DiabloBlanco
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Hey everyone! To start out, I do not own a Jeep unfortunately. I've wanted one for a long time and plan on buying a JLU next year. That being said, prior to this past weekend, I had never really had any time behind the wheel of a JL save for a short and very unpleasant (because of the crappy salesman) test drive. I decided to take a small beercation over the Veterans Day weekend and was able to upgrade to a Wrangler when I picked up my rental.
The Jeep I drove was a brand new 2020 Sport S with about 4500 miles on it when I picked it up. It was a pretty stock model with the hard top, 2.0L engine, and...that's about it lol. However, that worked out great for me as I've been trying to figure out if I want to spend the extra money on the Rubicon or if I'd be happy with a Sport S or Willys. Let me start by saying holy crap...I absolutely LOVE the JLU. This was by far the most I've ever enjoyed driving in my life. Sadly it was way too cold in VA and I wasn't able to take the freedom panels or anything off, but it was still a lot of fun.
Anyways, the reason I'm writing this is for people like me who really want a Wrangler but aren't quite to the point where they can pull the trigger on one and want to know more. So for that, here are a few points that I know I would have liked to hear more about before this drive.
Road noise: My trip started Saturday morning and was mostly highway out westward about 100 miles. Speed was mostly 60-75mph the whole time. It was relatively windy on the road, not too bad, and the road noise was somewhat noticeable. But I must say, it was much quieter than my 2007 F150. I soundmetered it while driving and was geting 68-70dB at 75mph on the highway which is much better than what I hear a lot of people complain about. No one could hear the wind/road noise over the phone whether I was talking on Bluetooth through the Uconnect or with the phone up to my ear. I did not have to raise my voice at all past normal conversation volumes. Also, when I had music playing at my normal volumes (about 15-20), the noise wasn't noticeable at all and my ears weren't hurting. That being said, I am 100% sold on the hard top now.
Uconnect/Audio: The stock Uconnect setup is...pretty crappy. Luckily I expected this after dealing with the same Uconnect in government Ram trucks for the past few months. It just seems super dated and it's rather annoying that I have to connect my phone via bluetooth every single time I get in the Jeep. I know it may be a nitpicky gripe, but come on...my brothers 2013 Mustang GT would auto connect when he got in the car. That being said, I already planned on upgrading to the Uconnect 7 so no big deal there. However, I am now sold on NOT upgrading to the premium speaker package. Believe me..I LOVE music and I can't stand to be driving without music playing. But I feel like the stock speakers are MORE than good enough. I had music playing every time I got in the Jeep and it sounded absolutely great. So my advice is...listen to some music on a test drive with the stock speakers before you let someone talk you into the $1000+ upgrade for 9 speakers....
Comfort: I drove the Jeep Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for a total of around 400+ miles. The stock cloth seats were plenty comfortable for a long drive. Spent about 3 hours on the highway on the way back Monday and have zero complaints of discomfort. I'm 5'9 and 170lbs, had plenty of space, and didn't feel cramped in any way. On the subject of comfort, it was in 40s most of the weekend and I had the heater on most of the time. Very happy that at no point did it get sweltering hot like most vehicles do...may be my imagination there, but something I feel I noticed lol.
Engine/Mileage: Like I said, this was a brand new 2020 with the 2.0L Turbo engine. Let me say...I am SOLD on the 2.0 after this weekend. The little 4-banger had plenty of get-up-and-go. I had plenty of power to pass when I needed to. Couldn't be happier in that department. Also, the mileage was AWESOME. Now, keep in mind, I'm coming from an '07 F150 4.6L V8 that gets about 12-14mpg
But I had an average of about 23mpg at the end of my trip which was absolutely awesome - after using 87 gas. Again, couldn't be happier. One final note on the engine: The ESS system is...interesting. I ran with it turned on the whole weekend. I'm not sure if I really got better mpg with it or not, but it was less intrusive than I thought it would be. At no point did I feel like there was a real lag and by the time I put my foot on the gas, the Jeep was on and ready to go every time.
Overall, I freaking loved everything about the JLU. This test drive definitely saved me money in the long run as it showed me I didn't need the upgraded speakers and also that I will be more than satisfied with the Sport S or Willys (Willys is a consideration simply for the wheels/tires and upgraded shocks and brakes...but we'll see how the cost shakes out when I go to buy.) I also was able to get a solid feel for some of the options like the 2.0L engine and hardtop to where I'm sure I want them. On the negative side...I now want a Jeep even more and the wait is going to be a thousand times harder
Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed my little write-up. Hopefully it wasn't completely pointless haha. Cheers everyone!
