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Top things you DON'T like about the New JL Wrangler

Tyrantresister

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Overall I am very pleased with the new JL. Love the styling both inside and out (aside from a few below mentioned things) and a lot of the new features. However, there are a few things that do bug me about the new design, that I wish were different. I am mentioning below from largest concern to smallest, the things I like LEAST about the new Jeep Wrangler JL. Make sure to post your own lists below.

1.) Push Button Start / Stop

For me, this is the biggest contention. I hate electronic push button starts. I want an actual mechanical turn key. Also, I don't want to have to find another place to put my key ring with all my keys on it. I'd rather have it hang right in the ignition. Now I have to find a place to put it which takes up more space for something else. some push button start vehicles have a slot where you can still insert the key in to hold it (and the chain with all the other keys). I would have at least preferred that! Especially since it is a ridiculously large and over sized key. Seriously, the thing is huge and takes up way too much space in a pocket. I heard that the key was more normal size, and the slot in the cup holders was made for a smart phone, but they figured they could put the key in there too, so just made the key larger so it would fit in there better. WTF kind of logic is that? That's ignoring the end for the sake of the means!

The main problem with the push button start is the reliability concern. There are already two reports (that we know about) of people being stranded in their new JL because their electronic key fob / push button malfunctioned. If the electronic key fob gets wet or damaged (crushed, dirt, etc) you are stranded. You would not be stranded with a physical mechanical key and ignition. Why would I want something that compromises the reliability of my vehicle? Just because it is "new" or "cool" is not a legitimate reason to want something when it compromises your reliability.

2.) More Slanted Windshield
It's supposed to be a jeep and look like a jeep. I hate this slippery slope of "modernizing" or "homogonizing" the wrangler by rounding things and canting other things. It's supposed to be unarrowdynamic and boxy, that's the point! How much MPG are they really gaining by the more slanted windshield? Is it even half a MPG? If you want gas mileage, the wrangler isn't the vehicle for you! Luckily, on its own, the slope isn't super noticeable, however, if you have it next to a JK it really sticks out and doesn't look right.

3.) One Gallon Smaller Fuel Tank
With a longer and wider vehicle, you would think they could have at LEAST maintained the same size fuel tank. I have a JK unlimited now, and the 22.5 gallon tank is great! I want all the range I can get, even if they supposedly increased MPGs slightly. I could maybe forgive them reducing the tank capacity by half a gallon so it was 22 gallons even, but one full gallon less is too much!

4.) Lack of Mud Tires on the Rubicon
Come on, it's the RUBICON! The off road model! They should at least give you the option to choose off road / mud tires for it. Not that I hate the KO2s, but I'd really like to continue to see the Rubicon come with off road mud tires to pair with the off road vehicle that it is. Like I said, there should at LEAST be an option to pick mud tires as an option. They have different wheel options, why not tire options? Another attempt to homogenize the wrangler and make it cookie cutter.

5.) Return of the Push Button Automatic shifter
There is nothing like the smoothness and ease of the current JK's 5 speed automatic Mercedes transmission. You just throw it into whatever gear you want with a hand motion and it shifts in smooth as butter. I had the older auto transmission with the push button shift (like most autos), and it was noticable slower and clunkier to shift. Maybe this is minor, but I really thought the Mercedes tranny was a nice touch and much appreciated feature when throwing the wrangler into gear.

6.) Increased Length w/ NO Increased Trunk Space
They increased the length on the JL a couple of inches, and they put it to waste. They increased the leg room of the rear seat and didn't touch the trunk size / space? They must not understand wrangler people too well, esp the two door owners! It's a wrangler, not a luxury or a passenger vehicle. The rear seat room was fine as is. You would have been MUCH better increasing the TRUNK SPACE an inch than trying to make the wrangler a cookie cutter passenger vehicle by increasing leg room.

They should have increased the leg room in the front of the wrangler for the driver if anything as there are some tall / long legged people who do not fit in a wrangler well as it is. This would at least make a few more tall people able to comfortably drive a wrangler, and lead to more sales. How many more sales is the increased leg room in the back going to lead to?

I am actually shocked that they didn't even TRY to increase trunk storage on the 2 door JL at all, as that was a very lamented feature on the 2 door JKs. They should have done something to increase the space there at least!

7.) License plate on the rear bumper
I don't like the look of it, or the idea that if I actually have to use my bumper, my plate is going to get trashed. Not sure why the tail gate had to be widened as that wasn't really a feature requested by anybody? The wider tail lights still end up sticking out past the jeep, so you don't gain any clearance anyway.


Well, that's my basic list in order from biggest gripes to least. There are most likely a few small things that I didn't mention due to being basically inconsequential, or just not knowing about them. These are the major gripes I have with it as of right now though. The pros still greatly outweigh the cons though (esp on the Rubicon), so don't view this as a bash thread. Let me know what you think, and post your own lists below.
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Muddog

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Is it just me, or does anyone else not like the look of the plastic around wheel well and beneath the LED lights on front fender and rear fenders? Looks cheap to me. I’m going to try and paint it to match the body.

