Four Wheeler – September 2019

BY STUART A. BOURDON [email protected] PHOTOS: STUART A. BOURDON AND FOUR WHEELER STAFF

fourwheeler.com FOUR WHEELER SEPTEMBER 2019 73

R EPOR T: 1 OF 4

Base price: $41,545

Price as tested: $55,760

Four-wheel-drive system:

Part-time, manual shift lever,

two-speed

LONG-TERM

NUMBERS

Miles to date: 3,469

Miles since

last report: First report

Average mpg

(this report): 22.7

Test best tank (mpg): 23.5

(almost all highway)

Test worst tank (mpg): 16.0

(almost all off-road)

MAINTENANCE

This period: None

Problem areas: None

WHAT’S HOT,

WHAT’S NOT

HOT: Excellent maneuverabil-

ity, control systems are easy

to reach and use, spunky

engine, fuel mileage is pretty

darn good

NOT: Prefer that the engine

start-stop feature would

default to Off; automatic

transmission shifts backward

(at least in our opinion) in

“manual” mode—shifting

down gears when the lever

is moved forward and shift-

ing up gears when moved

backward

LOGBOOK QUOTES

->“Really takes off.”

->“Easy to pick through a

tight trail.”

tions so we could get images that
no one else was getting. The 2.0L
turbocharged eTorque Wrangler
climbed steep hard-scrabble hills,
tip-toed over rocks of many sizes
and shapes, and plowed through
deep sand and silt. We ground the
rock rails and dragged the skid-
plates more than once on this trip,
but they all held up to the pressure.
In general, the Wrangler was
more than capable of handling
whatever we (or the terrain)
dished out. Only deep sand or silt
taken with little or no momentum
seemed to sap power, and if we
weren’t careful, the tires turned
into entrenching tools. During the
SUVOTY competition in Decem-
ber of 2018, we encountered sand
that had been somewhat packed
down by recent rains and had no
trouble navigating the dunes. In
later off-road excursions, we found
dry, loose sand. Less air (we went
down to 15 psi) in the tires did
help the Wrangler’s overall off-
road performance, especially in
loose sand.
Second on the agenda was the
57th annual Tierra Del Sol (TDS)
event in the Anza-Borrego area of
Southern California. TDS is a rec-
reational off-roading get-together
put on by the San Diego–based
Tierra Del Sol Jeep club. The
event provided a playpen of sandy
wash trails, tight canyons, and
dried-mud moguls (known as the
“Badlands”) to stretch the legs of
our Wrangler. We found the outer
limits of the Jeep’s turning radius
and the very edges of the fenders
while navigating the Gorge Trail.
The twisting and turning snakelike
canyon-bottom trail got a bit claus-
trophobic at one point, where the
walls were about 50 feet high—all
you could see above was a thin
strip of blue sky—and so close
together that from the front seats
you could lean out either way and
touch stone. If the JLU had been
any wider or longer, or any less
maneuverable, it would have never
made it through without receiv-
ing lots of rock-rash tattoos on its
shiny new skin.
We have, as of this report, spent
a little more than three months
driving the Wrangler on nearly a
daily basis. This much time behind
the wheel has allowed us to focus

on some of the other aspects of the

vehicle. Our positive first impres-

sions of the controls, instrumenta-

tion, seating, visibility, and overall

creature comforts have not faded

during the first quarter-year living

with it. It’s a fun commuter vehicle

and it’s made getting to and from

the office a joy rather than a chore,

and it has enough space in the rear

cargo area to handle a two-week

grocery buy or a major home-store

bargain run (although you won’t

be bringing that Viking stove

home in it). We’re looking forward

to putting even more miles on our

2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

Rubicon, so stay tuned and we’ll

let you know what happens along

the way. fw

|>The Wrangler’s amazingly compliant

and well-controlled suspension system

includes a four-link control arm setup;

high-pressure, gas-charged monotube

shocks; coil springs; hydraulic rebound

stops; track bars; and stabilizer bars.

The front stabilizer bar can be discon-

nected with the flip of a switch from

the cabin, providing even more articu-

lation for the frontend.

<-One of the things we really like about

the Wrangler is its transfer case lever.

It is actually a lever—rather than a

switch. Call us old fashioned, but we

like reaching for a lever and feeling the

solid engagement of the 4x4 system.

Less liked is the shift pattern of the

auto transmission’s “manual” mode—

pushing forward for downshifting

seemed backward to us.

Options as tested

Leather-Trimmed Bucket Seats

($1,495), Customer Preferred

Package 28R ($795), LED Light-

ing Group ($995), Electronic Info-

tainment System Group ($1,595),

Jeep Active Safety Group ($895),

Adaptive Cruise Control/For-

ward Collision Warning ($795),

Steel Bumper Group ($1,295),

Trail Rail Management Group

($195), Soft Top Window Storage

Bag ($75), 8-Speed Automatic

Transmission ($2,000), 2.0L I-4

DOHC DI Turbo eTorque Engine

($1,000), Remote Proximity

Keyless Entry ($495), Body-Color

Fender Flares ($495), Premium

Black Sunrider Soft Top ($595),

Destination Charge ($1,495)

|>Having the axle differential–lock buttons, the front sway bar disconnect button,

and four ready-to-go auxiliary electrical switches positioned in the same area of

the center control stack is a great idea. More manufacturers should try it. We es-

pecially like the ability to turn on both front and rear or just the rear locker with a

single motion (up or down) of the switch.