I have the recon and love it. I admit that this jeep (yet) is not my daily driver (my other older jeep is). The bells and whistles... it was take it or leave it, but I got an amazing deal. Will add a winch and some bigger tires later. No problem taking this to the office too. With Jeep owners, it is a mindset. Sure there are "more comfortable" rides out there (although the Sahara version is pretty smooth). But comparing a Jeep to a car or sedan's ride is apples and oranges.
Drunken sailor handling is the short wheel base 2 door wrangler that I felt driving in a 92 jeep my buddy had let me drive when it was new I bought a 4door Rubicon Recon it drives pretty straight and comfortable
I got the 4door Rubicon Recon it drives pretty straight with the longer wheel base I remember driving a early 90s 2door with a 4cyl it was tough to keep straight and was sluggish that my buddy bought brand new
"Of course there's the wave", you'd be surprised how many people own Jeeps and don't know about the wave. It should be mandatory for anyone purchasing a Jeep to be educated about the wave. 👍 Good review but $45k is a crazy amount of money for that thing especially since it's a 2 door. It is nicely optioned but that's more money than I could justify spending on anything with a Jeep badge except the Grand Cherokee SRT.
I feel like this will probably be the last generation of a real wrangler. Jeep knows how much sales they can get from the people who use these on the street. Wouldn't be surprised if they went unibody or changed the suspension on the JL for a better on road feel
Well, prepare to be surprised. The Wrangler will remain a Wrangler, as it should. Jeep/Chrysler/FCA know what they have, and that it CANNOT be messed with. No, it's not unibody. No, it's not independent suspension. No it's not some watered-down wannabe. The JL is every bit a Jeep as the original 1941 one was, and then some.
I'd need to be at least 6 pints of PBR deep before I'd feel comfortable as Steve's off-road wingman in this badass truck. 4 Pints out of 5, on account of highway manners
I agree and disagree with you about the Wrangler being a poor daily driver. As a dad with 3 kids, I have an unlimited with 3 car seats in the back, a car that is great in the snow and fun in the summer so it makes for a great short commute type car. In that sense it is one car that does it all. The jeep is however terrible on the highway and far from smooth.... but it gives a boss feel from the behind the wheel that makes it fun on the road as well as off-toad. I also own a 370z to get real driving in too - because like you said, it's far from an on street performer
TestDriveNow Reviews by Auto Critic Steve Hammes I own a jeep and I do drive it every day with three kids. But there is no arguing that steve's general point of there being far better and more practical daily drivers. That said, I wouldn't have it any other way. The Wrangler ticks all the boxes for me.
I agree with Leftist Smasher, I drive my Jeep daily and love it. It is a matter of preference. Just like my buddies who drive their trucks daily. "Normal" can be equated to "Boring" in some circles.
Hey jeepers ,❓Question please, I bought a jeep jk hard too 2018! Rubicon RECON ,It was in a car Actsedent ,there fault . And I'm trying very hard to understand ,What jeep I had ,They say the Rubicon recon 2017 was rolled over to 2018! for awhile ,I think this is true because my new one when bought at jeep place ,HAD the sticker on hood that didn't just say recon it had all the specs of the jeep in light Blk on Blk righting on it ,Some of these videos for 2018 Rubicon recon jk DO NOT HAVE THAT ,,So what else did the skimp on? Large metal plate protecting under side of jeep? And please if anyone knows the SIZE tires that came Standard on this model ,(with I was told All terrain tires) Ones with huge treads approx 2 in high and .1/2in apart ,Jeeps in shop they say needs new frame ,For it but sounds Rediculously cheap/low quality Ughh IF YR READING THIS PLS IF U CAN HELP ,Tire size!! ,2017Roll over thing I mentioned,AND , if there's a tire I could replace the ones I have though I love them ,I need more of a 1 step down from the ultimate ones I have but still need to climb and go through retention ponds , PS I LOV DRIVING IT ALL THE TIME ITS THE BEST VEHICLE IVE DROVE ,including a bmw 5.9 rag tip
In these days of 8 and 9 and would you believe 10 speed automatic transmissions, the Wrangler's 5 speed auto seems antiquated. The next generation Wrangler is crucial for Jeep; they need some modern safety features like a backup camera and blind spot detection, but keep its ethos as the ultimate off-road vehicle.
