Thoughts after spending a weekend with a JLU

[entropy]

I had anxiety even while at the dealer purchasing. During my test drive I realized it’s hard to determine whether slight wandering is all in your head. All that obsessive research just made me paranoid.

Thank you! And I will definitely be posting pictures. Just want to get some good ones

This forum can make people paranoid, I've been a victim of that too. I've never had steering issues before or after the recall, on both a 2018 JL and 2019 JL. I am sure your Jeep is perfectly fine.

Take care of those front seats and be careful when getting people in the back though!!!.

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[Pig-Pen]

OP if you're looking at buying one Black Friday will probably have some great sales at some dealerships (some suck and dont do sales). i got mine during Memorial Day week and got a great deal.

 

[DiabloBlanco]

@Jennalee how do you like the mud tires on your Willys? How is the road noise?

 

[Jennalee]

@Jennalee how do you like the mud tires on your Willys? How is the road noise?

I love them! They’re so beautiful. I like the more aggressive look but I was afraid of them at first. I was worried they’d be slippery in the rain but they are the MT2 tires which were made to be 20% better for road performance. I haven’t driven it in wet weather so can’t speak to that.

I never had mud tires before. I had a TJ which felt much lighter and more like a car, my Willys feels so much different. Doesn’t feel like a car at all to me which I thought was so strange. Maybe it’s partly to do with the mud tires? I’m not sensitive to bumps in the road so it takes me a while to notice any changes in the way my car handles so I may not be the best person to ask. If I notice something off about my car I have my sister drive it, she’s very sensitive to those little differnces.

EDIT: There is a low hum when I drive. Can’t tell if it’s the engine or the tires. Doesn’t bother me at all I rather like it. Not loud at all.

 

[VNT]

I will comment, per the audio. Wife has 18 Sahara with the 8.4 and Alpine. We test drove a 20 back in August with the 7" and base sound. I brought an SD card with uncompressed tunes on it.

There is no comparision between base and the Alpine, the upgraded Alpine had much better base, mid-range and high frequency than the base IMHO, if you listed to something without compression.

It is next to impossible to do audio upgrades on these, so choose wisely, buy once cry once.

 

[JEEPIDON]

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

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Hi! I've had over 15 Jeeps in my life and one thing that is consistent is road noise. Yes my new JL Rubicon and Sahara hard tops are quieter than the older generations but still nothing to write home about. It's part of being a Jeep Dude (Dudette). My Uconnect automatically hooks up every time I get in and I do nothing except use the phone. Something may be set up wrong? ESS....you will get used to it by either: Hating it for life, unhook one of the under hood switches, getting an after market electronic solution device or just getting used to it. Me...I hit the starter button and push the "A" button and I'm done. It's not that bad and no worse than my stupid Mercedes!!! You'll find people complain about the most picayune things on this forum. Fact is, go to any other car/truck forum and you'll see the same things over and over. Make the plunge and enjoy the quirkiness of being a happy jeep owner! Good luck.

 

[mmcbeat]

I purchased a nicely optioned Sport S in July and am very pleased with it. Hard not grin while driving it. My last Wrangler was a 1987, the first year. To say they have changed/improved is an understatement. In 2007 I bought a new Hummer H3 and liked it a lot because it was much more refined than my ‘87 Wrangler. I still haven’t forgiven GM for killing the brand. Anyhow, my new Wrangler in some ways reminds me of the H3. A very capable daily driver and fun on the weekend.

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