Anything You Can Do…
by Lyn Woodward on June 11, 2020
Price: $53,860 | Price Yours
Current Odometer: 9,978
Latest MPG/MPGe: 24.65
Total MPG to date: 21.05
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days Out of Service: 0
We were supposed to have Sahara Spongebob, our long-term 2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, for six months. Under normal circumstances that would have meant saying goodbye to him in March.
Drive Out
This wasn’t Spongebob’s first rodeo to Moab. If you recall, I drove him out last Christmas, heading over a daunting Elephant Hill and back home through Los Angeles’ Snowmaggedon. Spongebob, once again, made the 13-hour highway drive easy, snagging excellent gas mileage with is 4-cylinder turbocharge gas miser engine.
He averaged 21.6 mpg over the entire trip. Granted our stint into Canyonlands National Park The Maze district proved a little less impressive with only 13.37 mpg. In Spongebob’s defense, the drive down Flint Trail, comprised of narrow 20-degree descents and clay slick rock, did not make for good hyper-miling.
Bring a Friend
Because off-roading can be dangerous, especially in a place so remote and potentially treacherous as The Maze, one should never go alone. So, Spongebob invited a worthy friend, a 2020 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon. Of course, I knew the Gladiator would be able to chew over anything the most beautiful park in Utah could throw at it. Whether a Wrangler Sahara could keep up was another question. Spongebob more than managed the task.
Low gear was more than enough to power the Sahara, which has no front or rear locking differentials. The only feature that would have made for a more comfortable ride would have been a sway bar disconnect. Lucky for me, I was driving and had a steering wheel to hold on to.
Whatever the Gladiator did, Spongebob followed dutifully along, like a puppy bounding after his mama learning the ropes of dogness. As KBB awaits a Jeep Gladiator for the next six months for our long-term ownership fleet, my time with this uber capable truck was a great appetite whetter.
Outfitted
In 2017, Backpacker Magazine named The Maze as one of the 10 most dangerous places to hike in the United States. Good thing my mother didn’t know this before I told her I was going.
I knew Spongebob would keep me in one piece getting there and coming home, but once there, you’d better be prepared. The folks at ARB, an Australian off-road aftermarket accessories company provided us with their Elements Freezer/Fridge for the trip. Food is a human’s fuel and we know how important that is to cars.
An all-weather product, the 63-quart Elements fridge sat outside for a night when the wind proved to powerful for one of our tents. It withstood 35-plus mile an hour winds and hours of pouring rain when Spongebob transformed into the best Motel 6 on the planet.
We plugged the fridge into Spongebob’s 12V rear connector, and since we didn’t have an external power source, we were concerned it might drain the battery. (You can connect the Elements fridge to a 110V outlet as well). You might not like it if your cheese gets sweaty, but you will hate if your truck doesn’t start in the morning. ARB’s Element’s fridge has settings for maintaining temperature and at the same time not drawing too much power from the car’s battery.
Going Solar
We also employed the use of a solar panel to make sure we didn’t get stuck, but in truth we wouldn’t have needed it. An emergency set of jumper cables should always be brought along just in case. However, Spongebob’s battery kept its mojo. No cables necessary. Food was cold. Beer was chilled. And the ARB has safety features so the “bears” don’t come along and steal said chilled beer.
While our gear packed under the tonneau cover of the Gladiator the food and fridge rode in the Wrangler. We carried in food for eight people for four nights and still had deli meat and cheese nice and cool as we drove out. Maybe I should change the Wrangler’s name to Cafe Spongebob.
Homeward
Total miles on Spongebob this trip turned the odometer past 10,000. I’ve loved every minute in this truck, but these last 1,600 rolling over the red rocks of Southern Utah that I love have been my favorite. With food still at a lovely 35-degrees, we snacked on the drive home, reminiscing about our hike down into the Maze. The rainstorm in which we found ourselves created waterfalls plummeting toward us, turned on an off as if by Mother Nature’s hand herself. Watching a river form was never on my bucket list, but that wonder has been crossed off nonetheless.
The full-moon rise I caught while sitting on a 1,500-foot cliff should be considered the eighth wonder of the world. Experiencing temperatures ranging from 90-degrees to a snowy 33 degrees over the span of four days sounds more like it would come compliments of an expensive plane ride. In a Jeep it’s not.
If getting out and seeing places humans may never have been intended to see, then a Jeep is something you’re going to want to put at the top of your vehicle shopping list.
Your History
by Lyn Woodward on March 30, 2020
Price: $53,860 | Price Yours
Current Odometer: 6,974
Latest MPG/MPGe: 17.37
Total MPG to date: 19.9
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days Out of Service: 0
As our time with the 2019 Jeep Wrangler Sahara comes closer to the end, I wanted to take a look back on what makes the Jeep such a special vehicle to drive.
