mmarshall

Here's one reason for the Jeep Wrangler's continuing popularity. While it is not the only vehicle that can do something like this, its strength and versatility under tough conditions is well-noted, Watch as one helps clear a large, fallen tree off the road in North Carolina, following the damage and destruction from Florence.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/video...az8ybgn5hogcfe

b2884987

You know what they say. It's a Jeep thing.

Stroock639

from my observations, footage like what you posted accounts for like 0.6% of the wrangler's continued popularity. most of the time i've seen people want a wrangler because it's "cute" and "cool" and a dog looks great in the back of one. girls also like them a lot, and i feel a lot of guys at least consider that when looking at one lol. the amount of 4 door wranglers that kids in my high school graduating class got was like ridiculous. times like these are when i wish i didn't actually like driving a nice car so much, because i can tell you my LS hasn't done crap for me in the sex department lmao... that's one area where the E55 has at least been more clutch.

one day some dad and daughter were looking at used rav4's with me to be her first car, and the girl really couldn't have cared less because she was excited to look at the jeeps across the street. the only thing that really got her attention was when she happened to see an FJ cruiser a bit further back. oooh daddy daddy what's that jeep thing over there it looks cool! how much is that!? (too much was the answer)

they're certainly not popular because they're nice to drive, it's probably one of the worst driving things one can buy. right up there with the g wagon. the TJ and YJ wranglers to me are "the wrangler" since it's still a properly dangerous vehicle and doesn't have un-wranglery creature comforts like 4 doors and safety equipment. i'd love a TJ with the 4.0 inline 6 and a manual trans, but there's old 4runners and land cruisers i'd get way before that.

bagwell

mmarshall

Well, yes and no. Unlike the vast majority of SUV owners in the United States (only about 5% of, on average, regular go off-road or do heavy work with them), over 25% of Wrangler owners (some surveys even show as high as 50%) use them for traditional Jeep roles. Wrangler owners, in general, are a different group from your typical Soccer-Moms who mostly go grocery shopping or haul the kids around.

Agreed. One must remember that the Wrangler traces its 1940s roots to one of the most simple, stark, but rugged military designs one could imagine. They never have been (primarily) designed for comfort, though they have gradually grown more civilized and less-punishing to drive with time and interior/suspension improvements.

Johnhav430

I rented one in Toronto because the lot was slim pickins, and I'd take a Rogue or Sante Fe over it any day of the week. I get that if off roading it would be great, but on road, it's sub par. The nylon door stop/strap was interesting.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Stroock639

probably the latter haha

Stroock639

well i'm just reporting what i've seen on the north shore of long island. many of them will be all decked out with off-roading equipment and the big tires, but are all suspiciously lacking any dirt...

Kira X

iTrader: (24)

It's mainly younger women that drive Jeeps around here. It seems like they love it until they buy one and realize how harsh the ride is. I see so many get traded in after a year or two.

They are extremely common around here. Everyone has a lifted Rubicon with offroad tires but nobody ever goes offroad. I think they look cool but they are too pricey for me.

mmarshall

Well, for those concerned about the Wrangler's stiff ride, the Rubicon version, which has the strongest and most heavy-duty underpinnings, is probably the stiffest of all.

96SC4

iTrader: (2)

Stroock639

well ok mr. pedantic lol i was using dirt in the general sense, not exclusively just meaning mud or grime. it's easy to tell when a car has been on the beach, and from all the pristine black tires and undercarriages they have i promise you the ones i mentioned weren't driving on any sand.

the wrangler (4 door at least) is primarily a fashion statement / trendy thing to have, actual capability and utilization are way back in 2nd place.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

Popular because it's one of the only vehicles that still carries a solid front and rear axles, can be purchased with factory diff lockers (Rubicon), and has a bigger aftermarket support than any other 4X4.
Reliability aside, build quality aside, ride quality aside, nobody else offers a vehicle that has all these features.

I've been in a few built Jeeps. One was a custom built Jeep 4dr JK that my buddy bought from a local exotic dealership which was originally built by Auto Art for Bears player Matt Forte. That thing was fully rhinolined, several inch lift, Rigid lightbars everywhere, 40" tires, etc. That was by far the worst riding vehicle I've ever been in. I won't even go into detail about how bad and uncomfortable it was. It was a humongous joke.

The other Jeep was also a JK that was more purpose built. Smaller lift, 35s, Fox shocks, beefier DANA axles, etc. This thing can actually go unlike the show Jeep that was on 40's that just looked impressive but still ran the weak stock axles etc.

I get the allure of Jeeps, but I'd never build one as a cross country adventure vehicle for the family. It is plenty capable (arguably the most capable of any modern 4X4), but it feels like you're inside a cheap tent on wheels. Wind noise like nothing else you've experienced, tiny inside, almost no trunk, **** poor towing capacity, **** poor payload capacity, weak motor, built like a Geo Metro, etc.

A Jeep would be cool as an offroad-only toy that you can trailer out to different locations and really play around with. The guys that are driving these things 1,000+ miles on large tires, I just don't understand how they're doing it, it's unbearable. Those things are designed for low speed rock crawling type driving, not baja style speed runs, and definitely not highway. Those things SUCK on the highway.

TXgearhead