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Fsttanks

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Liked my two built up TJs, LOVED my built up 2013 JKU, want to love my 2020 JLUR but unfortunately not overly impressed with it.

JLUR all around driving characteristics both on and off road are good and mechanically on paper it is superior, but electronics wise it has been a nightmare for me and a fair number of other folks.

I 100% trusted my JKU even after 7 1/2 years and with 175,000 miles on it, but donā€™t trust my JLUR with 5,000 miles. Was planning to ā€œbuy outā€ my JLUR after its ā€œthree year test driveā€ (aka lease) like I did with my 13 JKU, but thatā€™s not going to happen at this point with all the problems it has had. I am so glad I leased it first vs having bought it.
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Thunderjet

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Pointless to debate. Two years after the JM appears it will be declared the best. In the auto industry you either improve or you die.
 

Elsinore73

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I daily drove my ā€˜98 TJ for 5 years, absolutely loved it. Is my favorite vehicle I have ever owned and I have ripped through a lot of cars and trucks. With that said I think the JL is the best wrangler to date. Couldnā€™t be happier with my JLUR. Also worth noting that I would likely still have my TJ if it wasnā€™t for the dreaded frame issue, as great as they are thatā€™s a pretty fatal flaw
 

Uhdinator

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Coming from a YJ, to a TJ Rubicon, to a Sport JL............I think the JL is the best and even a basic Sport is well equipped if you don't need the Rubicon option. (The 258 ci was a good power plant)

You appreciate the JL more when you have had jeeps for 30+ years and have some reference point. The JL doesn't have the big belly skid plate for the transfer case that the YJ and TJ have and the JL fenders can accommodate larger tires with much less modification are 2 big ones to me.

31x10.50x15's / recurved leaf springs
Jeep Wrangler JL Op-Ed: Is the JL the BEST JEEP WRANGLER EVER? IMG_5964 2


2.5" OME lift / 265's
Jeep Wrangler JL Op-Ed: Is the JL the BEST JEEP WRANGLER EVER? Steaked Mt (10).JPG


2" spacers / 305's
Jeep Wrangler JL Op-Ed: Is the JL the BEST JEEP WRANGLER EVER? IMG_5285.JPG
 
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aldo98229

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Pointless to debate. Two years after the JM appears it will be declared the best. In the auto industry you either improve or you die.
On the other hand, Wrangler got where it is today by doing its own thing, with little concern for the trends and the fads of the day.
Jeep Wrangler JL Op-Ed: Is the JL the BEST JEEP WRANGLER EVER? 1611274290726
 

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Spartan99

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They each have their ups and downs. Itā€™s really interesting seeing the TJ get so much love lately after all the years of them being trashed. They too had their fair share of problems.
 
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DanW

DanW

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Funny thing about the complex electronics. In the 80's and 90's, which gives away my age, I remember these "simple" vehicles going into the dealer or shops multiple times to try and correctly diagnose and fix mechanical issues and yes, sometimes electrical. You see, they had computers, too, and this may surprise you, but they were no more reliable than they are now. In fact, the advent of OBD II in the 90's transformed engine and PCM diagnosis.

I don't think I'd trade the JL and its combination of capabilities and comfort. And we haven't even talked about things like soft tops. The JL's soft top is light years ahead of any Jeep before it for ease of use and quietness. My JK and YJ soft tops flapped like a duck that just discovered the brush was a hunting blind. And no zippers on the JL!

That said, I still loved my YJ's flapping, noisy soft top and soft upper doors with zipper windows. There IS something special about that crude little beast of a machine. And I think the TJ was way ahead of the YJ on comfort, too.

Here's a fun fact. The average car in 1980, before many of you pups were even a dirty thought, had more computing power than the Saturn 5/Apollo spacecraft that took men to the moon. Think about that. Now imagine the computing power in your JL, even without that neat little smart phone hooked up to it.
 
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DanW

DanW

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My JKUā€™s soft top is quiet as a mouse. Maybe you didnā€™t out it on right?
I bet it isn't behind a truck! It isn't bad, and certainly better than the YJ. But it isn't as quiet and still as the twill premium top on the JL. Maybe your JK's top is the premium? Mine is an 08 and I'd be surprised if they didn't improve them in later years.

Nowadays I don't run the soft top on the JK. I run hard top full time with a Bestop Sunrider for Hard Top. I absolutely love it. But when I need full-on open air Jeeping, I drive the JL. Life is rough with two Jeeps. It makes for a hard decision every morning, deciding which to drive to work.
 

Spartan99

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Yes it is quiet as a mouse behind a truck as well. Itā€™s not the original one though. Itā€™s an OEM top from a later JKU and it has a few more pieces that make it substantially better. $300 brand new on CL. Mine is also a 2008. Do you still have the lifetime powertrain warranty? Edit: Whatā€™s funny about the comment about my top being quiet? Am I missing something?
 

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JohnT

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I love my JL, but I still argue the TJ is, hands down, the best Wrangler Jeep ever made.
having had a YJ, three TJs, a JK and a JL, my opinion is that they just keep getting better. I still have a TJ and absolutely love driving it off and on road. The JL is way better behaved both on and off road, but I still love the TJ. I also think that, same as, when I had my first TJ, the YJ seemed to be the favorite for aftermarket, the TJ soon caught up. Now the JK seems to be the choice for "builders" but I say give it a year or two and the JL will be the ultimate. They just keep getting better. Jeep Engineering needs to keep refining. JL may not be the best ever, but I would venture that it is the best so far. "Ever" is still happening. I say - just wait!
 
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DanW

DanW

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Yes it is quiet as a mouse behind a truck as well. Itā€™s not the original one though. Itā€™s an OEM top from a later JKU and it has a few more pieces that make it substantially better. $300 brand new on CL. Mine is also a 2008. Do you still have the lifetime powertrain warranty? Edit: Whatā€™s funny about the comment about my top being quiet? Am I missing something?
Sounds like they improved it. Mine is fine, but just noisier and flappier. You got a great deal on that top, too!

Yep, I've got the warranty and its been great. Got a new transmission at 116k just to cure a rattling noise and another minor issue. I was shocked. They even gave me a loaner while they did it.

Not sure what comment you are referring to about your top being quiet, unless you are talking to someone else?
 

Strommen95

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Every generation will be better than the former. The JL is the best Wrangler to date. I do believe the JK will be fondly remembered as the legacy model going forward though. The JK saved Chrysler, reinvigorated Jeep and brought the Wrangler to success never expected from a Wrangler. The JL largely is not much different then the JK in 2012, just refined/updated.
 

Lateapex

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Several years ago, before i owned my Jeep, my wife and I ran into a guy from the Cincinnati area driving a restored WW2 Jeep. It was a think of beauty!!!!!

Jeep Wrangler JL Op-Ed: Is the JL the BEST JEEP WRANGLER EVER? 1944 MB


Since you seem to like older Jeeps (BTW, nice photo of the Bantam BRC you posted earlier), here's a photo of my "other" Jeep, a 1944 MB. Minor mods including full roll cage, civilian top, wheels and tires, but drivetrain is completely stock; I might return it to GI condition someday.

...and to keep on thread; I think the JL is the best Jeep yet, due to it's combination of creature comforts and off-road capability...although years ago I had a V8 transplant CJ5 that was a whole lotta fun!
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