Stand Out
While it’s technically considered an SUV, the Wrangler is singular in its design. In a sea of also-ran two-row SUVs with varying levels of capability, the Wrangler stands out. Remove badges from the Hyundai Santa Fe or the Honda Passport, and it might take a discerning eye to tell them apart. There is no mistaking a Jeep Wrangler. One could argue this to be its main selling point.
Historically Speaking
Jeeps history reeks of legendary stuff. Designed as a war vehicle in 1940 General George C. Marshall declared it to be “America’s greatest contribution to modern warfare”. It trucked around officers between the front lines and served as a tool so formative against the Germans they made every effort to steal them.
WWII journalist Ernie Pyle once said of the Jeep, “It did everything. It went everywhere. Was a faithful as a dog, as strong as a mule, and as agile as a goat. It constantly carried twice what it was designed for and still kept going.” One Jeep MB was even awarded a Purple Heart for its service and was sent home.
Doors Off/Phone On
Fast forward to the 21st century and the Jeep Wrangler, as it evolved from the MB, still does everything and goes everywhere. And does it with the doors off. Speaking of, we thought we’d give taking off those doors and having a conference call to see how good the speakers and microphone really are.
Removing the doors doesn’t require the four people it took to take off the hardtop. With the provided tools, one person can do this themselves. It takes less than two minutes if you know what you’re doing. It does require a place to keep the doors as you won’t fit them in the cargo space.
Once they’re off, and the top gone, the wind noise becomes deafening. Trying out a conversation inside the cabin turns into more of a shouting match. Ladies and gents with long hair, employ your buns or grab a hat.
Dialing a phone through the Uconnect system still proves easy, but once your caller picks up, you might as well call them in a wind tunnel. While the clarity of the speakers sounds good, the wind on highway driving makes far too much noise to conduct anything akin to a professional call. The boss will know you’re out having desert fun instead of parked at your desk.
Driving at a moderate pace sounds a little better, but these cars might be better left when you arrive at your destination. If the top and doors are off your Jeep Wrangler you’re better suited to commune with nature than a teleconference with the boss.
The Mild (Hybrid) Mannered Jeep Wrangler
by Sean Kealey on February 14, 2020
Price: $53,860 | Price Yours
Current Odometer: 6,272
Latest MPG/MPGe: 26.6
Total MPG to date: 20.93
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days Out of Service: 0
With miles quickly accumulating during our 2019 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Ownership Review, we thought we’d talk about the power sources getting us across those miles. Sources, you ask? Well, sort of.
Rev your engine
Our 2019 Jeep Wrangler’s 48-volt eTorque mild hybrid system offers to add fuel economy to the truck without the additional complexity and cost of a full hybrid system. What does it do? A belt-driven motor-generator not only makes the start/stop function for the engine incredibly effective, but it also helps push the Wrangler off the line for initial acceleration and allows the engine to coast when not on the throttle while driving. Simply put, it allows the engine to work less and be turned off more during your time behind the wheel, saving you fuel. Averaging 26.6 over a 125.6-mile commute, I was getting much better than advertised fuel economy.
Transmission frustrations
While the power plant is eager to propel the car through traffic, there is one point to the powertrain we think could use improvement, transmission tuning. For lower speed traffic or intercity driving, there isn’t much of an issue. However, part of the fuel economy is gained from the transmission short-shifting as early as 3000rpm at times. For brisker acceleration, our 2019 Jeep Wrangler has a tendency to begin to get into its power band before falling back out of it again when it shifts too early. The sensation during acceleration is uneven power delivery. For better refinement, all that would be needed is simply better tuning. During heavier throttle applications, a higher shift point would solve this minor gripe. Shifts themselves are smooth and brisk. It’s not a Porsche 911 PDK automatic, but more than acceptable for the application.
Phenomenal adaptive cruise control
Most people buying a 2020 Jeep Wrangler are probably not getting it for its driver’s assistance safety features, but maybe they should. The adaptive cruise control was among the best I have ever used. It was smooth, without making any harsh braking or jerky acceleration when keeping pace with the vehicles in front of me. It always seemed to apply just the right amount of brake or throttle to maintain the set distance. I was shocked at how well the system worked and how refined it felt. For traffic jams, this made the Wrangler an absolute sweetheart.
Moab Road Trip: Part Two
by Lyn Woodward on January 31, 2020
Price: $53,860 | Price Yours
Current Odometer: 5,789
Latest MPG/MPGe: 21.53
Total MPG to date: 21.42
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days Out of Service: 0
Some off-road trails in Moab aren’t for the unadventurous and for part two of this Sahara Spongebob road trip update my group of friends and I decided to give ourselves a bit of a challenge.
