This is no ordinary Jeep Rubicon but one fitted with a bunch of Mopar extras. It’s got monster truck tires, a jacked-up suspension and a ton of auxiliary lights. Sadly, though, it doesn’t have those angry eye headlights. (Seriously, Mopar, get with the program.)
You can find a list of the available Mopar parts in their catalog.
Our tester–hey, does that Jeep on the cover of the catalog look familiar?–had just about everything, from the Fox suspension kit and bead-lock wheels to the skeletonized doors and all the lights. Fortunately it also had the grab handles. It also sported a winch.
This one started as a fully loaded Rubicon–just shy of $50,000–plus all the Mopar accessories.
I’ve driven a lot of previous-generation JK Wranglers, and every time I came away with the same impression: They’re stupid-capable off-road, and pretty miserable on the street. Two-door versions have too short of a wheelbase (and too little interior room) for my liking, while the four-door models have more room and more wheelbase to ease the worst of the Jeep driving manners–I love them.
Then this updated JL Wrangler showed up, and I just had to try it. Sure, it was the two-door model–meaning I’d probably have a white-knuckle ride–but who could ever argue it doesn’t look damn cool with all those accessories? This Jeep came wearing thousands of dollars in Mopar parts, and I was psyched to see if the factory-engineered pieces (specifically that suspension lift) were really better than the aftermarket options. They definitely added curb appeal–I had three people stop me to compliment it: “Sick Jeep man!"
Then I drove it. Let me start with a petty gripe: FCA quality. Either a Gorilla borrowed this thing last, I’m too stupid to work a seat, or Jeep just chose a faulty design, but either way the levers to tilt the front seats forward did nothing and offered no resistance when pulled. Three of us tried to work the seats, and three of us concluded they were broken. So getting into the rear seat meant crawling over the center console. I guess it’s just a Jeep thing–this did have 10,000 miles on it, after all. Other than the broken seats, the interior was nice. I liked the giant knobs, clearly meant to be operated by mud-soaked, gloved hands. I never had an issue turning up the stereo on my way to the mall. I’d complain about the noisy mud tires or the rough exhaust note or the soft top that made the A/C ineffective, but it’s a Jeep thing, and anybody buying this already knows about those parts.
What I will complain about in earnest, though, is the pavement driving experience. It’s not just bad. It’s not just Jeep bad. It’s dangerous. This thing has all the refinement and composure of a backyard-built XJ Cherokee lifted with sewer pipe. I have no idea how it hadn’t been crashed by other reviewers before it arrived at our office. Bumps are like little launchpads that randomly shoot the Jeep into other lanes, while steering input is never more than meek advice to the wheels that may be taken or ignored at random. I’m sure the stock-height JL drives just as well as any other Jeep, but this one definitely didn’t.
But hey, at least the valet complimented it as my friends army-crawled out from the back seat for our brunch reservation.
Call this the off-road version of a modified Civic Type R, Porsche GT3 or Corvette ZL1, and it starts to make sense. It’s an extreme vehicle for extreme use–in this case, extreme off-road stuff. Or hardparking.
And I totally respect that. I’m cool with sacrificing comfort for performance. This is coming from a guy who has dailied on race-valved shocks and R-compound tires. I appreciate a SuperTrapp.
This Jeep, though, trades all of its civility for that off-road capability. Either you’re cool with that or you’re not. There's no middle ground here. It makes a heck of a fashion statement; just be aware that there’s a cost to pay.
On pavement it’s soft, squishy and unstable. Potholes on the interstate send it bouncing to the right–and then back to the left. Common questions going through my head while driving this one: Will we stop in time should there be an emergency? What if we have to swerve quickly? It’s like walking in snowshoes which, I guess, it is.
If I lived on a boulder, yes, this would make sense. But most of us don’t. Or I don’t. I used to take our AE86 off-road and I survived, so maybe Florida is just too tame.
