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Hi guys! New member with a JL for a test drive over the weekend

rallydefault

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Hi guys.

I just posted a question specifically about leasing vs. buying in the other forum, but I also wanted to post a more general thread here for people who have questions.

My area in PA has always been huge for Jeeps, and my dealership has 4 JLs on their lot right now. They just gave me a red 4-door JL Sport Unlimited to test drive for the rest of the weekend, and I'd be happy to answer any questions people might still have.

I've owned the redesigned Cherokee (not a fan) and Renegade (definitely a nice little car), but I've always wanted a Wrangler. We get LOTS of snow where I am located, and we do have tons of offroad trails that I've taken my Renegade on and will take a Wrangler on. The offroad situations I'm usually in tend to be mild, though - no crazy rock crawling or anything but moreso mud and hills.

Anyway, that's my background and mindset, and so far I really love this Wrangler. I love the automatic gear shifting in this way more than the sometimes jittery shifting of the Renegade's 9-speed. Taking the front roof panels off (it's the hardtop) was really, really cool and SO easy, maybe like 1 minute and done. The one they gave me does have heated seats even though they are only cloth, so that was a nice bonus. The Uconnect screen is the tiny 3.5 incher, but I hate all these infotainment systems and usually just turn them off anyway.

The ride is, comparable to previous Wranglers, wicked smooth. I never owned a Wrangler before, but a lot of my friends did, and the ride is just night and day. I could see myself taking this down the highway for hundreds of miles whereas I would have dreaded such a trip 10 years ago.

I will say about the audio: this Wrangler just has the stock speakers, but unless you're going highway speeds, I don't think they're that bad. I love music but I'm not audiophile, but the stock speakers seem ok for now. I know a lot of people are saying they're not good at all. I wouldn't call them great, but I wouldn't call them bad. When I hit about 70 mph coming home today, the speaker sound was pretty drowned out around "10" on the Uconnect screen (this is with a hardtop) - I just cranked it to 20ish and everything was fine. Again - I'm not super picky, but for others like me, I think it would be fine.
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Schmeegz

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Are you somewhere between Erie and Pitt by chance? I was just in Pitt and there were jeeps EVERYWHERE! and like here in Buffalo I know Erie PA gets its fair share of snow.

Good write up btw
 

RussJeep1

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You're heart's in the right place to share, as much that much that you have shared is known by the more tenured members here. Perhaps no worse a question to ask is if you have questions for us; questions others might also have and can learn from when answered.
 
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ThirtyOne

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Welcome and thanks. Can you give us specs on your test drive?

Auto or manual? Hard or soft top? ASD or not?
 
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rallydefault

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Are you somewhere between Erie and Pitt by chance? I was just in Pitt and there were jeeps EVERYWHERE! and like here in Buffalo I know Erie PA gets its fair share of snow.

Good write up btw
No, actually on the other side of the state. 2ish hours northwest of Philly. Growing up in this area, EVERYBODY owns a Wrangler at some point lol I would honestly guesstimate they are the most popular vehicle on our local roads, and the offroading opportunities are really nice. Our local Jeep dealer is HUGE, but because of their popularity they also have a reputation for not budging much on prices and stuff for Jeeps.

Welcome and thanks. Can you give us specs on your test drive?

Auto or manual? Hard or soft top? ASD or not?
Sure - it's the automatic with the hard top. I haven't seen any JLs with the soft top yet. A lot of people don't like the soft tops around here because of security issues: my wife's borther had his old Jeep broken into by someone just slashing his soft top open and crawling inside. The hard top is REALLY easy to take off in the front, but the back does seem like a hassle, and if you get caught in the rain on a trip, you're not gonna have that piece with you to put it back on. If I end up keeping it, I'm going to look into buying a soft top for the summer months.
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