Our target was the confluence, where the Green River slithers into the mighty Colorado. Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah might be a contender as one of the most beautiful of the parks, and the Needles section would be our destination to check out just one of its watery natural wonders. We headed about 40 miles from Moab as the crow flies, past Newspaper Rock, a slab of red rock in the Wingate Sandstone cliffs blanketed in petroglyphs. A few miles down a right-hand turn and the dirt road ends at Elephant Hill. In order to get to our final destination, we’d have to either hike or drive, and that 5.5-mile trek was too far for the December cold.
Elephant Hill isn’t that coy type of trail deceiving less gutsy off-roaders into dipping in their toes before it’s too late. One look up the very beginning of the trail should ward off a novice. To say it’s a steep incline would be an understatement. Even in a short wheelbase 4×4 the first switchback is so sharp drivers must turn around on a small plateau called Turn Table. We had the Wrangler Unlimited, but even in a two-door we’d have had to execute the same maneuver. That second incline is steep but short and when we arrive on the top, we’re met with postcard views and about a quarter of a mile of flat slickrock trail that’s easy and settles the heartrate.
Riding the Elephant
Prepare for your palms to sweat again soon, however, because the backside of Elephant Hill makes the front look like a merry-go-round. The initial descent requires you squirt your rig through a steep walled drop that kicked the Wrangler down to the notch of another switch back so narrow all vehicles must rock crawl both down and up the bottom portion of it in reverse. That’s correct, the aptly named “Back Up Switch Back” can only be approached in both directions going backward. Trusting your spotter takes on a whole new meaning here, because you definitely need more than a rearview mirror to attempt this feat. Thankfully the Wrangler’s backup camera provides decent resolution. Heading down didn’t feel as treacherous as going up would be, but I saved my trepidation for later in the day.
We moved on to “Bud Hill” and “Coors Hill.” I’ll let you guess how they arrived at their names. Cheers. Both of these obstacles are at the start of the one-way loop that makes up the rest of our trip to where the Colorado River welcomes the Green to the party. After making it over without event, perhaps because no one was drinking their namesakes, we decided to lunch at Devil’s Kitchen, but we’d have to make it through perhaps my favorite obstacle, “Squeeze Play” first.
Navigating tight quarters
It’s a good thing the Wrangler hasn’t ballooned in size too much because any more girth and we’d still be stuck worse than a third grader’s wedgie. A slow and steady foot on the throttle insured safe passage. Once through the chute it was time to chow down, but also our trail partners, an automotive engineer and race car driver in their Lexus GX460, removed their front sway bar to make for a more comfortable ride on the trail. The Wrangler was comfortable enough without having to remove parts. Thank you, Jeep!
From there we headed north and alighted from our rigs, walking the quarter mile to the confluence. From our 2,000-feet perch we watched the rivers mingle together, their waters intertwining in their watery tango. Take care when shooting your selfie up here. A wrong move too close to the edge could make you an unexpected part of the choreography.
A-mazing route
With the sun already getting low in the overcast sky that was threatening snow, we didn’t stay long. Hoping back in the Wrangler we tackled “Golden Stairs” that tempted us with a view of the Canyonlands Maze. Nomenclature in Utah rarely exaggerates, and the Maze is an aptly named area both remote and challenging to get to and offers no services. The entrance alone to the Maze is an up to six-hour drive from the nearest ranger station in a high-clearance 4×4. This one we’d save for next trip.
For now, my main concern was getting us back over Elephant Hill before the sun went down. Going back up without a rear locking differential was my biggest concern. Utah’s slickrock is just that, especially when coated with a film of sand that brushes off the sandstone in the wind. The extra traction the Rubicon’s front and rear lockers provide are always nice insurance policies, even if you never use them.
But, once again, Spongebob didn’t disappoint. We might not have had the ground clearance of the Rubicon, or those bigger tires, or locking diffs, but the Command-Trac system dug in hard. Even if we had some tire spin and had to pick our line a little more conservatively than we otherwise would have, we were golden. Literally, because, well, Hella Yella. We rolled back onto the road feeling quite chuffed about our day and still had daylight to make it back to our house.
Highway jitters
The trip ended far too soon, though, and we found ourselves heading back to Los Angeles two days later. Of course, we caught Southern California’s Snowmaggedon 2019, and what should have taken us 13 hours took us closer to 17. My biggest gripe about highway driving in the Wrangler, and this was only amplified in sketchy, snowy conditions, is the steering. It tends to the lighter side, which for driving slowly over obstacles works well, but translates to a lot of movement at highway speeds.
