Who has taken their JL on a long road trip and what was your experience like?!

[ObiMatt87]

Last year we drove over 2000 miles from San Antonio to Durango, CO, up through the mountains and all over, then back to San Antonio. Was great on the road, except for the massive crosswinds we had on the second day from Amarillo, TX, to Durango. Had to fight that until we hit New Mexico, so was not fun. Took a trip this spring from San Antonio to Montgomery, AL, and back for a wedding. Had a great drive. All in all, no issues, except with significant winds. Driving a brick has its down sides, and definitely drags on the gas mileage. Other than that, very comfortable. Will continue to travel with it all over.

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[Tuckdawg]

Great thread! Here's my take. 2020 willys jlu definitely is more fun to drive long distances however it does start to feel cramped and it feels good to stop, get out and stretch after about an hour. The jeep does seem to "bounce" around the road a little especially on back roads. Hwy driving is not so bad. For comparison my 2015 2WD ram 1500 quad cab SLT is a road cruiser, very comfortable and almost drivers itself. Can do an 8 road trip without ever getting out of it. This is my first jeep so I don't have other jeeps to compare to. Driving my jeep does require you to pay more attention to the road more than my truck. The jeep will wonder from side to side more than the truck. Not complaining at all as the jeep is just a different animal than most vehicles.

 

[MEHillwalker80]

It is now 320 AM here in maine. In about a half hour I leave on my "bucket list" trip on the TAT through OK, AZ, CO, UT, WY and on up into Canada heading for AK (I hope). I will try to post every few days. I'm hoping I can hook up with another 4X4 or two for company and security.

 

[twisty]

AZ to Moab twice within a three week period. 8 hour trip towing an 1800lb trailer. 15.5mpg there 13.5 back. Not bad given it's on 37's.

I'm 6' 1" and VERY comfortable and we didnt stop except for gas the whole way.

I plan on a 5 month road trip towing the same trailer so comfort is king. I have no worries with this jeep.

 

[RealMenDIY]

There's no way I'd commute 150 miles a day in the Jeep, not for comfort but for the rapidly wearing out my off road toy. The fuel savings of any of the dozens of 30+ mpg vehicles available today would easily cover the payment on the 2nd vehicle. Averaging a generous 20 mpg at $4/gal you're daily commute is pushing $700/month. To each his own I guess. The advice to rent a Wrangler before buying is genius though.

Agreed, believe me I have had this debate in my head a number of times. I bought the vehicle to drive it and while not ideal, this project will be done in less than a year and my long commute will be no longer. It's 90% highway so the wear and tear is much less than city driving. I'll keep up with regularly scheduled maintenance. Also, I expense mileage.

 

[Jhawth]

I've had my 21 JLUR a little over 2 weeks and I'm at around 2600ish miles. I haven't done any super long trips, but driving it home the day I picked it up was 530 something miles, and the two weekends I've had it I put around 250-300 miles per day, rest being commute to work. It's really comfortable for me, and handles really well on pavement. Obviously more fun to drive off road, had mine out in the mud on day 2 of ownership lol.

 

[sheram]

So looking to get back into a Jeep but I keep reading how bad they are on the highway as far as moving all over the lane and just overall not being a very comfortable road trip vehicle.

I do take a fair amount of road trips and I thought a jl with the top down would be an awesome place to be. Jeep has all the amenities. Nice seats/heated seats/wheel and so on.

Wanted some real word feedback from owners not magazines. Thanks guys

Just finished my 2nd 4950 mile trip from Georgia to Utah, Colorado New Mexico, Arizona in my 2019 2dr Rubicon. Easy and as comfortable as in most any car and better than many. I still get stares when I tell people I drive a Jeep cross country. They obviously haven't driven or ridden in a Jeep since WWII.

 

[daboink]

I bought my 2 dr Manual in Nampa, ID and drove back to Nashville. Been to FL... I have mostly stock in the Rubicon, and it does great for me. I now have a Power Wagon for the highway, so my long range trips may drop off unless I am traveling to a Jeep adventure. I have had no problems.

