Potential New owner question on Wrangler highway ability.

[Windshieldfarmer]

You are asking a bunch of fanboys what we think of our Jeep’s on long trips. If I am strictly driving interstate and highways, my wife’s Ford Edge is much nicer, quieter, and easier to drive. If camping and off-roading is part of the plan, the Jeep is my only choice. IMHO the biggest drawback to driving the Jeep on the highway occurs during windy days…it does blow around some. Gas mileage is also poor at high speeds. I have KO2s on 35s with 12,000 miles…they are fairly quiet. I have the 2.0 engine…plenty if power at high speeds.

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[BDinTX]

As refined as the new Jeeps are, they are out performed in probably every category but off-road capability.

That said, they are good enough in those categories that it doesn’t bother me and I LOVE our Jeep. It makes my wife and I happy just driving around in it and we take it on trails whenever we can get away. Unfortunately that’s not as often as we’d like.

They have been referred to as “therapy devices” for a reason.

 

[imperial4ever]

Like a lot of people, we've been looking a new Wranglers. Wow.... what a crazy market we are in. My question stems from the intended use of the purchase. We are looking at the sky one touch roof as a must have. Other than that, we are open.
My question is this. We would be potentially using this Wrangler Unlimited for 4-6k miles of vacation highway use a year. I have two boys 8 and 11. How highway capable is the Wrangler now days? I'm assuming a Sport or Sahara are the two more road friendly models. Any advise is welcome.

What vehicle do you currently drive. Depending on what you currently own, you may be in for quite a surprise and not in a good way. Passengers bitched about my TJ (remember on 2 doors) with the soft top all the time on and off the freeway and my response is,.......... if you want a vehicle that drives and rides like a Cadillac, buy a Cadillac.

 

[ResGuy68]

Wife ran a 2017 JKU as a commuter vehicle for 3 years.

Road handling was perfectly fine. Never felt unsafe. Fuel mileage is what it is.

The sound. Oh the sound. She needs to take a lot of work calls and the high ambient noise while on the highway made that very difficult. This would be my biggest concern when thinking about you and your kids. It can be difficult to carry on extended conversations in the jeep.

We'll be trading in the Jeep for a new JLURD, so we obviously like it enough to continue. However, we'll be running soundproofing whenever possible (i.e. hardtop, hothead headliner, sound strips on roof and floors, etc.).

 

[Jamrock]

Jeeps are primarily off road vehicles. This is how they have been designed. They will never drive as well as an Audi or Toyota on the highway.

It would be a good idea to rent one and test it out before you purchase.

 

[Racer X]

Thank you everyone for your input.
We know what we are getting into for the most part. The Jeep will be replacing a minivan, but we are not expecting it to ride as smoothly or as quietly. As I mentioned we have been looking at some lifted JLs with 35s... but really leaning towards stock ones.

 

[aldo98229]

I own a 2018 Sahara with the Mopar lift and 35-inch All-Terrains. It drives perfectly fine on the highway. The steering does need a lot of correction, but you get used to it.

I have taken Wranglers on 4,000-5,000 mile road trips before and was perfectly happy doing it. But I enjoy driving a lot.

I would stay away from buying a Jeep already modified and from Mud Terrain tires, though. MTs look cool and are great off-road, but they ride stiffly and weigh a lot more than All-Terrains; you will feel the added unsprung weight on bumps; don’t corner or brake as well, are less predictable in poor weather, and the extra weight will chew up the OE steering components faster.

 

[sentience]

What vehicle do you currently drive. Depending on what you currently own, you may be in for quite a surprise and not in a good way. Passengers bitched about my TJ (remember on 2 doors) with the soft top all the time on and off the freeway and my response is,.......... if you want a vehicle that drives and rides like a Cadillac, buy a Cadillac.

Exactly this. Your tolerance for Jeep's driving feel will vary based on the types of vehicles you drive and have driven. What's fine for me might not be fine for you.

Ideally, go to a dealership, schedule a test drive, and go down a highway path.

Steering feel, noise and vibration remind me of a 90's era truck.