If you sneeze, look away from the road for a beat and don’t keep your hands dead straight, hit a pothole or uneven piece of road, the steering gets very talkative and the driver needs to correct. For long commutes staying so focused with hands at nine and three this can get tiring. If you’re in the market for a Wrangler, make sure you know what kind of driving you’ll be doing, and what you can tolerate. If you truly are Jeep peep, this won’t bother you.
Snow notwithstanding Sahara Spongebob delivered us home safely before all the highways closed stranding us in the high desert for the night. On to the next adventure.
Moab Road Trip: Part One
by Lyn Woodward on January 15, 2020
Price: $53,860 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 5,025
Latest MPG/MPGe: 20.23
Total MPG to date: 21.53
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days Out of Service: 0
Sahara Spongebob has seen a lot of miles in the five months we’ve had it. Perhaps that’s an indication of just how much we love driving it. But no long-term ownership test of a Jeep Wrangler would be complete without a long drive to a spectacular somewhere to do some off-roading. However, because we believe that a Jeep’s on-road experience is just as important as the off-road one, this will be a two-part update. Part one will get us to said spectacular somewhere and part two will take us off-road there.
A total of 734 miles separate Los Angeles from Moab, Utah. I told you we were heading somewhere spectacular. For the trip, I would have with me two friends, and yes, ride comfort in the second row did make me nervous, but my friend Tina assured me she would be fine. Luckily Tina is one of those fortunate folks who fall asleep the second she sits down in an airplane and has to be awoken upon arrival. Also, the interior rear passenger space in the JL cuts a more generous swath over the JK, so she had that to look forward to.
We headed out before the sun rose to avoid LA’s paralyzing traffic and headed east. We’d escape Southern Cal via the 101 freeway and pick up Interstate 15 on the flip side of Ontario. From there we’d meander through Angeles National Forest and up through Barstow. There’s not a lot to distract a driver’s eyes from the road between there and what feels like forever, except for an exit sign that reads Zzyzx Rd. How would you pronounce that? Well, it’s z-eye-zicks. I’m right, because I say so.
Good road manners
Without overstating it, the JL Wrangler’s road manners would make Martha Stewart proud. Improvements made over the previous JK generation to the chassis, and a 5-link suspension set up that’s tuned for excellent on-road handling are to thank. The adaptive Command-Trac 4×4 system, which automatically switches between 2- to 4-wheel drive, engages when extra traction becomes a necessity.
New aerodynamic considerations make for less road noise, though I’ll admit, I’m glad my more practical side won over my initial impulse at having only the soft Sunrider top. Not only would it have been colder in the Wrangler (there is no cold weather package on Spongebob) but inside the road noise is much more of a factor than with the hard top.
Dynamic cruise control definitely played a starring role in my driving game plan. The system remains one of my favorites in the segment thanks to its smooth engagement of the brakes and the ability to adjust the follow distance. At high speeds I like to trail a bit further behind, so braking doesn’t induce a panic attack. In slower traffic the closest setting is near enough that other drivers playing Frogger on their commutes aren’t tempted to cut me off, but I have good wiggle room should they attempt it.
Interior considerations
The interior space, specifically the storage or lack thereof, turns out to be the least conducive to long road trips. By the time we scorched through Las Vegas, each of us miraculously went from one water bottle to two or three, and snack food wrappers had multiplied as though the good Lord himself were doling them out to the masses. The cup holders in the Wrangler are few and of the small-based variety, so my 36-ounce Flask didn’t fit anywhere. Good thing I’m a neatnik and brought a plastic bag for trash, otherwise, we might have all been buried alive before passing through St. George, Utah, and never made our final destination. I hope you would have come to look for us.
Blessedly, the California desert morphs into stratified red rocks that look as though John Wayne’s ghost might ride up alongside us at any moment. We made the drive out on December 21st, the shortest day (or longest night, whichever you prefer) of the year and the sun hung low by the time we turned onto Interstate 70 that would deliver us through the Manti-La Sal National Forest. Snow dusted the red mountains like powdered sugar on a New Orleans beignet. Delicious.
No body part was happier that our backsides to make the final turn south on Highway 191 just 32 miles outside of Moab. While the seats in the Wrangler aren’t uncomfortable, there are few vehicles that receive a 10 on the Lyn Woodward hinny scale after a stretch that long. Poor Tina in the back. Oh, wait, she’s still asleep sitting up. Awesome ride in Sahara Spongebob notwithstanding, after 12 hours I was ready to get out of the car.
Can’t wait to fill you in on what happened once we got to Moab and where we ventured out on the trail without a rear locking differential. How would Sahara Spongebob fair on some of the most technical rock crawling terrain in the world? Stay tuned…
Hella Good
by Lyn Woodward on December 20, 2019
Price: $53,860 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 4,715
Latest MPG/MPGe: 21.12
Total MPG to date: 20.93
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days Out of Service: 0
When we picked out Sahara Spongebob, we went for it in the color department. Hella Yella caught our eye immediately. It popped, looked like fun. Put that on a Jeep Wrangler, which is already an inherently fun vehicle and it might double your fun. We weren’t wrong.
