Finally drove Wrangler unltd (Rubicon)

[FC]

I know most don't care, but still.

I drove a completely loaded '09 that was the only one in stock at the dealership that's less a than a mile form work.

In short, going into it, my expectations were so low that I came out pleasantly surprised.

There is a lot that is very different about the car. It's really not big. I'm 5'10" and I was taller than it. The rear seats have very short bottoms and very steep backs - and not a lot of leg room. Cargo behind it is good but not impressive. The front row was better. The doors don't have stops, so the wind caught one and it swang like crazy. Lot's of other quirks and things that remind you this is no ordinary vehicle.

Anyhow, the drive... (and keep in mind I have very little experience driving SUV's) Well, it's is remarkably quiet. Very smooth running at idle. Also, let go of the brake and the car doesn't move - at all. You really have to give it gas for it to move - must be an offroad thing, which makes perfect sense. It isn't that slow. Granted, I immediately changed my driving style to that of a normal car. For average street driving the motor is adequate. Hit the gas and it strains to gain speed quickly, but it is not dangerously slow. I suspect 50-70 acceleration will be poor, but this is a wrangler. At 60mph it also wasn't as noisy or windy as I had expected (and ti was VERY windy yesterday). Amazingly, and I don't care that it was new, that car was completely rattle-free even over railroad tracks. Considering all the removable body parts, this really impressed me. It doens't feel big or very heavy (relative to SUV's). It didn't feel bigger or heavier than the V70R (though much clumsier, of course). Brakes were not good. Not awful, but definitely not good. Also, the lighting was piss poor. It's good that these things can pull off having additional lamps because it will need it. I tried an emergency lane change-type move at ~45mph and it quickly reminds you of what it is and what it isn't. Massive body roll. Still, the car was surprisingly civilized for the big knobby tires it had. Tranny worked fine. Steering was decent.

In other words, since 90% of my driving with this car will be in faoul weather, or with the dog, or with an open top, or towing, or carrying lots of crap, and just about all of it around town, the "performance" of the car is perfectly fine.

In all, I found it to be much more refined than my brother's Cherokee. Considering what this thing can do, that's amazing. Still, it is what it is. I would still go nuts with it as my only car (although I could probably live with one for a few months until the novelty wears off). I would not want to take it on the hwy often or on the kind of drives to Canada we usually do (late at night, everyone is asleep, 75mph+ for hours on interstate hwys). Also, I now realize that it's lunacy to spend big money on these things for the use I would give it.

I still wish I'd had the time to play with the tops, drive it open-air, drop the rear seats, etc. Oh well. That will have to wait.

But it is still a cool car with lots of character and ability that can do a bunch of things. But what is it worth when I can have a used, regular SUV do the things I need to have it do for less? Well, it depends on what I'm willing to pay for what I'd like it to do and what it can do. I'm not so sure yet. Told my wife I drove it in light of the cheap jeep that's for sale and she suddenly started having real questions about our car startegy. I guess she had just been stringing me along all this time since she knew nothing was imminent.

Anyhow, we'll have to talk, but the car didn't make write it off the list. In fact it was a bit better than I had expected.