- Future Jeep Owner
upload image
The Jeep I drove was a brand new 2020 Sport S with about 4500 miles on it when I picked it up. It was a pretty stock model with the hard top, 2.0L engine, and...that's about it lol. However, that worked out great for me as I've been trying to figure out if I want to spend the extra money on the Rubicon or if I'd be happy with a Sport S or Willys. Let me start by saying holy crap...I absolutely LOVE the JLU. This was by far the most I've ever enjoyed driving in my life. Sadly it was way too cold in VA and I wasn't able to take the freedom panels or anything off, but it was still a lot of fun.
Anyways, the reason I'm writing this is for people like me who really want a Wrangler but aren't quite to the point where they can pull the trigger on one and want to know more. So for that, here are a few points that I know I would have liked to hear more about before this drive.
Road noise: My trip started Saturday morning and was mostly highway out westward about 100 miles. Speed was mostly 60-75mph the whole time. It was relatively windy on the road, not too bad, and the road noise was somewhat noticeable. But I must say, it was much quieter than my 2007 F150. I soundmetered it while driving and was geting 68-70dB at 75mph on the highway which is much better than what I hear a lot of people complain about. No one could hear the wind/road noise over the phone whether I was talking on Bluetooth through the Uconnect or with the phone up to my ear. I did not have to raise my voice at all past normal conversation volumes. Also, when I had music playing at my normal volumes (about 15-20), the noise wasn't noticeable at all and my ears weren't hurting. That being said, I am 100% sold on the hard top now.
Uconnect/Audio: The stock Uconnect setup is...pretty crappy. Luckily I expected this after dealing with the same Uconnect in government Ram trucks for the past few months. It just seems super dated and it's rather annoying that I have to connect my phone via bluetooth every single time I get in the Jeep. I know it may be a nitpicky gripe, but come on...my brothers 2013 Mustang GT would auto connect when he got in the car. That being said, I already planned on upgrading to the Uconnect 7 so no big deal there. However, I am now sold on NOT upgrading to the premium speaker package. Believe me..I LOVE music and I can't stand to be driving without music playing. But I feel like the stock speakers are MORE than good enough. I had music playing every time I got in the Jeep and it sounded absolutely great. So my advice is...listen to some music on a test drive with the stock speakers before you let someone talk you into the $1000+ upgrade for 9 speakers....
Comfort: I drove the Jeep Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for a total of around 400+ miles. The stock cloth seats were plenty comfortable for a long drive. Spent about 3 hours on the highway on the way back Monday and have zero complaints of discomfort. I'm 5'9 and 170lbs, had plenty of space, and didn't feel cramped in any way. On the subject of comfort, it was in 40s most of the weekend and I had the heater on most of the time. Very happy that at no point did it get sweltering hot like most vehicles do...may be my imagination there, but something I feel I noticed lol.
Engine/Mileage: Like I said, this was a brand new 2020 with the 2.0L Turbo engine. Let me say...I am SOLD on the 2.0 after this weekend. The little 4-banger had plenty of get-up-and-go. I had plenty of power to pass when I needed to. Couldn't be happier in that department. Also, the mileage was AWESOME. Now, keep in mind, I'm coming from an '07 F150 4.6L V8 that gets about 12-14mpg
But I had an average of about 23mpg at the end of my trip which was absolutely awesome - after using 87 gas. Again, couldn't be happier. One final note on the engine: The ESS system is...interesting. I ran with it turned on the whole weekend. I'm not sure if I really got better mpg with it or not, but it was less intrusive than I thought it would be. At no point did I feel like there was a real lag and by the time I put my foot on the gas, the Jeep was on and ready to go every time. Overall, I freaking loved everything about the JLU. This test drive definitely saved me money in the long run as it showed me I didn't need the upgraded speakers and also that I will be more than satisfied with the Sport S or Willys (Willys is a consideration simply for the wheels/tires and upgraded shocks and brakes...but we'll see how the cost shakes out when I go to buy.) I also was able to get a solid feel for some of the options like the 2.0L engine and hardtop to where I'm sure I want them. On the negative side...I now want a Jeep even more and the wait is going to be a thousand times harder
Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed my little write-up. Hopefully it wasn't completely pointless haha. Cheers everyone!
- Future Jeep Owner
upload image
Sponsored
So happy with my decision. 