There have been so many people who’ve complimented the vivacious color. My mom absolutely loves it. “It looks like a sunny day,” she said when I first brought it home. It does. That got me thinking what else it looked like. I never thought the color yellow was much of a popular one, but when I started looking around, as happens with cars you’re thinking of buying, I saw yellow everywhere.
Yellow Starburst candy, the second “o” in the Google logo I see every day when I get on my computer. Childhood icon Big Bird fluffs up to a perfect sunshiny hue. It’s the color of my favorite food (macaroni and cheese) and of the seasonal Easter marshmallow treats called Peeps that will send you into insulin shock just by looking at them. There’s a 10-carat canary yellow diamond ring that would look great on my hand when driving Sahara Spongebob, but it costs $345,000 and Kelley Blue Book won’t let me expense that. If I wrapped the Wrangler in crime scene tape it would blend right into the paint color, except for those pesky black letters. And of course, it’s the color of its namesake, Spongebob Squarepants, whatever that weird thing is.
Sunny-D, French’s mustard, Juicy Fruit (this one really moves you though), and Minion, were some of the names suggested when I took a poll on Instagram. There was even Penske McGuffin suggested by my co-worker Micah Muzio because it’s the same color as the Penske moving trucks. Hopefully, I won’t be moving any co-workers in the JL.
Jeep Wave
If you drive a Wrangler, then you’ve heard of the Jeep Wave. Nowhere in the owner’s manual does it explain the Wave. It’s a secret handshake between Wrangler owners as they drive by. Some say it was started on the battlefields of Europe during WWII when the Jeep first appeared as the MB. Others claim it started back on the homefront with owners, typically war vets who knew the benefits of driving the sturdy, indestructible 4×4 vehicle, acknowledging each other.
For those who take it seriously, there’s a point system. Older Jeeps are worth more points. A pre-CJ, meaning a wartime MA or MB is worth 30 points. A CJ goes for 25. Sixteen points are yours if you get an owner in a YJ with its rectangular headlamps to wave at you. The evergreen TJ nets 15 points. According to our source on the ever-reliable internet, they had no idea what the JK or JL are worth. Perhaps for the person who created it, this game ended in 2006 when production stopped on the TJ. But for our money, we’ll say a JK gets 12 and the JL 10. Sounds fair to us with room for new generations of Wranglers to come.
Do I get more waves because of Spongebob’s color? I’m not sure. Most 4-door model owners don’t even play the game. I wave whenever I see a fellow driver, acknowledgment not required. Sahara Spongebob and I still feel Hella part of the fellowship.
Speaking of the fellowship, for owners, Jeep’s got an exclusive membership program appropriately called Jeep Wave. Perks include 24/7 phone support should you have any questions. Four oil changes and tire rotations for the length of your active membership, a no-charge Jeep rental service for the day while your vehicle is being worked on, trip insurance up to $1,000 if you’re on a road trip in the Jeep and something goes amiss, and access to VIP Jeep events throughout the U.S. are all included in the membership. That membership is standard on all Wranglers and Gladiators, and on select trim levels on the Grand Cherokee, Cherokee, Compass, and Renegade.
Top-tions
by Lyn Woodward on December 16, 2019
Price: $53,860 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 2,690
Latest MPG/MPGe: 20.73
Total MPG to date: 21.95
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days Out of Service: 0
One of the benefits of driving a Jeep Wrangler is the freedom it offers. Not just the ability to keep going when the pavement ends, but the freedom you get from the wind whipping through the hair you have left. There is no other production vehicle (for the time being, that is) like a Wrangler, capable of removing both doors and the roof as well as blasting the windshield forward for the full al fresco driving experience.
On our long-term loaner, we intentionally opted for both the Freedom hardtop and the Sunrider soft top in order to see what we liked best and to test how easy it would be to swap between the two. The Freedom hardtop works better for controlling the level of road noise. The T-tops over the driver and front passenger take minimal effort to remove if you’re looking for a little fun in the sun. There are some easily disengaged latches and one major clasp behind the sun visor to unlock the tops. Without being too heavy or awkward, removing them can be a one-person job provided the person is tall enough and strong enough to lift the panels, weighing about 20 pounds each. They stash easily in the cargo area in special bags provided by Jeep.
