Highway...

[BigHead]

Hello! I’m in the market for a vehicle and was curious how the JL performs on the highway by real users. I sometimes make a 500 mile trip each way every couple months or so. I like the Sahara model. Just curious to know about steering, handling, interior noise, as this will be a daily driver with 50% highway (I usually do 75-80...heavy foot lol). I’m currently in a 2017 Ram 1500 and have had an 2014 GC as well as a 2016 GC. I know some loss in manners is to be expected, interested to know how much? Thank you guys.

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[XTrooper]

Hello! I’m in the market for a vehicle and was curious how the JL performs on the highway by real users. I sometimes make a 500 mile trip each way every couple months or so. I like the Sahara model. Just curious to know about steering, handling, interior noise, as this will be a daily driver with 50% highway (I usually do 75-80...heavy foot lol). I’m currently in a 2017 Ram 1500 and have had an 2014 GC as well as a 2016 GC. I know some loss in manners is to be expected, interested to know how much? Thank you guys.

I made the switch from a 2016 Ram 1500 Laramie to my 2018 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara in June. There is a world of difference between the two. The Ram, as you know, is very refined and, to my mind, is really a luxury car disguised as a very competent pickup truck. Mine was a crew cab and the interior was absolutely huge. Ride and handling rivaled and exceeded many respected car models.
The Jeep Wrangler is a different animal altogether and after driving Ram 1500's for the past six-plus years (I had a 2013 Big Horn model before the 2016 I traded in), it took a little time for me to get used to driving something that much smaller. There is, naturally, a lot less storage space and legroom. If you are tall or have long legs, you may find yourself wishing the driver's seat went back just a little bit farther. I'm 5'10" and I have the seat all the way back. After driving the Rams for so long, I felt a little cramped at first but I actually have gotten used to it and don't even think about it anymore when driving. I'm not really cramped at all, it just seemed so when I first made the switch. Regarding the ride and handling, the ride is surprisingly good as is the handling. Again, don't expect to get the ride and handling of your Ram or you'll be disappointed, but both are good. The brakes, at least on mine, take a little more effort than the Ram's. The interior is not dead quiet like the Ram can be, but this has to be expected with a vehicle that has a three-piece fiberglass roof that is removable. Overall, I would say that the Wrangler is a little rough around the edges when compared to the Ram 1500, but that in itself doesn't make it a bad vehicle by any means. It is great fun to drive and I've grown completely accustomed to it after just 1400 miles behind its wheel. The removable roof panels are terrific to have in the summer, it looks great and has a definite coolness factor, it has pretty snappy acceleration and passing power (though it's not a 395hp Hemi V8), it uses regular gasoline and its gas mileage is significantly better than the Ram's. The bottom line is that I honestly love it now and would buy it again. Hope this helps.

 

[ChattVol]

I drive 25k miles/yr and switched from a 2015 accord auto v6 leather to a wrangler jlus manual cloth interior. It's been a big adjustment in comfort, gas mileage and noise level at 75mph.(obviously was expected) I'm averaging 21 mpg on hwy and 17 around town. The biggest change is getting used to the loose steering in the jlus on the highway which is a common complaint by alot of folks. At 75mph, my steering wheel turns 2-3" before my tires begin turning. I'm going to bring it to the dealer today and let them look at it. Getting used to more wind noise is the other thing I'm still adjusting to on the highway. All that said, I love my jeep and the pros outweigh the cons!

 

[XTrooper]

I drive 25k miles/yr and switched from a 2015 accord auto v6 leather to a wrangler jlus manual cloth interior. It's been a big adjustment in comfort, gas mileage and noise level at 75mph.(obviously was expected) I'm averaging 21 mpg on hwy and 17 around town. The biggest change is getting used to the loose steering in the jlus on the highway which is a common complaint by alot of folks. At 75mph, my steering wheel turns 2-3" before my tires begin turning. I'm going to bring it to the dealer today and let them look at it. Getting used to more wind noise is the other thing I'm still adjusting to on the highway. However, I still love my jeep and the pros outweigh the cons!

I had major issues with my steering initially. It was, in fact, downright dangerous at highway speeds, but the TSB re-configuration PCM flash completely cured all my Jeep's steering issues which included looseness at lower speeds and extreme stiffness at anything much over 55 mph. I've learned the cause of this was the fact that some 4-door models were flashed with the power steering calibrations for the 2-door model. Not good!

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