Interesting test drive with someone new to the JL

[pantheman75]

My brother-in-law is completely new to the JL... he hasn't read anything, talked to anybody, or been in the threads. He wanted to take one for a ride so I accompanied him to a dealership this weekend. He was completely blown away by the improvements... the smooth engine... the ride quality... the interior / exterior upgrades... and the stereo. The one thing that immediately turned him off in his words: "it keeps wandering all over the road... it's difficult to keep it pointed in the direction you want to go". I took a turn and would have to agree. The wandering steering issue is still out there and it's enough to keep me from buying yet too.

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[Blu bi Kong]

My brother-in-law is completely new to the JL... he hasn't read anything, talked to anybody, or been in the threads. He wanted to take one for a ride so I accompanied him to a dealership this weekend. He was completely blown away by the improvements... the smooth engine... the ride quality... the interior / exterior upgrades... and the stereo. The one thing that immediately turned him off in his words: "it keeps wandering all over the road... it's difficult to keep it pointed in the direction you want to go". I took a turn and would have to agree. The wandering steering issue is still out there and it's enough to keep me from buying yet too.

For myself I think it kind of depends on what it is being compared to.
I had a 1984 CJ 5, compared with that Jeep, it literally drives like a Ferrari!
That said, compare my 2018 Rubicon to almost any other modern SUV' built to be 'on road' 98% of the time and yes, it's 'on road' character is lacking. I bought mine to predominantly be an off road vehicle. With those parameters, this new Jeep is the perfect choice for me.

 

[danotje]

I’m new to the JL and the Wrangler, too. When I drove it the first couple of times, I noticed how much more attention I had to have to keep it tracking where I wanted to go, but I had read a lot about Jeeps and the JL. We bought a JLUR and are extremely happy we did.

Now that I’ve been driving it exclusively since October, I really don’t notice any wandering. In fact, when I drive our GC, I notice how twitchy it seems (it’s really not). With all the hype over the steering issues, I keep thinking maybe I’m missing something or we got a good one or we’re on the verge of having them, but so far so good. Even when I drove it 350 miles back through Denali, it tracked great.

What I think it mostly boils down to is it is different. There are legit problems out there, but I also think the learning curve is steep for just one or two drives. The “wandering” I noticed wasn’t active searching, but my driving experience causing me to over-correct. Now that I have the feel, I don’t notice anything, and I don’t think it’s a case of a boiling frog.

 

[timn1984]

My brother-in-law is completely new to the JL... he hasn't read anything, talked to anybody, or been in the threads. He wanted to take one for a ride so I accompanied him to a dealership this weekend. He was completely blown away by the improvements... the smooth engine... the ride quality... the interior / exterior upgrades... and the stereo. The one thing that immediately turned him off in his words: "it keeps wandering all over the road... it's difficult to keep it pointed in the direction you want to go". I took a turn and would have to agree. The wandering steering issue is still out there and it's enough to keep me from buying yet too.

I think it depends on the JL you are testing. Mine is a 2018 JLU Sahara, and I have not had any issues with wandering. It handles well and is a solid vehicle. No complaints here.

 

[Tex117]

I don’t feel like my Jl is wandering either. Coming from a JK, maybe I’m just used to it?

I don’t know, but mine feels solid

 

[GRAK]

Check the tires? A lot of them are way over inflated. I was all over the road too when I picked mine up. Had to stop at Autozone for a pressure gauge on way home! Much better with lower psi

 

[levichar]

I noticed that too during my test drive of a 2018 Moab. I didn't remember my 2007 Unlimited driving like that.
I didn't like it..but everything else outweighed it. My 2019 Rubicon should be arriving any day now.

 

[plex]

You will get used to this "slight to moderate wandering" after a while, providing you do not actually have a problem in the steering system.

It is the result of a combination of solid axle and electronic steering and low caster.

