First road trip in the JL (quick report + pics)

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Are you on the 3.6 or 2.0T?

3.6 -- been really happy with it so far.

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[cosine]

great pics.

 

[AdamB]

Great pics and write up thanks for sharing!

 

[D90John]

TLDR; I went on a 1,200mi road trip and the Jeep was nearly flawless.

Background:
This JL is my first Wrangler after having owned a long list of VWs and Audis. I was ready for a Jeep two years ago, but decided the JL would be worth the wait. Finally picked up a 2-door last July and have been looking for reasons to drive it every chance I get. That said, it largely sits during the week and begs for weekend trips.

Since July, I’ve only added 950 total miles to the odometer. Last week, I went on a 1,200mi road trip from NorCal to Central Oregon and back. Here’s my quick report.

Positives:

• Gas mileage was way better than I anticipated; according to the onboard, I managed 23 to 25mpg with mostly 65mph highway driving.
• Overall driving comfort was really quite good; I added the Mtn Offroad dead pedal before leaving, but the seating position and seat quality left me feeling remarkably fresh after hundreds of miles between stops.
• Despite relatively loose steering feel, highway manners were generally great and with easy lane tracking and stability, rain or shine.
• The 8-speed auto was just fabulous; I’ve always driven manuals before the Jeep, and I’m completely sold on the quality of this auto.
• After having pulled out the rear seats before the trip, utility and storage was off-the-charts fantastic for such a small vehicle.

Not-so-Positives:

• The windshield is a bug magnet and collects debris like no other vehicle I’ve ever owned. Make sure you keep your wiper fluid full on those long trips!
• The updated iOS / CarPlay with Google Maps was great, but the default volume for navigation guidance is simply too loud.
• I picked up a couple small rock chips on the front of the rear fenders; seems like it’s just bound to happen with the front tires throwing things up and back.

All-in-all, I’m an even bigger fan of this JL after putting some solid road trip miles on her. I can’t wait for the next excursion!

Couple of pics below.

Jeep @ Tumalo Falls

Jeep on some random forest road

Crater Lake

Jeep @ Smith Rock

Tumalo Falls

Jeep @ Paulina

That looks to have been a good trip. I too just bought my JLUR diesel a couple months ago here in Oregon and was able to spend a week in central and eastern Oregon following some of the Oregon Outback Discovery route. We towed a small trailer with RTT and got an average of 24.7MPG during our adventure. I used to have a Land Rover Defender 90 for 18 years and this new Rubi is so much more of an off road vehicle that’s totally comfortable to drive. Thanks for sharing your adventure.

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