TestDriveNow Reviews by Auto Critic Steve Hammes You could get a backup camera in the current JK Wrangler, you have to add Mopar parts at the dealership.
maybe it was his honesty in that Land Cruiser video...sure, a different company, but he called out an ugly baby and was harsh on an $80k vehicle; and maybe, just maybe, Audi is afraid of the same...I hate the "if it's not 5/5 starts, it might as well be 0/5 stars" mentality by some auto makers (and the auto industry as a whole), just because the product is not a "100%" does not mean it is a bad product
Hey Steve. These are probably the best off road vehicles by far. However, I agree with you. For daily use, I would rather have a Cherokee or Grand Cherokee.
know it will never happen, but wished jeep would sell an inexpensive bare bones wrangler for those of us that just want a summer toy, no fancy tech, no top, no doors
cajunasian71 call me cheap then, in canada even the sport (lowest trim) cost too much imo for what it is, i'm talking about one sold with no doors/top/tech that would be a trim lower than the sport
elai314 nah. 23k is still expensive and I get where you are coming from. I do not see how they could lower the cost and I am sure some type of top and door configuration is required by law to sell any vehicle. What you do after purchase... well there are plenty of options. 😁
cajunasian71 good point, never thought about the law, just that I have a 93 yj, love it for the summer but it's falling apart so want a replacement, back then wranglers were cheap, inflation sucks
I know Wranglers aren't mpg champs, but why can't hard-core loyalists be on board w/modernization to keep the Wrangler viable in this eco minded world...in another (MINI) video, I heard car models can't be sold in CA w/o there being some sort of plugin/hybrid version...would that apply to Jeeps too, or just cars? I could see the Wrangler benefiting from a 6 or 7spd auto, just none of that 8/+spd nonsense...more gears, more ratios for better low speed performance while also doing better on the hwy...I hope Jeep (FCA) puts a ((2L-2.5L )turbo4 in the new JL, mounted up high of course for river fording and the like...
As a Jeep owner, I would like to see what they do about "modernizing" the Jeep (especially the diesel motor coming late 2018). Eco minded and Jeep owners, historically, are not like minded folks. BUT too many alterations to the Jeep body would result in any umpteen number of comparisons to current "SUVs" out there. Jeep is the leader in off-road capability, not a follower and should never become a "reconfigured" Suburu Outback for the sake of "modernizing".
Highest resale value of any SUV(you misinformed idiot), and excellent value on a spec by spec comparison (what offers more)? And it's astonishing how people who've never own or driven a Wrangler know what junk they are. so which parts of Wranglers should have broken down by 100k? I'll wait for your expert opinion.
It has almost the lowest reliability score possible by thousands of people who owned them as listed on consumer reports. It is on their "do not buy list" because of their poor reliability studies. Jeeps have been well known for their reliability problems well before they were owned by fiat. It was expected that the wrangler would get one of the all time lowest road tests as it is a 4x4, but what isn't necessary is the cheap plastics ,build quality, & rattles. It is true resale value is excellent, but that is not the same as true value - if your paying to get it fixed then its not a good value. do some research yourself.
Not a wrangler fan but I must say this one looks fantastic. But for 45K, the price is outrageous for a vehicle that only performs great off road and horrible on the street.
It's not 'horrible on the street' unless you've never driven one.Great visibility, incredible turn radius, solid German transmission, and especially with the optional 4.10 gearing, quite nimble. Not a hard ride at all.
I have driven one on the street and it was wondering all over the place. It was a 2 door pentasutar v6 stick also. One of the worst new cars I have driven. Not refined at all.
I love my Recon ! Drives fine on the street. I agree not for everyone. This vehicle is a dream compared to the '79 CJ 5 that was also a daily driver. My only complaint is lack of skids protecting the auto tranny and oil pan. I have not found any aftermarket ones that aren't without shortcomings. The most capable factory 4x4 by far , other than what I just mentioned.
I'm not even into Jeeps and I had fun on this shoot. Very capable!
Lara Hammes....... you know what they say about jeeps. The deeper you go the wilder it gets!!!!
Lara Hammes Glad you had fun with the Jeep. You also drove it like a pro.
Ok, well, I'll just trust you on that one, Steve and Kayla and I appreciate the props, Billy Sou!
I have the recon and love it. I admit that this jeep (yet) is not my daily driver (my other older jeep is). The bells and whistles... it was take it or leave it, but I got an amazing deal. Will add a winch and some bigger tires later. No problem taking this to the office too. With Jeep owners, it is a mindset. Sure there are "more comfortable" rides out there (although the Sahara version is pretty smooth). But comparing a Jeep to a car or sedan's ride is apples and oranges.
What a deal my 2 door was 49865 and it’s no mall crawler I use it . Great review.
I drive my Rubicon 10A to the office everyday!
Drunken sailor handling is the short wheel base 2 door wrangler that I felt driving in a 92 jeep my buddy had let me drive when it was new I bought a 4door Rubicon Recon it drives pretty straight and comfortable
Drunken sailor made me spit out my cheerios. This is why writers make the best RUclips car reviews.
Ha! Thanks.
I own a 2015 wrangler and it Definitely doesnt drive like a drunken sailor I think that's kinda rediculous
Love the jeeps..a big demand for them..i hope the refresh is worth it
I got the 4door Rubicon Recon it drives pretty straight with the longer wheel base I remember driving a early 90s 2door with a 4cyl it was tough to keep straight and was sluggish that my buddy bought brand new
Identical to mine. I love it!