The rest of the hardtop, however, while easy to unbolt using the small tool kit also provided by Jeep, would test even The Rock on his strength and agility. Yes, we love that there’s a special place to put the bolts, so you don’t lose the hardware. Smart. However, the hardtop weighs roughly 140 pounds. That may not seem like a Herculean number, but the logistics of one person removing it, given its position on the vehicle and how you’d have to put it on the ground seem like a puzzle fit for Einstein. Set yourself up with a lift in your garage to crane it off and no problem.
Soft top assembly
Once you wrangle the hardtop to the floor, making sense of the soft top instructions feels akin to advanced IKEA furniture assembly. The owner must construct the light plastic scaffolding on which the soft top rests, using long bolts, washers, and nuts. Again, Jeep provides all the necessary tools in the small kit. Putting the actual canvas top attached to its frame also lends itself to a multi-human experience. Instructions aren’t the clearest, but at least they’re included.
It took us about two hours to change out the top, but granted, this was our first time doing it. Another time and it would probably take more like 30 minutes. However, given the man/woman-power needed, unless it was a seasonal thing, I wouldn’t change this top out all that often. Another reason? Storage. The box that the soft top comes in is over five feet long. How do I know? I could lie down on top of it. Living in an apartment, I wouldn’t have a place to store either the hardtop or the soft top when they weren’t on the Jeep. Alas.
For our driving purposes, and that it’s winter and the hardtop provides better insulation, so we put the hardtop back on and had Jeep fetch the soft top so we wouldn’t lose it in the cubicle forest that is the Kelley Blue Book Irvine HQ.
Overall, the tops are simple to figure out and offer some great driving options. Stay tuned for us taking off everything including the doors and driving around during a conference call to test how the hands-free speakers and microphone work!
Welcome Back/You Connected?
by Lyn Woodward on November 25, 2019
Price: $53,860 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 1,975
Latest MPG/MPGe: 25.61
Total MPG to date: 22.65
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0
Days Out of Service: 27
Aaaaaaand, we’re back. Well, Sahara Spongebob is back with new headlamps and a new grille. Poor guy was gone for 27 days at the shop, mostly due to insurance issues and coordinating coverage, but we’re happy to have our 2019 Jeep Wrangler back in the fold. In the past month we’ve heard from so many people how crummy it was that its headlamps were stolen, and we cannot agree more. We’ve also had some generous offer of help including from the folks at Oracle Lighting, but we are squared away.
We can’t report on costs as Jeep took care of the repairs, but we can estimate. A set of the LED headlights that were stolen cost about $500. The grille goes for about $350. Let’s add another $25 for additional hardware or parts and then figure about two hours of labor to remove the old grille and put in the new light set up and grille (this is probably being very optimistic). But I’m guessing this turned into between a $1,500 and $2,000 repair. Bummer it had to happen at all.
Uconnect heaven
Now onto what I’d really like to discuss and something I really missed when it was gone, the Wrangler’s Uconnect system. While my personal car does have Bluetooth connectivity, having Apple CarPlay has become a bit of a crutch. The way it seamlessly integrates with Jeep’s Uconnect interface made me miss it more. Plug it in and go. It works that well together.
Uconnect app icons are easily customizable along the bottom of the standard 5- or 7-inch or upgraded 8.4-inch touchscreen display depending on which trim level you purchase. For me, I toggle between Apple CarPlay and music most frequently, so I moved those icons within close reach. Climate controls comes in a close third, so being able to adjust which vents the air conditioning comes from is within easy reach.
Not a huge fan of all the bing-bong noises that the Wrangler’s safety warnings and door locks make? That is easily customizable, too. There’s even an adjustment for volume controls, though I admit even the low setting is way too loud and shocking for me when remote locking the doors. That noise I turned off completely.
Blind-spot warning intrusion
One quibble I have about the blind-spot monitoring system. There are two ways to receive warnings that another car sits within dangerous proximity, an orange triangle indicator on the right or left side mirror depending on where the car in your blind spot is located. There are also audible alerts that bing-bong when the turn signal is engaged. If you’re listening to podcasts or audio books like I do on a long commute these alerts override whatever’s being played through the speakers and you can lose bits of narrative. Is hearing who Rob Lowe enjoyed working with in The Outsiders during his book, Stories I Only Tell My Friends more important than getting in an accident, no. But it frustrates me, nonetheless. I could shut it off, but let’s face it, safety features are a good thing to have on long commutes.
If for whatever reason you don’t use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for navigation needs, then the Uconnect navigation system that’s available with the 8.4-inch Radio and Premium Audio Group works intuitively. There aren’t a ton of layers to get through to input destination or set up favorites. Also, saves money on streaming if you don’t have unlimited data on your phone plan.
Now that Spongebob is back we’re thrilled and are happy to have him and all his handy tech back on the road.
