Would like some insight on how it would be to daily a wrangler.

[migs]

There are so many great and knowledgeable board members here so that should count for something! It's possible the Bronco forum does as well but not likely.

Honestly I was on a bronco forum before. And you guys have been a lot more helpful. Not that they weren’t helpful. But over here it’s different. Probably because the wrangler community is larger

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[Beaching631]

Yea in my driveway I’m fine but in the streets I’d definitely be cautious in certain areas with a soft top. I’d get the hardtop from factory and probably get an aftermarket soft top for the summer time. I’m leaning a lot towards a Willy’s xtreme recon package. A standard rubicon is an option too but the Willy’s might be the right one for me.

Looking at your other posts, a Rubicon might be a good option to consider, since you want the nicest possible interior.
I just want to add that a Wrangler is by far the easiest of all the cars I've owned to park in Manhattan...it's pretty compact front-to-back, and the height makes it easy to parallel-in. I'd keep the stock bumpers for a while in case you get tapped a few times street parking. I personally drive with a 10 inch lockable hitch sticking out the back at all times because people can be stupid. If I have to get in somewhere really tight, I pop the hitch off quick.
Best of luck whatever you choose...most here are quick and knowledgeable for help with almost anything Jeep related!

 

[blnewt]

Been driving Jeeps since 76 (when I was 14), owned a few of them since 1982, and IMO there's no replacement. Miguelle, being 24 you owe it to yourself to give the JL a shot, at the very least take one out for a very long drive and see what you think.

IMO there's no other vehicle that will grab your soul the way a Jeep live axle vehicle will, and IMO the shorter the better. if you don't need the extra 4 door space a 2 door really is a blast, but if you need the extra room a 4 door is still the best of the rest!

And I have a feeling if you ever take it off road w/ a couple other Jeeps that know a bit about trail running you will have another passion that you never knew you had

 

[Strommen95]

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree on the ”best-suited” part. I love my jeep, and I’ve been a Jeep CJ/Wrangler owner since 1977, but my Ford Raptor is infinitely better at delivering a tolerable ride on crappy roads like the ones in and around NYC, and there are plenty of other 4-wheel drive vehicles with IFS that would also be better. I’ve done a lot to improve the ride on my Wrangler, and it’s great for a Jeep, but it’s suspension choices were made to optimize offroad performance and durability. Daily city driver, not so much.

As noted, it's not the most comfortable ride. Nothing is on shitty streets and in potholes. As you noted, it's optimized for off-road performance and durability. That precisely is what makes it good for eating up potholes or driving on shitty streets. Durability > comfort.

Even though it wasn't what I said, a Jeep is actually a great city driver. They're relatively small, easy to park, have great visibility, great in any weather conditions and a vehicle where dings feel more tolerable on. While you're more than entitled to an opinion, if you think the Raptor is a better daily for a city than a Jeep, I would say there's zero percent chance you ever drove a Raptor in New York City.

 

[Strommen95]

Driving in NY is practically off-roading all the time with all the potholes so it’ll be just fine. I work in the city

Driving in NY is practically off-roading with how shitty the streets are. I might not even need to actually go off-roading. Even in Manhattan where I work the streets can be rough. I’m not sure I’d drive it to the city, I do get free parking cause I’m the doorman of my building but the commute in the afternoon after work is ridiculous with all the traffic.

Ride quality is subjective. Most, including myself, will say the Jeeps bad ride is exaggerated. For other people, it's something they can't get over. Do yourself a favor and test drive both a Jeep + Bronco. There are many wonderful attributes to the Jeep, notably being a vehicle that handles NYC abuse with ease. But for many, the ride is so bad that it takes away every other attribute the Jeep has. Give it a good drive.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Ford Broncos in their natural habitat

You can even ask Ford to send you a tow truck that matches the color of your Bronco...

There are plenty of problems with Pentastars that can be posted as well. But that has to be the smallest rocker arm I've seen in a real vehicle.

 

[roaniecowpony]

Don’t get a Wrangler if you’re not going to take it off road. Don’t get a Bronco, either.

