Best Wrangler for Long Road Trips

[Suffolklou]

A couple of people mentioned it, get a 2013 or newer, and get what you can afford. The 4 door is a lot heavier then your CJ. The 3.6L engine is way better than the 2012 and earlier 3.8. If you can afford a 2018 or newer JL then the 8 speed auto with the 3.6 is much better than the JK.

If you are going the manual transmission route, then they say the JL one is better. It has a taller first gear than the JK manual.

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[Tank the Jeep]

Which ever trim, get the diesel. I can get 30 mpg if I drive reasonable. Even in the lower trims you get the big axles and heavy duty transmission with the diesel. Plus when gas is scarce, diesel is usually available. This pix is from a recent vacation and includes driving on the beach and Memorial Day beach traffic.

 

[Strommen95]

By those years they were available with LED headlights (otherwise you can't really drive at night),

Wow, I never thought I'd see something as stupid as one of the trolls comparing Jeeps to people getting cancer but this is pretty close. You wrote this with a straight face?

 

[sherpaJL]

Wife and I just completed a 6477 mile x-country road trip over 17 days in our '19 JLUR.
No issues at all. In Nevada temps hit 117 degrees on I-15 and the AC struggled to keep the cabin cool. On two separate occasions we battled crosswinds on the interstate that tossed us around a bit. On I-70 Colorado and I-15 Utah. Temps and crosswinds aside, the JL handled great.

 

[Campbellsoutlaw]

I went with the Unlimited Rubicon, diesel with the soft top and am incredibly impressed with both the ride quality and mileage.

As a few had mentioned above, definitely test drive all trim models and see what feels good to you. Make sure you insist on taking it up to highway speeds.

Good luck!

 

[blnewt]

Also

I went with the Unlimited Rubicon, diesel with the soft top and am incredibly impressed with both the ride quality and mileage.

As a few had mentioned above, definitely test drive all trim models and see what feels good to you. Make sure you insist on taking it up to highway speeds.
Good luck!

For those that mentioned getting a Diesel, the OP mentioned that her budget was tight and those Diesels (which seem to be awesome btw) aren't very budget friendly from what I've seen

Also @MaggieGirl if you do happen to test drive a 2018 or newer Rubicon model it will have lower caster which will make it more prone to wandering off center at high speeds. If you test a 2018+ Sport or Sahara the caster will be in a better range which will help w/ highway driving.

 

[MaggieGirl]

Please let me repeat the original question. Which WRANGLER would be most comfortable on long trips? I don't want a Cherokee or anything else. Sometimes we just want what we want and that's okay.

P.S. The last two answers were very helpful, especially the last one. Thanks, blnewt!

 

[blnewt]

Wow, I never thought I'd see something as stupid as one of the trolls comparing Jeeps to people getting cancer but this is pretty close. You wrote this with a straight face?

On my 74 CJ5 had a headlight go out and made it home driving 100 miles on a dark winding road on a single filament burner, go figure

I added a couple KC Hilites soon after, lol

 

[MaggieGirl]

If you're doing a ton of highway driving I'm not sure what the point of using all terrains over all seasons is. They'll be noisier and wear out faster, no? I guess if you're planning to off-road with it sometimes anyway, it makes sense.

Good luck on your purchase, and I wish you many years of happiness!

I think all seasons tires is what was originally meant, but I'm not sure. I would definitely want all seasons. I'm a bit of a novice with the terminology, but general road/highway tires -- that's the idea. Thanks.

 

[MaggieGirl]

4 doors are better for ride comfort on the highway.

Hard top with a headliner is best for road noise abatement.

The 2007-2011 has the least desirable engine and automatic transmission. The engine is mediocre and the transmission has reliability problems.

2012 got a much better new V6 and new automatic.

2018 was the crossover year when the current generation JL came out. Lots of improvements overall but higher price. The JK (07-18) is still a decent Jeep.

Find a decent Jeep in your budget and enjoy. it.

This is great info. Thanks, grimmjeeper!

 

[MaggieGirl]

There is separate thread about long trips. I just have a JLU Sport but I've made a lot of long trips in it. In the past 14 months I've made 2 trips to Utah which is nearly 1000 miles each way and 4 trips to Colorado which is a little over 700 miles each way. My longest single day was from Moab to home, 975 miles.

txj2go - I'll look up that "long trips" thread. Thanks!

 

[MaggieGirl]

Took my JL on a 10hr road trip from NYC to SC... tough ride compared to my BMW X2 which I took last year. Hands down this is the best Wrangler ever...rides much better than my 2012 and 1995.

JeezAJeep - what year is the Wrangler you mentioned?

 

[Jeepeto]

Wife and I just completed a 6477 mile x-country road trip over 17 days in our '19 JLUR.
No issues at all. In Nevada temps hit 117 degrees on I-15 and the AC struggled to keep the cabin cool. On two separate occasions we battled crosswinds on the interstate that tossed us around a bit. On I-70 Colorado and I-15 Utah. Temps and crosswinds aside, the JL handled great.

You might try changing your cabin air filter. I thought my AC was crapping out after 7k miles on our 19 JL. Turns out the cabin air filter was just really dirty. I got a K&N cabin air filter (I wouldn't use one on the motor, but I think it's fine for the AC) and clean it every oil change. Since doing that the only time my AC has ever struggled to keep the cabin cool was off roading in moab during the heat wave this summer 114 degrees at 3 miles per hour, as soon as we hit highway it was able to freeze us out again.

 

[deserteagle56]

Please let me repeat the original question. Which WRANGLER would be most comfortable on long trips? I don't want a Cherokee or anything else. Sometimes we just want what we want and that's okay.

My apologies for bringing up the Grand Cherokee then. Just wanted to share that the perceived image of something may not be the same as the reality of living with it.

 

[MaggieGirl]

Maggie, I'd go take a JL for a nice test drive, if you can do that in both a 2 dr and a 4dr that would be a plus. It's just me, my wife & our dog and the 2dr is perfect IMO. We're older and tend to have to take regular breaks in our other vehicles to get out and stretch, but in the Jeep we regularly take 1000+ mile road trips and don't feel the fatigue at all.

And FWIW, the way vintage CJs have gone crazy in value, you might not have to shell out much cash for a 2018 if your CJ is in decent condition, just sayin!

blnewt - This is great info - thanks again! Yes, my CJ is in good condition, though the engine does smoke a little. It has a small engine - 151 (Iron Duke?), and it's a 4 speed manual, but with very little rust. Here's a photo. I'm going to miss it, but it's time to move on.

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