What are your thoughts?
 

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I noticed the 7slot grill is missing from behind the rear view mirror and the little rock crawler jeep is missing from the lower passenger side windscreen corner. i love these little icons. not sure why they are missing on the JL????
 

simpleJL

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1.) Push Button Start / Stop
For me, this is the biggest contention. I hate electronic push button starts. I want an actual mechanical turn key. Also, I don't want to have to find another place to put my key ring with all my keys on it. I'd rather have it hang right in the ignition. Now I have to find a place to put it which takes up more space for something else. some push button start vehicles have a slot where you can still insert the key in to hold it (and the chain with all the other keys). I would have at least preferred that!
1) Do you still use a rotary phone at home and have a cell phone the size of a briefcase? Just curious.

And what the hell is wrong with leaving the key in your pocket. Ya know, where it was before you got in the car? And incidentally where it will go when you get out of the car?
 

RonH

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1.) Push Button Start / Stop
For me, this is the biggest contention. I hate electronic push button starts. I want an actual mechanical turn key. Also, I don't want to have to find another place to put my key ring with all my keys on it. I'd rather have it hang right in the ignition. Now I have to find a place to put it which takes up more space for something else. some push button start vehicles have a slot where you can still insert the key in to hold it (and the chain with all the other keys). I would have at least preferred that!

2.) More Slanted Windshield
It's supposed to be a jeep and look like a jeep. I hate this slippery slope of "modernizing" or "homogonizing" the wrangler by rounding things and canting other things. It's supposed to be unarrowdynamic and boxy, that's the point! How much MPG are they really gaining by the more slanted windshield? Is it even half a MPG? If you want gas mileage, the wrangler isn't the vehicle for you! Luckily, on its own, the slope isn't super noticeable, however, if you have it next to a JK it really sticks out and doesn't look right.
And, these are two of the biggest selling points, IMO. I personally like 'em both...
 

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Spank

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4.) Lack of Mud Tires on the Rubicon
Come on, it's the RUBICON! The off road model! They should at least give you the option to choose off road / mud tires for it. Not that I hate the KO2s, but I'd really like to continue to see the Rubicon come with off road mud tires to pair with the off road vehicle that it is. Like I said, there should at LEAST be an option to pick mud tires as an option. They have different wheel options, why not tire options? Another attempt to homogenize the wrangler and make it cookie cutter.
Have you wheeled with a set of KO2s? They're fantastic off-road, even in mud. As excellent as KM and KM2s are for rock crawling and mudding, they're useless in rain and snow. The KO2 is significantly better for poor weather conditions on-road that, quite frankly, most Rubicons will spend the majority of their time on.

I'm not dogging on MTs by any means, but for a general purpose tire that works well both on and off-road, the KO2 is really the way to go.
 

Wolfslash16

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I personally hate how Jeep is trying to upsell us to a Sahara/Rubicon. The Sport comes with downgraded fenders, wheels, grills, lights, interior tech and seats.
Agree 100% here.

For me, it's the grille. I know plenty of people prefer the JL's over the JK, but at least the Jk has the turn signal lights in the right spot. I mean how hard is it to put them in the correct spot? It would look just like this.

cn017-006jp-2.jpg
 

simpleJL

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Agree 100% here.

For me, it's the grille. I know plenty of people prefer the JL's over the JK, but at least the Jk has the turn signal lights in the right spot. I mean how hard is it to put them in the correct spot? It would look just like this.

cn017-006jp-2.jpg
It likely wouldn't be hard to have the grill cut and insert some turn signals there, yeah?

I may consider that - as I am definitely going with some aftermarket thin fenders.
 

Rockmaninoff

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1) Do you still use a rotary phone at home and have a cell phone the size of a briefcase? Just curious.

And what the hell is wrong with leaving the key in your pocket. Ya know, where it was before you got in the car? And incidentally where it will go when you get out of the car?
One could ask why you didn't stay in the Prius you drove to the Jeep dealership. The Wrangler has "since 1941" written all over it and some of those old things we can't have now due to regulations but last time I checked, a turn-key ignition isn't something that'll get you in trouble.
 

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simpleJL

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One could ask why you didn't stay in the Prius you drove to the Jeep dealership. The Wrangler has "since 1941" written all over it and some of those old things we can't have now due to regulations but last time I checked, a turn-key ignition isn't something that'll get you in trouble.
This phone is literally from 1941.

upload_2018-1-16_23-32-6.png
 

Rockmaninoff

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1.) Push Button Start / Stop

2.) More Slanted Windshield

3.) One Gallon Smaller Fuel Tank

6.) Increased Length w/ NO Increased Trunk Space

Let me know what you think, and post your own lists below.
You've read my mind on these. Couldn't agree more.

And let me add:

A. Absolute lack of any promise of a V8 engine option sets it back against next gen premium off roaders. Jeep completely gave in on the battle they started on making the Wrangler more luxurious and suitable for the road.

B. Pentastar is more complicated now.

C. No proper convertible auto soft-top. The sliding top doesn't give the same open air feeling like putting the manual top down.