 

[Ridgway Jeeper]

If you get the Mopar lift and run 35's it will drive just fine. The only caveat I am aware of is the manual transmission on a non Rubicon model. The gear ratios just do not work well unless paired with the 4.10 axles ratios the Rubicons come with. With the auto you won't have any issues. 35's are not some huge difference, the Rubicons already come with 33's.

I recently spent 8 hours in our 2 dr Rubicon on the highway, and it rained HARD a good portion of the day. The Jeep drives just fine. My biggest issue is comfort as the seats do not fit me well and the cabin is cramped. I am used to a full size truck though so YMMV.

Tire size isn't going to contribute to noise at all. A Willy's on 32" mud terrain tires will be louder than a Sahara on 35" all terrain tires. You aren't going to hear the tires over the wind in a Wrangler anyway...

It is an adventure vehicle, if you are looking for an adventure, it is hard to beat. If you need/want quiet, efficient, long distance transportation, the Jeep just isn't it.

 

[Tharris]

Like a lot of people, we've been looking a new Wranglers. Wow.... what a crazy market we are in. My question stems from the intended use of the purchase. We are looking at the sky one touch roof as a must have. Other than that, we are open.
My question is this. We would be potentially using this Wrangler Unlimited for 4-6k miles of vacation highway use a year. I have two boys 8 and 11. How highway capable is the Wrangler now days? I'm assuming a Sport or Sahara are the two more road friendly models. Any advise is welcome.

I’ve used my wrangler to drive all across the country. My 2 year old wife and 2 daughters love the trips but say the back seat is uncomfortable. It doesn’t get great gas mileage either, but I guess comparable trucks wouldn’t do much better. The front seats are comfortable and well air conditioned but the back sets make it hard to communicate and are not quite as well air conditioned. At least all this is according to my wife and daughters.

 

[Bren]

Like a lot of people, we've been looking a new Wranglers. Wow.... what a crazy market we are in. My question stems from the intended use of the purchase. We are looking at the sky one touch roof as a must have. Other than that, we are open.
My question is this. We would be potentially using this Wrangler Unlimited for 4-6k miles of vacation highway use a year. I have two boys 8 and 11. How highway capable is the Wrangler now days? I'm assuming a Sport or Sahara are the two more road friendly models. Any advise is welcome.

It really depends on your expectations. Compared to old Wranglers, it's pretty amazing how refined this latest Wrangler is. Compared to something like a Honda Pilot or a Highlander it is still clearly a compromised machine (compromised to keep that off-road capability).

It'll wander in the lane a bit causing you to make little adjustments in a straight line, and the wind will blow it around a bit, and depending on the model you might find it underpowered (not a problem with 4XE and definitely not a problem with 392). It's also much noisier than other SUVs, thanks to being a convertible.

Personally, I've always found the added capability (convertible, modularity, off-road readiness) to be more than enough to make up for any lack of refinement on the highway (and that was true on the less refined JK generation) but your tolerance may be different.

I drove mine many long distances and found it a very comfortable cruiser, but my expectations were aligned.

 

[CMF150]

I love my wife's jeep, but prefer my F150 when we go on trips. Don't get me wrong, the Jeep is fun, but 3 hours in it on the highway is about all I can stand. I will say this, nothing beats opening up that Sky One Touch as we cross over the connector to our island destination.

 

[Terminex]

A couple thoughts:

unless you have owned and driven a vehicle with a solid front axle before, you need to understand that it will drive different from anything you are used to.

a properly setup JLU can be a great road trip vehicle, just be aware that with a lift it takes a little work to get the geometry perfect in the front (adjustable control arms), and once set up perfectly, it will still require a little more work driving it. (Solid front axle vehicles require a lot more small steering inputs to keep the vehicle tracking straight). This is not a big deal, but it can take a little to get used to it.