 

[ascencio30]

So looking to get back into a Jeep but I keep reading how bad they are on the highway as far as moving all over the lane and just overall not being a very comfortable road trip vehicle.

I do take a fair amount of road trips and I thought a jl with the top down would be an awesome place to be. Jeep has all the amenities. Nice seats/heated seats/wheel and so on.

Wanted some real word feedback from owners not magazines. Thanks guys

I've taken several cross country road trips from Chicago to Mexico, all the way to Mazatlan. I own a Wrangler JL Willys and a Gladiator and made the trip with both. We usually travel more comfortable in the JLU since my daughter can sleep in the back if she wants, but I can't say enough good things about the Jeeps behavior. I wouldn't think twice about it if I were you.

 

[thegame81]

I am so glad I made this thread and reading all the awesome replies really was fun and helped me pull the trigger. Well guys today I placed my order on a red 392 Rubicon. Vin assigned now the long wait begins but that's ok because I am so looking forward to joining the JL brotherhood!

 

[decavolt]

I got my 2021 JL and have already taken 3,000 mile road trip and another planned for next month, and so on.

Before that, the first year I had my 2016 JK, I drove over 7,000 miles from Chicago, through the Canadian Rockes, to the Pacific and back. 3 months later I drove to Florida and back, then did it again 5 months after that. And many other trips.

And before that, I drove across the country about 6 times in my TJ. That was a rough, loud ride compared the to the JL—but I still loved it.

The JL is a vast improvement on the highway compared to everything that came before it. A JL isn't a passenger car or an Escalade that's built for soft, smooth passenger comfort. So long as you know what a Jeep is and are not expecting it to feel like a sedan, then you'll love it. I'm amazed every day at how smooth my JL is on the highway.

 

[sakimike]

You just need to drive a few.

Before mine, I’d never driven a solid axle vehicle. I’ve never had a wandering issue, but my steering gearbox was a little on the loose side (before the TSB) which has been mostly addressed in the ‘21’s on up. Earlier models you need the TSB done. That’s why it doesn’t hurt to test drive the one you buy. It drives fine now and I will be making a few thousand mile trip with it this Summer.

Do you have to pay for TSB work?

 

[Hoppy Toad]

So looking to get back into a Jeep but I keep reading how bad they are on the highway as far as moving all over the lane and just overall not being a very comfortable road trip vehicle.

I do take a fair amount of road trips and I thought a jl with the top down would be an awesome place to be. Jeep has all the amenities. Nice seats/heated seats/wheel and so on.

Wanted some real word feedback from owners not magazines. Thanks guys

I have a 2020 JL unlimited. I have taken road trips from Las Vegas to Sedona and from Las Vegas to Moab in February and March of this year. I have 2.5" full Clayton lift kit with Fox 2.0 shocks installed by Vegas 4x4 . I have BFG AT LT295/70 from Discount tires on stock wheels with spacers. With the upgrades, I have had no issues with steering or handling, which was improved with the suspension upgrade. I used to have to pay more attention and there was a slight wander in the steering. The new tires are much heavier and I think 12ply, so they ride bit rougher and braking requires more pressure and sooner. These tires are just as quiet as the stock.

 

[TheArlenG]

Wife and I did a trip from So Fla to Gatlinburg, TN area... like a 12-13 hour drive. Was it like driving a big Lexus sedan....no.... but it wasn't horrible either. Like some other posters, the wind, more than anything makes it a little bit of work at times, but wasn't horrible and I'd def do it again. I feel like I have a pretty good setup - 2020 JLU 2.5" JKS J-Konnect Lift, 35" Ridge grapplers which probably played a big role in the handling.

 

[greenvillebigwheels]

I always assume the people that start these threads are toyota guys casually throwing shade . I also think how a vehicle drives is so personal you just have to drive one and see if its for you. I test drove a lexus gx two days ago with dreams of a luxury offroader that never breaks with a v8. I thought I would love it based on all the reviews. Huge disappointment. It was really nice on the inside but its horribly underpowered. You just have to drive it and see if its for you.

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