D. The slide to remove rear soft panel. In the JK, you can leave it just unzipped (falling inward) to quickly zip back up. Now it has to be pulled all the way out and it takes quite a lot of space to the side as well. Not possible if you're parked in a tight space either.

E. The overhead speaker box looks bigger than ever reducing openness.

F. The overhead metal bar that runs across loos awkward. Two people can sit on it on the JK but doesn't seem to be possible on the JL.

G. Still too darned heavy. What they lost, they put back in terms of other junk. Meanwhile, next gen off-roaders from others are losing much more weight.
 

FCrackerJLRubi

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Agree 100% here.

For me, it's the grille. I know plenty of people prefer the JL's over the JK, but at least the Jk has the turn signal lights in the right spot. I mean how hard is it to put them in the correct spot? It would look just like this.

cn017-006jp-2.jpg
I am sure aftermarket will provide this option. I kind of like how they paid tribute to the TJ with putting the lights back on the fender. Although based on their press releases and all the talk of how a CJ was the inspiration....it kind of surprised me that they weren't below the headlights. I guess it really means more towards them trying to make that even more subtle changes to stand it apart from the JK and still maintain the roots. (Even if they are TJ roots and not CJ!)
 

JLWF Dealer Guy

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Overall I am very pleased with the new JL. Love the styling both inside and out (aside from a few below mentioned things) and a lot of the new features. However, there are a few things that do bug me about the new design, that I wish were different. I am mentioning below from largest concern to smallest, the things I like LEAST about the new Jeep Wrangler JL. Make sure to post your own lists below.

1.) Push Button Start / Stop

For me, this is the biggest contention. I hate electronic push button starts. I want an actual mechanical turn key. Also, I don't want to have to find another place to put my key ring with all my keys on it. I'd rather have it hang right in the ignition. Now I have to find a place to put it which takes up more space for something else. some push button start vehicles have a slot where you can still insert the key in to hold it (and the chain with all the other keys). I would have at least preferred that!

2.) More Slanted Windshield
It's supposed to be a jeep and look like a jeep. I hate this slippery slope of "modernizing" or "homogonizing" the wrangler by rounding things and canting other things. It's supposed to be unarrowdynamic and boxy, that's the point! How much MPG are they really gaining by the more slanted windshield? Is it even half a MPG? If you want gas mileage, the wrangler isn't the vehicle for you! Luckily, on its own, the slope isn't super noticeable, however, if you have it next to a JK it really sticks out and doesn't look right.

3.) One Gallon Smaller Fuel Tank
With a longer and wider vehicle, you would think they could have at LEAST maintained the same size fuel tank. I have a JK unlimited now, and the 22.5 gallon tank is great! I want all the range I can get, even if they supposedly increased MPGs slightly. I could maybe forgive them reducing the tank capacity by half a gallon so it was 22 gallons even, but one full gallon less is too much!

4.) Lack of Mud Tires on the Rubicon
Come on, it's the RUBICON! The off road model! They should at least give you the option to choose off road / mud tires for it. Not that I hate the KO2s, but I'd really like to continue to see the Rubicon come with off road mud tires to pair with the off road vehicle that it is. Like I said, there should at LEAST be an option to pick mud tires as an option. They have different wheel options, why not tire options? Another attempt to homogenize the wrangler and make it cookie cutter.

5.) Return of the Push Button Automatic shifter
There is nothing like the smoothness and ease of the current JK's 5 speed automatic Mercedes transmission. You just throw it into whatever gear you want with a hand motion and it shifts in smooth as butter. I had the older auto transmission with the push button shift (like most autos), and it was noticable slower and clunkier to shift. Maybe this is minor, but I really thought the Mercedes tranny was a nice touch and much appreciated feature when throwing the wrangler into gear.

6.) Increased Length w/ NO Increased Trunk Space
They increased the length on the JL a couple of inches, and they put it to waste. They increased the leg room of the rear seat and didn't touch the trunk size / space? They must not understand wrangler people too well, esp the two door owners! It's a wrangler, not a luxury or a passenger vehicle. The rear seat room was fine as is. You would have been MUCH better increasing the TRUNK SPACE an inch than trying to make the wrangler a cookie cutter passenger vehicle by increasing leg room.

I am actually shocked that they didn't even TRY to increase trunk storage on the 2 door JL at all, as that was a very lamented feature on the 2 door JKs. They should have done something to increase the space there at least!

7.) License plate on the rear bumper
I don't like the look of it, or the idea that if I actually have to use my bumper, my plate is going to get trashed. Not sure why the tail gate had to be widened as that wasn't really a feature requested by anybody? The wider tail lights still end up sticking out past the jeep, so you don't gain any clearance anyway.


Well, that's my basic list in order from biggest gripes to least. There are most likely a few small things that I didn't mention due to being basically inconsequential, or just not knowing about them. These are the major gripes I have with it as of right now though. The pros still greatly outweigh the cons though (esp on the Rubicon), so don't view this as a bash thread. Let me know what you think, and post your own lists below.
:facepalm: I guess I’ll never get back those 2 minutes.
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