Windows to the Soul
by Lyn Woodward on October 22, 2019
Price: $53,860 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 1,743
Latest MPG/MPGe: 21.3
Total MPG to date: 22.06
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days out of Service: 0
This update is not going to be the one I intended. Planned was a conversation on the Uconnect system and safety features that come on our Wrangler and how we’re enjoying and appreciating them. Instead, this is an update to mention a violation to Sahara Spongebob.
The other morning when I went outside to run some errands, I saw that the Sahara’s headlights were missing, having been unceremoniously and in rather Oedipal fashion, gouged out. Whoever perpetrated the crime knew what they were doing. The grille was marginally pried back on both sides, the LED headlamps unscrewed and unplugged then taken. Spongebob was parked on a semi-busy street, so my guess is that this was a quick job that may have been done by two people.
When I reached out to Jeep to tell them about the theft, they said this was the first time they’d heard of this. As much as I think this may happen more often than anyone wants to acknowledge, I was glad to hear at least in the press fleet no one had experienced this before.
After some research on the internet, I noticed that the Jeep JL seven-inch LED headlights with the halo don’t fit on earlier JK models, so no one is swapping old ones out for these. However, at almost $500.00 for a pair, they might prove an interesting and easy target for someone selling upgrades or replacements at a slightly reduced price to someone with a JL who didn’t originally opt for the LEDs.
Several Jeep forums made mention of JL taillights being easily stolen as well as offering suggestions of security locks and hardware for aftermarket light bars, but nothing about a rash of headlights being popular targets for unlawful entrepreneurs. This was good news. I did find a tamper-proof screw set designed to keep any would-be light-fingered villains away from headlights, however, this set only worked on TJ and JK models. Perhaps it’s time to get a new set for the JL made.
We’ll have to wait and see how long Spongebob is at the car optometrist getting his eyes fixed as well as how much it will cost. I’m expecting with parts and labor around $1,000 since the grille will have to be replaced as well. Though if the perpetrators removed them with the haste I think they did, labor costs hopefully won’t be too massive getting them back in.
Unexpected Niceties
by Lyn Woodward on October 4, 2019
Price: $53,860 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 918
Latest MPG: 26.18
Total MPG to date: 21.08
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days out of Service: 0
We’ve spent two weeks in our new long-term Jeep Wrangler Sahara and already driven it over 800 miles. Personally, and thanks to XM radio and the 80s on 8 channel, all of my 16-year old dreams have come true. Admittedly, I am the perfect person to drive this car, the target demographic if you will. Since I can remember I thought about barreling a CJ-7 or a Wrangler down the PCH along the Los Angeles coastline with the roof and doors off blasting an over-synthesized Don Henley tune.
Flash forward just a couple of years and at heart I’m still that girl with the semi-contained hair flying out of a Dodgers baseball cap and her mind on dirt roads in the desert. So far the Jeep hasn’t disappointed me, and I’m not 100-percent convinced it’s going to. But, I have some first impressions, some unexpected items that the folks at Jeep bring to the table in the new JL Wrangler that I thought I’d share.
Mind your road manners
First, road manners, I’ll go into this more later, but at first blush, the Jeep no longer has that rough and rugged, trucky drive quality to it. There’s more refinement in the suspension, smoothness on the road that folks who haven’t ridden in a Jeep for a while don’t expect. My friend Eloise and I drove to Santa Barbara to meet a friend for brunch, and she remarked at how comfortable she was for the hour plus drive there and then back. We didn’t test this theory from the back seat, but I will in the future. Also, bonus, notice the insane gas mileage we’re getting so far with the 2.0-liter 4-cylinder turbo!
Second, cruise control. Again, knowing what an off-road juggernaut the Wrangler is, that a Jeep is equipped not only with cruise control, but adaptive cruise control might come as a surprise. The system on the Wrangler is one of the nicest I’ve experienced. Braking is smooth, not scary. The driver can adjust the distance between them and the car in front from conservative to up-close-and-personal depending on their comfort level, and the sensors read the situation quickly allowing the engine to accelerate and get the Jeep up to speed without annoying whoever’s tailgating behind you.
Start/stop surprises
Auto stop/start might not be your favorite feature, but for some fuel conscious commuters, this might be welcome. Normally I shut this one off immediately if the manufacturer permits, but the one in the Jeep Wrangler is so unobtrusive mostly I forget. Surely when you’re off road this is going to be a nuisance? Not so. Again, when I thought I’d shut it down, I was so focused on my line ahead of me and putting my tires where I wanted them I didn’t notice the feature at all. Now, perhaps if I was in a serious rock crawling situation or in sand dunes I might shut this off, but for everyday driving it’s not offensive.