And then the interior feels a little cheap. If I’m making payments on a $50,000 vehicle, personally, I’d like a turn signal stalk that has just a little substance to it. And ditto the radio knobs.
The big thing here, though, is to show us that Mopar offers a ton of factory-developed hardware for their golden child. That alone, yes, is way cool, even if doesn’t tickle my personal fancy.
That's unfortunate to hear about the optional suspension. Jeep shouldn't need to make it sketchy to drive on pavement in order for it to be good offroad. The Old Man Emu lift on my 4runner didn't make the on-road handling worse; it just rode a little stiffer. I know I'm comparing IFS to a solid axle, but my IFS debuted in 1996. I'd expect OEMs to have made great strides in the following 23 years.
I test drove a 4dr JL. It drove and rode worse than the 97 ZJ that was the reason I was at the dealer in the first place. And that was at stock height.
Perfect for fording the water left on the pavement from the sprinklers by the Starbucks drive thru. I find the "off road" community hilarious. One of my best friends has a series 80 Landcruiser that's all kitted out for off roading. Big bumpers, suspension, big wheels, roof rack, etc, etc. Thousands of dollars, hundreds and hundreds of lbs added to the truck. Never takes it offroad. He recently bought a Toyota Tundra, lifted, big wheels, etc. Yup, never goes offroad.
Stock these things will go practically anywhere and definitely go places fine where 99% of the people will take them. All people do with this stuff is ruin the vehicle for how they're gonna be using it most of the time.
docwyte said:Perfect for fording the water left on the pavement from the sprinklers by the Starbucks drive thru. I find the "off road" community hilarious. One of my best friends has a series 80 Landcruiser that's all kitted out for off roading. Big bumpers, suspension, big wheels, roof rack, etc, etc. Thousands of dollars, hundreds and hundreds of lbs added to the truck. Never takes it offroad. He recently bought a Toyota Tundra, lifted, big wheels, etc. Yup, never goes offroad.
Stock these things will go practically anywhere and definitely go places fine where 99% of the people will take them. All people do with this stuff is ruin the vehicle for how they're gonna be using it most of the time.
I agree, but the same could be said for the sports car crowd. 99% will never see a track yet people put on wider wheels/tires, lower the suspension (often ruining the ride), modify the engine, etc. Stock these vehicles are way more capable than the driver for most folks.
I get the visual appeal, but I hate the way Jeeps ride. Any idea how the new Gladiator compares?
$50K?
Financed for 84 months?
nope..
bag of nope
super nope.
In reply to docwyte :
I agree. Stock with just a small recovery bag, I take our xterra all over the place. I laugh at some of the other vehicles I see. At least in the springs I see more off road used vehicles than Denver.
docwyte said:Perfect for fording the water left on the pavement from the sprinklers by the Starbucks drive thru. I find the "off road" community hilarious. One of my best friends has a series 80 Landcruiser that's all kitted out for off roading. Big bumpers, suspension, big wheels, roof rack, etc, etc. Thousands of dollars, hundreds and hundreds of lbs added to the truck. Never takes it offroad. He recently bought a Toyota Tundra, lifted, big wheels, etc. Yup, never goes offroad.
Stock these things will go practically anywhere and definitely go places fine where 99% of the people will take them. All people do with this stuff is ruin the vehicle for how they're gonna be using it most of the time.
I used to view modified Jeeps as poseurs for the same reasons you state here.
Then I moved near Moab, and started wheeling in Moab. Now I consider anyone with a stock Jeep to be a poseur, because they obviously don't take it offroad. Sure, you can take a stock rig offroad - but then you'll want to go further. And that means bigger tires and stronger axles and taller springs and lockers and bumpers with more clearance, etc.
It's a shame GRM didn't really test this thing, but there's not much you can do in Florida that involves real rocks so it's not the right venue. It's like having someone road test the latest super-911 variant in the middle of NYC.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Yeah, I have to drive to North Carolina to find any real rocks to play with. All we have around here are a few off-road parks with concrete piles.
I strongly dislike the angry eyes anyway.
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