I’d love to have that exact jeep
can't wait to test out the rubicon JL!
"Of course there's the wave", you'd be surprised how many people own Jeeps and don't know about the wave. It should be mandatory for anyone purchasing a Jeep to be educated about the wave. 👍 Good review but $45k is a crazy amount of money for that thing especially since it's a 2 door. It is nicely optioned but that's more money than I could justify spending on anything with a Jeep badge except the Grand Cherokee SRT.
Ryan Lange You have to count in the off road hard ware they added and visual mods both of which are plenty.
Just the beefed up axles alone are a $14,000 mod... but if you aren't going off-roading, don't bother with this vehicle
I feel like this will probably be the last generation of a real wrangler. Jeep knows how much sales they can get from the people who use these on the street. Wouldn't be surprised if they went unibody or changed the suspension on the JL for a better on road feel
Well, prepare to be surprised. The Wrangler will remain a Wrangler, as it should. Jeep/Chrysler/FCA know what they have, and that it CANNOT be messed with. No, it's not unibody. No, it's not independent suspension. No it's not some watered-down wannabe. The JL is every bit a Jeep as the original 1941 one was, and then some.
But too expensive for most to afford
I'd need to be at least 6 pints of PBR deep before I'd feel comfortable as Steve's off-road wingman in this badass truck.
4 Pints out of 5, on account of highway manners
I've only rolled one once!
Full or partial ejection?
Khu NoPie Neither. Luckily.
TWSS
Love mine.
I agree and disagree with you about the Wrangler being a poor daily driver. As a dad with 3 kids, I have an unlimited with 3 car seats in the back, a car that is great in the snow and fun in the summer so it makes for a great short commute type car. In that sense it is one car that does it all. The jeep is however terrible on the highway and far from smooth.... but it gives a boss feel from the behind the wheel that makes it fun on the road as well as off-toad. I also own a 370z to get real driving in too - because like you said, it's far from an on street performer
With an Unlimited I can see your point...far more usable as a family vehicle.
Sorry, why can't I daily drive my 2 door Rubicon (the way I do every day)? What makes it so terribly impractical?
Leftist Smasher Drive something "normal" and your eyes will be opened.
TestDriveNow Reviews by Auto Critic Steve Hammes I own a jeep and I do drive it every day with three kids. But there is no arguing that steve's general point of there being far better and more practical daily drivers. That said, I wouldn't have it any other way. The Wrangler ticks all the boxes for me.
I agree with Leftist Smasher, I drive my Jeep daily and love it. It is a matter of preference. Just like my buddies who drive their trucks daily. "Normal" can be equated to "Boring" in some circles.
awesome review 👍
Thanks!
Hey jeepers ,❓Question please, I bought a jeep jk hard too 2018! Rubicon RECON ,It was in a car Actsedent ,there fault . And I'm trying very hard to understand ,What jeep I had ,They say the Rubicon recon 2017 was rolled over to 2018! for awhile ,I think this is true because my new one when bought at jeep place ,HAD the sticker on hood that didn't just say recon it had all the specs of the jeep in light Blk on Blk righting on it ,Some of these videos for 2018 Rubicon recon jk DO NOT HAVE THAT ,,So what else did the skimp on? Large metal plate protecting under side of jeep? And please if anyone knows the SIZE tires that came Standard on this model ,(with I was told All terrain tires) Ones with huge treads approx 2 in high and .1/2in apart ,Jeeps in shop they say needs new frame ,For it but sounds Rediculously cheap/low quality Ughh IF YR READING THIS PLS IF U CAN HELP ,Tire size!! ,2017Roll over thing I mentioned,AND , if there's a tire I could replace the ones I have though I love them ,I need more of a 1 step down from the ultimate ones I have but still need to climb and go through retention ponds , PS I LOV DRIVING IT ALL THE TIME ITS THE BEST VEHICLE IVE DROVE ,including a bmw 5.9 rag tip
Video ends at 3:50
In these days of 8 and 9 and would you believe 10 speed automatic transmissions, the Wrangler's 5 speed auto seems antiquated. The next generation Wrangler is crucial for Jeep; they need some modern safety features like a backup camera and blind spot detection, but keep its ethos as the ultimate off-road vehicle.
Billy Sou Well said, Billy. That stuff is coming, for sure.
Billy Sou I second the backup camera. This has on-road and off-road benefits. Particularly if they let it be on when driving forward.
Billy Sou the back up Camera will be mandatory starting May 2018.
TestDriveNow Reviews by Auto Critic Steve Hammes
You could get a backup camera in the current JK Wrangler, you have to add Mopar parts at the dealership.
For sure!
could you please review the 2018 allroad?
