super decked out, never offroaded mall-crawlers with pink hinges, the handprint stickers on the front of the mirror bodies, LED rock lights and whips, boatloads of ducks in the windshield and stickers saying stuff like “Silly boys, jeeps are for girls” or the rear tire cover looking like it says “JOOP” because the E’s are replaced with round dog paws. They are nearly all driving on their phones, can’t park worth a hoot in a single spot and think parking a tire on the curb is trendy.

That’s all I know of them, lol.

 

[jadmt]

If you go soft top you don't need a rear defroster, if that is a worry. Ice/snow melts right off those plastic windows quickly as the Jeep warms up, which is also very quickly. My 4 door's heater will run you out. The 2 door would be even better. It really takes no time for ice to melt off that back window. You might miss the washer/wiper, though. But to me, it's not a big deal.

Heated steering wheel is very nice. Very warm. The ultimate winter setup is the heated seats with cloth. Again, I have both. The cloth heats up much more quickly and much hotter than the leather. It'll darned near burn your ass. Overall, the Wrangler with heated seats/wheel is the best cold weather vehicle I've ever owned. Fast heat, HOT heat. I can't speak for the 4 banger, but I'd bet it is the same.

ditto on the seats and steering wheel heat.. I do have leather but they will roast you in no time..I can not have mine on high. All 5 of my wranglers have had incredible heaters.....

 

[IndyFan]

my good buddy has a the 2.0 and 4.56 gears and he actually gets quite a bit better mpg than I do on the highway when traveling fast..it is loud tho. we wheel together a lot and have been to moab many times together. he does burn premium and I use 87. he still is a couple dollars under me when we fill up...I would not hesitate to get a 2.0 but not a deal breaker either way..we both have 37's and perhaps his 4.56 gears vs my 4.10's make a little difference...both do very well.

I'm running 35's on both of mine. The Wrangler has 4.56 gears with the manual. In the Gladiator, the auto handles the 35's well enough that I did not re-gear. I get about 18 typically on the highway in the Wrangler and 20 in the Gladiator, Which is surprising considering it's heavier curb weight.

I'm a bit shocked the turbo overcomes the price of premium gas like that. Wow! But yeah, I think the 4.56 would be a huge advantage when running 37's. That's a big tire to pull.

 

[cb4017]

In case nobody has mentioned it, join the JL Wrangler Forum. Good folks that will help and lots of good information.

JL Wrangler Forum

 

[AZjeff]

I don't plan on lifting it nor larger than stock tires.

Famous last words....

A stock 2 door Wrangler is very capable off road and it's kinda cool seeing one being used as intended.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Rented a 4 door 4xE while in Sedona last year. The engine is a bit rough at low speeds but the ability to off-road in EV silence was pretty neat. I was seriously impressed with how well it did on the very street-oriented tires that come on it.

We drove up to the Grand Canyon one day and that little turbo 4 had a surprising amount of power at 80+ for passing slower traffic. I’m not sure if the electric motor played a part in that or not but compared to Wranglers that friends had in the late 90s/early 00s it was night and day.

My biggest beef was the 4wd shift knob digging into my knee as someone that is 6’4”. I bought a foam coozie at a gas station to put on it.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

OK, so I understand that the Wrangler is less than optimal on the interstate. I have owned two jeeps in my life. The first one was a CJ5 with a 304 cu in V8 and later a 1980 model - so my information is a bit dated. I did drive a 3.6L with a manual transmission about six years ago and liked it.

I test drove several used Wranglers but they all had larger tires and rode very rough.

I really just want an around town 2-lane "fun" vehicle. Very limited off road. No towing. We have a half ton pickup truck for that.

I've driven a few CJ5s - Willys era and AMC. The AMC ones are slightly better but I didn't even feel comfortable at 55 with either!

I drove a 93 YJ for 10 years. Leaf springs! It bucked and bounced down the highway. I still loved it. I'd bet the JL 2 door rides like a Cadillac compared to that old YJ! LOL.

My wife wants to trade her Compass for a Wrangler in a couple years. I'm trying to talk her into a 2 door, but I think she really wants 4 doors. We'll see what happens. LOL.

My Cherokee rides pretty soft. I tried my best to make really soft leaf spring packs and get the shackle angle right. Really soft coils in the front too. I had the YJ I just bought out on a trail and was only going like 10 or 15 up the main trail and I swear it was getting air! Shackle angles aren't right or anything so I need to get all of that dialed in. I also forgot how awkward they are to drive on the road with no tracbars and homemade shackles :O

 

[demarpaint]

how's it going?

Great, how about you?

 

[D60]

The 2.0T will inexplicably leak oil from EVERY possible gasket responsible for holding engine oil back. Seriously just search for 2.0T Jeep oil leaks if you doubt me.

When I purchased in '19 the 2.0 was only available with the hybrid system and 48V battery pack. But as Glenda said, every model year seems to peg you into displacements that ONLY come with certain options -- which aren't actually optional.

I deliberately got the 3.6 ICE and it's a Pentastar, with all that entails. But any problems are well understood and common.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Saw one the other day, the hinges were rusting. IIRC there is a massive recall on the doors, which are also rusting apart.

 

[IndyFan]

Saw one the other day, the hinges were rusting. IIRC there is a massive recall on the doors, which are also rusting apart.

It's not hard to take the hinges off and paint them, but the doors at least won't rust. They are aluminum. On my 2018, the paint has completely flaked off one of the hinges. I haven't done anything about it yet. But there is zero rust on the door or the hinge. The later model years (2023+) seem to have gotten a handle on this issue, from what I've observed. I don't see it happening, though, on my 2021 Gladiator as of yet.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I would go with a red exterior and a hard top. Jeeps are kind of cool and I like the two doors the best. Good luck with your search!

 

[jadmt]

Great, how about you?

All is well. I still stop in to check the forum but mostly into jl these days so not a lot of activity on those.