Get a nice GTI or BMW or something. Wranglers are so bad on the road compared to other cars. The gas mileage is awful, too. They’re expensive to run — especially with 35” tires.

And, worst of all, people will ask if you take it off road and you’ll have to say “no.” Women will raise their eyebrows and turn away. Men will chuckle. Children will cry.

It’s not worth it.

This is probably the best recommendation to anyone thinking about a Wrangler for an everyday street vehicle and no off-roading. They really are not good on-road vehicles compared to today's modern street vehicles. Compared to a Jeep of yesteryear, they have much better streetability. But that's not saying much.

 

[SBLACK502]

I daily drive a 2021 4dr Willy’s.. I don’t have the XR package but did just install a 2.5in lift and 35’s. In my opinion it drives like it did when it was stock. Like others have said it’s not a grand Cherokee or a nice luxury car. But still rides nice. I can drive it with one hand and also take my hands off the wheel and drives straight. I was up in the air about getting a bronco and glad I decided on the wrangler instead. Good luck to you!

 

[Dscott326]

I have a 2023 Willys XR, 2021 stock Willy’s and 2021 Sahara and the Willy’s XR is by far my favorite and I use it as my daily driver.

 

[Slippery Pete]

I own a 2022 Willys XR 2.0 Turbo and my GF has a stock 2021 Willys with 3.6 etorque. Both drive nice but I prefer the XR by far.
I had driven the stock Willys on an 8 hour overnight trip to the beach and was amazed at the comfort. This led me to get back into a Wrangler. This year, same trip but in my XR and no complaints, even got to drive on the beach.
I previously had a Grand Cherokee for 15 years and loved it but nowhere as much as my Wrangler.

 

[Whaler27]

This is probably the best recommendation to anyone thinking about a Wrangler for an everyday street vehicle and no off-roading. They really are not good on-road vehicles compared to today's modern street vehicles. Compared to a Jeep of yesteryear, they have much better streetability. But that's not saying much.

This really is the truth of the matter.

Jeeps aren‘t optimized to be city/asphalt vehicles, so there are LOTS of other vehicle choices that would be some combination of more comfortable, or more reliable, or less expensive to buy, or quieter, or more economical to operate, or safer, or faster, or better braking, or better handling, or better optioned, or easier to park and, probably, less likely to be stolen. A Toyota Highlander is a better urban driver if these considerations are more important, as are several Subarus, Lexuses, and others.

But the OP has narrowed his choice down to Bronco or Wrangler, so the above list of characteristics aren’t his primary considerations.

The thing is, when somebody asks me how a jeep is as a daily driver I answer based on my experience with the characteristics listed above. For me, the many things jeeps aren’t great at are part of the price we pay for the things they ARE great at. But that’s just the perspective of one old goat who got addicted to the utility of jeeps and their ability to serve my lifestyle. I’d sooner have a root canal every day than live in any of America’s biggest cities, so I’ve spent very little time in them. That alone depreciates the value of my contribution here. Also, my total driving experience in NYC is less than three weeks, and that was accumulated over four visits, all of which were more than 25 years ago. Perhaps that environment is much better than I remember.

Some folks — apparently millions of them — just buy jeeps because they’ve always wanted one, or they just think jeeps are “cool”. I can’t disagree with that. Power to em! But if thats the situation I don’t know how this thread is helpful.… The heart knows what it wants, whether it makes sense to other people or any kind of balance sheet.

Folks should buy whatever blows their skirts up.

 

[Valpo Jeep]

We used to daily a 2012 Audi A7 and a 2014 Jeep Patriot, we preferred the Audi. Now we still daily the Audi and a new to us 2018 JLU 3.6 in stock form. We kinda like the JLU better.

We picked up the JLU to haul kayaks and be able to flat tow it behind our motorhome. Its a blast to drive, next summer we will take off the roof and doors and give that a try, so far we have only been able to take off the freedom panels because of a mess we had in the garage and lack of space from replacing our backyard deck.