Audi and I are having "relationship" issues. Hopefully, we'll get past them soon.
TestDriveNow Reviews by Auto Critic Steve Hammes Uh oh. Who pissed who off first 😜
maybe it was his honesty in that Land Cruiser video...sure, a different company, but he called out an ugly baby and was harsh on an $80k vehicle; and maybe, just maybe, Audi is afraid of the same...I hate the "if it's not 5/5 starts, it might as well be 0/5 stars" mentality by some auto makers (and the auto industry as a whole), just because the product is not a "100%" does not mean it is a bad product
TJC450 Still trying to figure that out.
K03sport They just don't like me very much. But I still get a few a year.
Hey Steve. These are probably the best off road vehicles by far. However, I agree with you. For daily use, I would rather have a Cherokee or Grand Cherokee.
lol that infotaiment system is that a joke? :D why dont ranglers have the uconnect like orther fca vehicles? :)
know it will never happen, but wished jeep would sell an inexpensive bare bones wrangler for those of us that just want a summer toy, no fancy tech, no top, no doors
They already have one...it is called the Sport. Not that expensive to replace softtop and door options.
cajunasian71 call me cheap then, in canada even the sport (lowest trim) cost too much imo for what it is, i'm talking about one sold with no doors/top/tech that would be a trim lower than the sport
elai314 nah. 23k is still expensive and I get where you are coming from. I do not see how they could lower the cost and I am sure some type of top and door configuration is required by law to sell any vehicle. What you do after purchase... well there are plenty of options. 😁
cajunasian71 good point, never thought about the law, just that I have a 93 yj, love it for the summer but it's falling apart so want a replacement, back then wranglers were cheap, inflation sucks
Get a Suzuki Samurai
dat half inch lift tho
People driving a Rubicon to the office every day 👀 4:23
Right!?
Looks gorgeous and desirable
I but mine for $22.000 rubicon hard rock 4 door
I know Wranglers aren't mpg champs, but why can't hard-core loyalists be on board w/modernization to keep the Wrangler viable in this eco minded world...in another (MINI) video, I heard car models can't be sold in CA w/o there being some sort of plugin/hybrid version...would that apply to Jeeps too, or just cars? I could see the Wrangler benefiting from a 6 or 7spd auto, just none of that 8/+spd nonsense...more gears, more ratios for better low speed performance while also doing better on the hwy...I hope Jeep (FCA) puts a ((2L-2.5L )turbo4 in the new JL, mounted up high of course for river fording and the like...
It is getting an 8-speed. A turbo 4, a diesel, and later, a mild hybrid version will be available.
As a Jeep owner, I would like to see what they do about "modernizing" the Jeep (especially the diesel motor coming late 2018). Eco minded and Jeep owners, historically, are not like minded folks. BUT too many alterations to the Jeep body would result in any umpteen number of comparisons to current "SUVs" out there. Jeep is the leader in off-road capability, not a follower and should never become a "reconfigured" Suburu Outback for the sake of "modernizing".
I still love jeeps even though its one of the worst value and least reliable cars made today.
Russ Hendrix
True, Russ. However, when it comes to resale value, Jeep Wranglers have higher resale values.
Highest resale value of any SUV(you misinformed idiot), and excellent value on a spec by spec comparison (what offers more)? And it's astonishing how people who've never own or driven a Wrangler know what junk they are. so which parts of Wranglers should have broken down by 100k? I'll wait for your expert opinion.
It has almost the lowest reliability score possible by thousands of people who owned them as listed on consumer reports. It is on their "do not buy list" because of their poor reliability studies. Jeeps have been well known for their reliability problems well before they were owned by fiat. It was expected that the wrangler would get one of the all time lowest road tests as it is a 4x4, but what isn't necessary is the cheap plastics ,build quality, & rattles. It is true resale value is excellent, but that is not the same as true value - if your paying to get it fixed then its not a good value. do some research yourself.
1/2” lift? Why? Laughable!
Not a wrangler fan but I must say this one looks fantastic. But for 45K, the price is outrageous for a vehicle that only performs great off road and horrible on the street.
It's not 'horrible on the street' unless you've never driven one.Great visibility, incredible turn radius, solid German transmission, and especially with the optional 4.10 gearing, quite nimble. Not a hard ride at all.
I have driven one on the street and it was wondering all over the place. It was a 2 door pentasutar v6 stick also. One of the worst new cars I have driven. Not refined at all.
Sorry, but I call BS. I have this jeep in the 2 door model and it rides great on the street.
I love my Recon ! Drives fine on the street. I agree not for everyone. This vehicle is a dream compared to the '79 CJ 5 that was also a daily driver. My only complaint is lack of skids protecting the auto tranny and oil pan. I have not found any aftermarket ones that aren't without shortcomings. The most capable factory 4x4 by far , other than what I just mentioned.