 

[Rhinebeck01]

My brother-in-law is completely new to the JL... he hasn't read anything, talked to anybody, or been in the threads. He wanted to take one for a ride so I accompanied him to a dealership this weekend. He was completely blown away by the improvements... the smooth engine... the ride quality... the interior / exterior upgrades... and the stereo. The one thing that immediately turned him off in his words: "it keeps wandering all over the road... it's difficult to keep it pointed in the direction you want to go". I took a turn and would have to agree. The wandering steering issue is still out there and it's enough to keep me from buying yet too.

You trolling again, @pantheman75 . Your trolling/posts, gets old after awhile.

Could it be the tires were just way over inflated on that test ride, JL...

 

[RussJeep1]

You trolling again, @pantheman75 . Your trolling/posts, gets old after awhile.

Could it be the tires were just way over inflated on that test ride, JL...

Perhaps poster @pantheman75--I simply don't know--is (somewhat) fixated on JL steering instability, or maybe finding "clouds" in the "silver lining" of the JL. But he's entitled to his opinions and I suspect them not written, at least from a cursory review of his posts, with intent (i.e. trolling) to upset others.

Paradoxically enough, falsely labelling people trolls, which may be the case here, is. It's commentary designed to upset, albeit with intent on quashing posters, whose thoughts we need not read nor respond to.

That said, @Rhinebeck01's comments on tire pressure are valid. Do you need to know how you can check the pressure from the rig's diagnostic screen?

 

[W5MQS]

My brother-in-law is completely new to the JL... he hasn't read anything, talked to anybody, or been in the threads. He wanted to take one for a ride so I accompanied him to a dealership this weekend. He was completely blown away by the improvements... the smooth engine... the ride quality... the interior / exterior upgrades... and the stereo. The one thing that immediately turned him off in his words: "it keeps wandering all over the road... it's difficult to keep it pointed in the direction you want to go". I took a turn and would have to agree. The wandering steering issue is still out there and it's enough to keep me from buying yet too.

I've never had the problem...UNLESS...there is too much air in the tires. I keep 36 lbs in each tire...and some say it's still too much but it works for my ride. With that said, I have a 2" Mopar lift and BFG KM2 35s on my 2018 JLUR and I can take my hands off the steering wheel at 75 mph and she tracks in a straight line...no wandering.

 

[millerjl]

I am running a stock JLU Rubicon. Adjusted the tires down to 36PSI and I drive 32 miles on the socal freeway to work each way, every day. I primarily steer with my left hand and a few fingers on the wheel. There is a little play in center, just like there is with every Jeep but otherwise, mine is great. My wife's new 2 door rubicon, same thing. I know some have had legit steering issues but not me.

 

[Jeep4Life0112]

Check the tires? A lot of them are way over inflated. I was all over the road too when I picked mine up. Had to stop at Autozone for a pressure gauge on way home! Much better with lower psi

This!

 

[Paluss]

I think it depends on the JL you are testing. Mine is a 2018 JLU Sahara, and I have not had any issues with wandering. It handles well and is a solid vehicle. No complaints here.

I agree, I test drove at least 5 JL's before I purchased mine and I did notice one JL that did "wander" a bit (not sure what tire pressures were) but the others were spot-on. But I also did what the OP did was to let my daughter drive the one I purchased to get an unbiased opinion. I also drove it for about 25 miles highway/backroads/traffic to get see how it felt.

I have always been a proponent of a long and thorough test-drive of several of the same vehicles before purchasing regardless of the make and model. People that have driven my JL comment on how smooth it rides and how well it handles for an SUV.

 

[MikeLewisMusic]

Tire pressure does play a significant role. My tires were inflated to a whopping 42 psi upon delivery from the dealer. It felt like the Jeep was on top of a beach ball, a real balancing act. Deflated to 32 psi when I got to a gas station (@#$% dealer couldn't even fill me up!), and it steered great after that. I'm now a few PSI below that, and it is even better. Haven't chalked it, so there maybe a bit more deflation needed, the test will tell.

For what it is worth, a much better drive and ride than any of my other Jeeps by far...and much tighter steering than a Tacoma 4 x 4 I sold a few years ago...compared to the JL Rubi, that thing was scary loose...

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