Jeep Wrangler Unlimted Rubicon

My first independently purchased vehicle was an ’84 Jeep CJ-7. I loved it. One day I met a pretty girl who was driving a Jeep Wrangler. I loved her. Fast forward few years, several cars, and one baby later; no more Jeeps, just a slightly-boring but superbly good MDX performing its daily grind as a comfortable family transporter. On-and-off we’ve been talking about the new 4-door Wrangler Unlimited and how cool it would be to have one, but would it be as comfortable? What about gas mileage? How is the highway ride? And safety? The basic question is: Could a Jeep Wrangler make a good family vehicle?

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General Impressions:

Just by getting into the new Wrangler you’ll realize that it is far from your common modern SUV; it’s closer to being a tractor than anything else out there, even modern pickup trucks are soft and luxurious in comparison. Having said that, it’s a huge leap forward from the previous generations, but the Wrangler pedigree (or is it mutt-ness) still remains; the sitting position, the sounds of the doors, the shifter, the smell of the soft-top. If you close your eyes you may think you’re driving a ’97 TJ; not necessarily a good thing, but definitely not a bad thing for the Jeep faithful.

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The JK is enough quick off the line and actually goes quite smoothly until you get to about 80mph where the brick-like aerodynamics become obvious. Driving around town and on secondary suburban roads is fine, but highway vehicle this is not. At high speed you really need to keep looking far ahead and plan passing and lane changes way in advance. There just isn’t much confidence in emergency braking or sudden lanes changes and as long as you remain cognizant of that, you’ll be fine. The engine has enough power, all those people saying that it’s a minivan engine and crying for a V8 are nuts.

Seats are generally comfortable but lack support and the headrests are made of bricks. Proper Jeep driving position is left hand at 12-o-clock position and right hand on the shifter, which negates any use for armrests, which are crap too. Want to rest your left arm? Open the window and steer with right hand. Glove box is tiny, door pockets are tiny and low to the floor.  The center console was decent size, but overall there was a shortage of space for my array of keys/glasses/phones. Rear passengers have plenty of room in all areas and kid seats fit very well too. The trunk is big, kind of like a 2-door Wrangler with rear seats removed. In my test car the soft-top was in its factory default position but it would obviously be open space if it was removed.

The biggest improvement on the JK is its top, or tops. The hard-top has two huge, easily removable, front panels. Removing them on a nice spring or autumn day will give you the feeling of tow-down motoring without the hassle of it. The rear seats are still protected from sun and elements and there is very little wind buffing. The whole hard-top assembly is attached with three bolts on each side and two more at the top which go into the roll-bar, making it super-easy to remove (I was still too lazy). I did not play with the soft-top, but it seemed to fold neatly into the trunk area, like on a proper convertible car, as opposed to going around it. Both of these tops are far better than anything on older Wranglers, good job Jeep!

How I’d Order Mine:

If I were to buy my black Wrangler Unlimited, I would get the basic Sport version as I’d never really put all the Rubicon goodies to a good use. The must-have features are the two tops, A/C, power windows and door locks. I would get the basic stereo with satellite radio and skip the pricy factory nav/iPod control. Then, like the poser that I am, I would put on a two-inch lift and 35” mud-terrain tires, including the spare. With time and budget I would get some rock sliders, bumpers, and other goodies such as the ones on the Wranglers from the New York Auto Show. Ultimately, it would look like Jeep’s Overland Concept. Inside, aftermarket has solutions for all the miscellaneous interior shortcomings.

Conclusion:

So, to answer the original question, could Wrangler Unlimited make a good family vehicle? Well, yes, it could but not without sacrificing some comfort when compared to modern cross-overs, especially on long highway trips. Safety-wise, the Wrangler has bumpers unmatched by anything short of a half-ton truck which makes it good in low-speed accidents, but high speed accidents are anyone’s guess.

Having said that, it is easy to criticize the Wrangler. It’s a Jeep, and it takes certain kind of person to own one. For a family it makes as much sense as a 500-hp M5; it is a lifestyle vehicle for the outdoorsy kind. It is the ultimate four-door convertible and a true 4×4. You’ll love it and your kids will think that you’re much cooler than all the other parents.

Related links:

AEV, the ultimate Jeep upgrades; from thoughtfully over-engineered parts to engine swaps, these guys make the best Jeep stuff.

Quadratec, a place that has every single imaginable part and accessory you can imagine. Excellent customer support, reasonable prices, and quick shipping.

Jeepforum.com, an owner/enthusiast forum. Post your questions but expect biased answers. If you ask about tires they’ll have you lifting, reinforcing, and improving, but overall they’re a very knowledge bunch.