So far I love the attention to detail in the Wrangler’s interior. There are spaces for things that have already proven helpful. The netting on the driver and passenger doors allow for storage without items sliding around. This works great for my microphone when I’m shooting video. In the center console, there’s a slot between both cup holders where I can stand up my phone and still have it plugged in (this saves the life of my chargers – they don’t have to bend unnaturally and break at the neck of the connector). The top cubby of the center console is a perfect size to put my bulky key fob and the rest of my keys. Underneath there’s a great place to stash a baseball hat and sun glasses in case I’ve forgotten mine or a passenger is in need.
First impressions? I’m impressed. Stay tuned for more thoughts, musings, gushy Jeep love, and yes, candid honesty.
Introduction
by Lyn Woodward on September 19, 2019
Price: $53,860 | Price yours
Current Odometer: 138
Latest MPG: n/a
Total MPG to date: n/a
Maintenance/Service Costs: $0.00
Days out of Service: 0
Kelley Blue Book’s long-term test fleet just got a little more fun. Please welcome the 2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara to our flock. Wranglers have long been one of the most unique vehicles produced, not just because of the way they look but in what they’re capable of doing on dirt. Their legendary off-road capability might literally move mountains, but that’s not the only place folks drive.
Over the next six months we plan on testing our Wrangler Sahara the way most people use it, on the highway. Some editorial staffers brave over a 100-mile round trip commute to the office. That’s a lot of road miles in tough Southern California traffic. Will the Wrangler be comfortable for the long haul?
What tech and safety features does your 2019 Wrangler Sahara come with?
The things we want to check out most are the creature comforts inside the cabin. Base price on the Sahara starts at $38,395, and that gets the buyer a lot of convenient features including leather seats, a 7-inch touchscreen, remote keyless entry, and a universal garage door opener. As far as safety features, we paid an additional $895 for Jeep’s Active Safety Group that includes parking sensors and blind-spot and cross-path detection. For hours on the road these might end up being important features. Another extra we wanted to test was the adaptive cruise control. Seems incongruous on a Jeep meant just for dirt, but again, they’re mostly pavement dwellers these days. That $795 package also comes with advanced braking assist and full-speed forward collision. We will see if it’s cash well spent.
What are some other features you’ll be testing?
We also added both the LED lighting group ($995) and the premium Alpine audio and upgraded 8.4-inch touchscreen display ($1,595). After all, it’s the daily drive and the tech to make it tolerable that we’re mostly interested in testing with this loaner. It’s got both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, good start. We’ll use the Wi-Fi hot spot and see how we like the auto-dimming rearview mirror. We’ll also use Jeep’s UConnect GPS navigation system. Since this is a Jeep and lots of folks do travel far off the grid, will we simply be able to input latitude and longitude coordinates into the system to find any spot on the globe?
Cute top
One of the most frequent questions buyers ask about the Jeep Wrangler’s comfort on the road comes down to noise. Is the hard-top better at dampening road and wind noise than the soft top? If the top and doors are off can I still have a hands-free phone conversation? What about simply talking with passengers in the second row? These are all big questions for us, too. Hence, we ordered our Wrangler with the dual top option. This was the priciest package of the bunch at $2,295, but it’s a question that begs answering. How hard is it to remove either the 3-piece hard top or the Sunrider Soft Top? Can one person do it alone? How long does it take and how much storage room does either take up when they’re off? Does the Jeep tool kit that comes with it have everything we need? We could do an entire video on this topic alone. Hmmmm.
Does the Jeep Wrangler get decent fuel economy?
Because of those anticipated long commutes we opted to test the Wrangler’s 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder turbocharged engine. We love how powerful the V6 is, but our purpose here is different. We want to know if the Wrangler can also be an efficient daily driver. Mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, will this powertrain set up save draining our wallets so we can afford to get weekend trips to the mountains? The EPA claims a 22 combined mpg. We’ll see how legit that is. And then when we get to those mountains on the weekends we’ll find out if the eTorque proves powerful enough to get us over them.
So, you are still going to drive the Wrangler off-road?
Silly question. Of course, we’re still going to drive our Jeep Wrangler off road. Our Sahara comes equipped with protective skid plates, a part time all-wheel drive system, but is also 4×4 capable. It’s got a heavy-duty suspension with gas shocks as well as hill decent control. We have trips planned for the Imperial Sand Dune just north of the Mexico, California border, and a longer road trip to Moab, Utah over Christmas. Good thing we got the all-weather floor mats for $75, too. We think we’re going to need them.
So far, our choice of bright Hellayella paint on our Wrangler Sahara lands in the win column. It screams fun whenever we see it in the parking lot, so much that we’ve already named the Jeep. Welcome to your new (temporary) home, Spongebob. Over the next six months we’re excited to see if your fun looks translate to enjoyable commuting on a daily basis. We can’t wait for the journey and hope you join us here for regular updates.