 

[kah.mun.rah]

A Wrangler has been my daily driver for over 20 years. I like the height off the ground, the ability to go topless, the safety if ever in an accident, the unlimited options of aftermarket parts to make it unique to me, the 4WD to explore places in the snow, rocks, dirt, or sand on the weekend, the Jeep culture (my daughter swears that I only drive one for the Jeep wave), and dings/scratches only make it look better (even if they were caused by a shopping cart). The Willys XR is a great deal for what it includes.

 

[RubiSc0tt]

so im basically cross shopping between a bronco and wrangler. I’ve already decided on what trim and package to get if I were to get a bronco. Now im leaving no stone unturned and looking at a wrangler, so far I’ve been looking at a 4dr Willy’s wrangler with the xtreme recon package. I don’t offroad but much like with the bronco I find value in having it come from factory built to have bigger tires and a lift since I love the look of it and would do it aftermarket anyway. How would the ride quality be with the package as a daily ? Or am I better off going with the Sahara or Willy’s without the xtreme recon? Thanks for the help in advance.

I've been daily driving Wranglers since 2003- my JLUR is my 3rd one, and by far my favorite. They've all been Modded to tackle difficult trails and also drive to work on Monday, and potentially take on a road trip the following week. So I may be a bit biased.,
They ride and handle differently than any other vehicle on the road due to the solid axles- Meaning they're going to ride harder than something like a Bronco or 4Runner with IFS. That said- it tends to make up for it off road and when modifying them (less parts, easier to upgrade, etc).

I had 2 TJ's and while they were fine for me, there wasn't a ton of space for friends or cargo- Which wasn't a huge deal for me back in those days cause it was usually just me, and my wife and occasionally a couple dogs. That said, now that I have 2 kids (and all the peripherals the come with them) and the JLUR (4 door) has plenty of space for all of us to load our stuff up and go on a road trip for a week long beach vacation- but we pack tight and smart (mainly because I came from TJ's and you need to learn that).

I've had very few issues (aside from self inflicted ones), and for the most part my JLUR is a daily driver that can run 37" tires with only a 2" lift, and with a winch and some skid plates, it can do exactly as I mentioned above: run difficult trails one weekend, drive to work all week, and then pack up my family and head on a road trip for a week or so.

Presumably, Bronco can do the same, and maybe ride a little bit better on the road, but the thing I'd be wary of is their QA issues- they seem to be far worse than Jeep and I'm not sure how Ford is handling the Warranty work or where they are in the process of redesigning/ fixing the design flaws (bad hard tops, Bad engines, I believe there were transmission issues on a few trims, certain options unavailable, longer wait times due to lack of parts and price increases as you're waiting). Aftermarket support is coming along well enough for Bronco though so if Ford can't figure it out soon- the aftermarket will.

When it comes down to it my preference is for Jeep, because it's what I know and what I'm comfortable with; That said- I do like Bronco, and hope it does well, and Bronco has always been my #2 to Jeep in the past since I was a kid playing with Hot Wheels. Give them both a test drive and see which you like more.

in terms of trim- I think you're right on with the Willy's XR package. If you're not sure if you'll get the off roading bug, I think Willys XR is a good balance of form/function without being a full tilt Rubicon. I bought my Rubi because I knew exactly what I wanted to do and I knew I would use it. If I had to start over from zero, I would probably do a Rubicon w/ the XR package, but that's mainly because I know what I'm getting into and what I want to be doing with my Jeep.

hope this helps. Feel free to reach out if you've got any other questions.

 

[Barney392]

Had a 2014 JKUR we bought new and the steering was a handful going down to hwy. Wandered all over the place since new. Also the wind noise was horrible with the hard top. Recently picked up a new 2022 392. The difference is night and day. What ever the changes Jeep has made they changed the Jeep completely. I can drive down the frwy at 80 mph with one hand on the wheel. No wandering at all. The ride is very smooth unless you hit a large hole. It also has the Sky One Touch top and is very quiet to my surprise. Only have 900 miles so far so everything could change with more miles but so far I am impressed.

Put some new shoes on her yesterday:

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