Do not buy this Jeep! Nope, don’t do it! Do NOT buy this vehicle if you never intend to go off road. Seriously. If you do; if you buy this amazing Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and never use it – Seal Team Six may come to your door… weapons hot.
I make this plea to you as I have seen so many Rubicons, over-built for the rough and tumble, living their days out as grocery getters. Oh the shame. I once saw a last generation Rubicon driven by a guy wearing a pink shirt with a turned up collar and wearing an ear-bud for Bluetooth. Oy! Worse of all, he was blaring a “Glee” mix… no lie.
Let me ask you a few (5) questions…
- Why buy a vehicle that has Dana 44 front and rear axles?
- Why bother getting a vehicle with a “Wrangler's super-tough, Rock-Trac® part-time 4WD system includes Tru-Lok® front and rear lockers and a super-slow 4:1 gear ratio. A 4:1 low-gear allows Wrangler to crawl at lower speed for greater control and multiplies the amount of low torque available at the wheels.” - - Chrysler Group LLC
- Why get “Tru-lok” electric locking front and rear differentials?
- Why get a sway bar that can be electrically disconnected for greater articulation?
- Why bother with chunky 32-inch BFG tires?
Look dude, if you’re not going to use this stuff – you’re wasting money, adding weight and telling the world what a putz you are. On the other hand, if you DO intend to use this equipment, you’re one smart off-roader.
This new Wrangler already comes with an excellent, all-new 285 horsepower 3.6-liter V6 that puts out 260 lbs-feet of torque. This Jeep can finally get out of its own way and can do a 0 to 60 run in a bit over 7-seconds! The old one had 83 less horsepower, sucked more gas and put out less torque (a deficit of 23 lbs). Jeep rates its economy at 17 mpg city and 21 mpg highway. Even after a day of hardcore off-roading, I averaged nearly 16 mpg – which is much better than I expected.
Roman and I have hit Moab, UT in some of the most beefed up Jeeps you can legally drive. We’re talking about tens-of-thousands of dollars’ worth of aftermarket add-ons. Jeep Wranglers are some of the most customizable vehicles out there. These things were amazing, but near useless for day-to-day driving. We both agree, in terms of off-road mastery and surprisingly good daily drivability, this 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon kicks ass.
Don’t believe me? Have a look at this video where Roman and I cross-shop a Volkswagen Tiguan and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon (they are about the same price).
By the way... People may debate the claim I stated several times in the video that, “this Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is the best off-road vehicle on the planet,” but it is the truth. Find a vehicle with a better approach, departure and break-over angle. Look for a vehicle that has the ability to articulate like this does. Try matching its power to weight, its toughness its footprint. As a store-bought machine, you simply cannot do better for the rough stuff.
Comments