The people who build Jeeps are a little bit frustrated with the people who buy Jeeps. Apparently, the popular Wrangler is sold to tens of thousands of customers who have no intention whatsoever of using them to tackle the sorts of terrain they were built to conquer. As a result, Wrangler owners complain a lot. They complain about wind noise, and rattles, and squeaks, and a rough ride quality, and poor fuel economy, the end result being low quality and dependability scores when the inevitable customer satisfaction survey results are blasted to consumers through the media, which has a negative effect on all of the brand’s products, from the Grand Cherokee to the Compass.
This, however, seems to have no impact on Wrangler sales. It’s Jeep’s best selling model, leading the Grand Cherokee by 5,000 units at the end of October. Because the Wrangler is Jeep’s brand icon, the company is working to refine it, sanding and polishing the Wrangler’s rough edges in an effort to quell the grousing done by buyers who want the Jeep for the rugged image it projects without insulting the faithful buyers who really do have every intention of doing something stupid that will be seen by an audience of millions on You Tube.
The New and Improved Wrangler
Last year, Jeep thankfully dropped the axe on the Wrangler two-wheel-drive models, installed a new interior, took steps to reduce interior noise, expanded equipment availability, and launched a number of special-edition models. For 2012, Jeep debuts a powerful new V6 engine and new transmissions in the Wrangler. Naturally, folks in our Salt Lake City headquarters have provided complete coverage on the 2012 Wrangler having driven it in Oregon’s Tillamook forest (read Michael Waterman’s review) and Utah’s Wasatch Mountains (read Alex Callister’s review). But now it’s my turn, and I tackled Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Why the Wrangler Makes for a Great Urban Warrior
You might not think this is a big deal for any car, much less a Jeep. You would be mistaken. Wilshire is a major artery running west out of downtown Los Angeles and east into it, a popular bus route with utterly destroyed far right lanes. Old-growth trees heave Wilshire’s pavement, buses and heavy trucks rut Wilshire’s blacktop, and last year’s rainstorms have created enormous craters in Wilshire’s surface. And while parking against the curb is prohibited during rush hour so that the far right lane can be used for through traffic, nobody drives in it.
Except me. And my Sahara Tan Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon test vehicle.
The Wrangler, loaded with family after a Yo Gabba Gabba performance at Nokia Theatre, is westbound on Wilshire in that right lane, headed to BCD Tofu House in Koreatown, and it most certainly is Dancey Dance time. The Wrangler is utterly pummeling the crappy pavement into submission, and while my wife and kids are bouncing around as the Jeep jitterbugs on its heavy-duty, rock-crawling underpinnings, we are having a grand old time. Lesser vehicles chug along in traffic to my left, and except for a need to pass an occasional bus that is ingesting or disgorging passengers at the curb, I’m blazing an urban trail of my own.
The Wrangler Rubicon is brilliant in the city, impervious not only to Wilshire Boulevard but also curb rash, parking blocks, and other common hazards that thrash the wheels, tires, and lower bodywork of common machines. Add excellent outward visibility and the tendency for motorists and pedestrians to give the Jeep the right-of-way, and I would argue that the Wrangler is an equally useful tool in concrete canyons as those ringed by red rocks.
The Wrangler Also Makes for a Great Off-Roader
If you’re wondering, I did perform some actual off-roading on a hillside overlooking the coastal flatlands of Ventura County. And yes, the Wrangler Rubicon turned in an extraordinary performance even if the Unlimited’s added length makes it hard to complete three-point turns in tight quarters. But mainly I stuck to crumbling city streets and epically clogged freeways, just like most of the Wrangler’s buyers do.
Huge Improvement Over Previous Wranglers
Before I go further, I must admit that I haven’t driven a Wrangler since 2005. Until this Wrangler Unlimited arrived, my last experience with Jeep’s rugged drop-top was on a Hawaiian vacation to Maui where, quite frankly, I was tired of the thing after just three days. Therefore, my frame of reference pertains to the previous-generation Jeep, not the Wrangler of a couple of years ago.
Compared to that Hawaiian rental Jeep, this Wrangler Unlimited was an order of magnitude better: comfortable, quiet, and incredibly refined. Of course, the Rubicon’s knobby BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires whir loudly, but with the optional three-piece hardtop, you barely notice it from the cabin. And yes, when aiming the Wrangler Unlimited down the 405 freeway at 80 mph on the rare occasion that traffic is flowing at that velocity, wind noise is an issue. Around town, however, the Wrangler is quiet. Your results may vary with the standard soft top.
Daily Driving Aggravations
More aggravating in daily life than tire whir and wind roar is the Wrangler’s recirculating-ball steering, which is vague and lifeless on pavement. On L.A.’s freeways and city streets, where lanes have been slimmed down to create as many traffic lanes as possible, the Jeep’s inability to respond to fine-tuned steering inputs frequently heightens anxiety and injects adrenaline into your bloodstream. Another irritant is how the Wrangler’s doors need to be slammed shut every time, or they frequently fail to latch properly, and how they lack detents that will hold them open in parking lots, which makes getting the kids aboard more difficult. And when loading my three-year-old into her car seat, I bonked her head on the overhead sport bar’s speaker enclosure…more than once.
Despite Flaws, the Jeep Wrangler Rocks
Nevertheless, I want one. As a daily driver, I found the Rubicon to be comfortable enough, equipped with enough convenience features, and easy enough to drive. I even averaged 16.8 mpg during the week thanks to all the time spent driving on the highway. Also, as a long-time convertible owner, I loved cruising around California with the two roof panels over the front seats removed. Besides, living in an earthquake-prone area of the country it’s good to be prepared for disaster, and the idea of having a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon in which to transport my family out of the city when The Big One finally levels L.A. is overwhelmingly appealing.
Nothing waves the Red, White and Blue quite like a Jeep Wrangler, which can go just about anywhere and do just about anything. A Jeep Wrangler is all about optimism, reflecting a readiness for any challenge and an ability to tackle any obstacle while at the same time projecting a lifestyle of carefree fun what with its removable top and removable doors and fold-down windshield and rough-and-tumble personality. It’s an all-American icon of strength, a flexed bicep on wheels, beloved by young and old, men and women, rich and poor. You don’t buy a Wrangler because you need to. You buy a Wrangler because you want to. And, thanks to Jeep’s pricing structure, you buy a Wrangler because you can.
2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Photos Copyright 2011 Christian Wardlaw
Related posts:
- Review – The 2012 Jeep Wrangler is now a Jeep that People Will Understand
- First Drive – 2012 Jeep Wrangler Delivers Better Engine, Better Performance
- 2011 Jeep Wrangler Updated
- Lenny Kravitz Featured In New Jeep Ad Campaign
- First Drive – 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee Defies Laws of Physics
- Review – 2011 Honda Ridgeline is a Swiss Army Knife on Wheels
- Review – 2011 Jeep Patriot Gets Better With Age
- Review – 2011 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is a Pit Bull on Wheels
Tags: 2012 Jeep, 2012 Jeep Wrangler, 2012 Jeep Wrangler Review, 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Review, 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Review, 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Review, 2012 Wrangler, 2012 Wrangler Rubicon, 2012 Wrangler Unlimited, 2012 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, Jeep, off road, Rubicon, suv
The 2012 Jeep Wrangler comes in first among many for its strong resale value. After owning a Wrangler for 5 years you can still expect the vehicle to retain around 55 percent of its value.