lifts are NOT all the same. You want to ensure the the spring rates are matched properly to the shocks, and that both are set for your purposes. (I.e. all highway, highway / light trails, camping with the jeep full of gear & people, etc….). You also really should get at least 1 set of adjustable front control arms with any lift so that you can set caster. This is probably the single biggest influence on how your jeep drives. (I.e. does it wander all over, or track straight)

another important consideration is the tires. There are so many different tire manufacturers and models, it can be dizzying. It is just as important to do your research on the tires. They have a huge impact on handling (both traction of all types, i.e. dry, rain, snow, ice, off road; as well as ride feel, i.e. smooth absorbing impacts or harsh like riding in a tank with no suspension). They are also completely different when it comes to road noise. If this will be mostly pavement road trips, i would suggest the Falken AT3W, or BFG KO2 all terrain tires in the 35”. They are both winter rated, fairly quiet, and good all ariund traction. (I switched to the Falkens, and think they are a little better in the rain & snow. Still had great experiences with the KO2’s as well, just like the Falkens a little more for my needs). You also need to take care in choosing your sidewall construction, i.e. C, D, or E rated. The C rated will give you a little softer ride, as well as being a little lighter, which helps with the fuel economy.

final though, if do a lot of long trips, the axles will make a difference on the highway. I ran my 35’s with my 2019 JLU Sahara 2.0 for 18 months. It was awesome except for long freeway drives, i did not see 8th gear much. My 2021 is a Rubicon that has 4.10 gearing, and with the same 35” tires i am in 8th gear on the freeway all the time. (Much better than the 3.73 from my Sahara, and a massive difference from the sports with the 3.45 gear ratio)

cheers

 

[rcadden]

I'll share my thoughts. For context, I've driven an '07 GMC Sierra for the past ~15 years. Bought a '21 Sahara Altitude in July. I'm what you call "a road-tripper". In my life, I've driven from Texas to damn near everywhere - Minnesota, Illinois, NYC (yep), Arizona, Colorado, South Carolina, etc. I've driven halfway around Iceland and back.

My Sahara is currently bone stock.

Here's my points to consider:

1. The Jeep is, by far, the most fun vehicle I've ever owned or driven. I swapped the Freedom Panels for a Bestop Sunrider for Hardtops and honestly I could just drive this thing for the rest of my life. It's that fun.
2. The 2.0L w/ auto has no problem with power, either getting up to speed or passing people, etc. It actually takes work to keep it around 70 (I like MPG over speed when I'm road tripping) - otherwise you look down and you're going 80+.
3. MPG is decent. I average 20-24 MPG, which is better than the 12-14 I had on my truck, lol.
4. Road noise is what I would call "acceptable". It's not nearly as quiet as my truck was, or my wife's new Lexus RX 350, but it's not as noticeable/obnoxious as I assumed it would be, even with the Sunrider. With the top closed, windows up, and at hwy speed, I have no problem having conversations (even with my rear passengers) or hearing the radio, etc.
5. The factory ride was kinda stiff, but that's cause the dealership had my PSI at 41 all the way around. Dropped it to ~36-37, and it's pretty nice. Not super soft and luxe like the Lexus, but comfortable for sure.
6. The steering is a bit more rough than my truck was. Cross-winds have a big impact, and you'll definitely feel them. Just part of driving essentially a shoebox down the road.
7. The seats aren't UNcomfortable, but they're also not what I would call comfortable. Especially not compared to the couches that my '07 GMC Sierra had, lol. Depending on your build, you may want to invest in some seat adjustors and/or a u-shaped tailbone pillow.

If you're going to be spending a lot of time on the freeway, the Sahara trim level is your obvious choice. It has a lot of extras that are made for the road. There are also some add-on options that you're going to absolutely want:
1. Both safety packages - you get a bunch of niceties, but the automatic cruise control is the kicker. It's not perfect, but on long stretches, it's REALLY great to have it manage your speed in relation to the traffic around you.
2. Cold Weather Package - an obvious choice if you're up north or will be hitting the mountains often, but the heated seats are especially nice on long road trips, to apply some heat and relief to your back.
3. OPTIONAL - the LED package if you drive at night a lot. I personally skipped this one, as I don't do much night driving, and it's relatively easy/cheap to DIY w/ aftermarket.
4. OPTIONAL - the selec-trac automatic 4WD might be a good package for you, too, depending on where you're likely to take it. Helpful for slick/slushy roads.

 

[calemasters]

We recently took a 5,800 mile vacation in our JLUR and it was very enjoyable. We left the Escalade at home because we wanted to do several trails around Sedona and up in the Santa Ynez Mountains. The Jeep did well on both the highway and on the trails.

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