Jeep Wrangler
Submitted: Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 14:13
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Echucan Bob
I just had a look through the archive, and there don't seem to be any recent assessment's of Jeep's capabilities.
The cheapest Wranglers are priced from $32.5 ks, which seems very little. I can imagine they are not the most comfortable car out there. But can they handle remote desert travel? There seems to be no low range gear box. I'd be interested to hear from anyone with experience of a recent model.
Incidentally, the Grand Cherokee must be selling like hotcakes. I seem to be seeing hundreds of them throughout Victoria.
Bob
Reply By: Rangiephil - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 14:53
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 14:53
Well I recently worked for a bloke who had a 2 door Wrangler short wheelbase petrol with the new 3.6 motor and 5 speed auto.
I was pretty impressed with what it drove like and i guess you could extrapolate it to the LWB.
The 3.6 has little low down torque but the 5 speed auto is responsive enough on the highway to drop down one gear up big hills. It would not pull Moonie Moonie
hill in top but the change down was not a big deal like in a 4 speed.
The fuel economy at 110 and in
Sydney traffic was about 10-11L per 100kms which I thought was good considering the shape.
The SWB Wrangler gets panned for being vague on the highway , but I thought the opposite , that it was "twitchy" wanting to change direction at the slightest provocation.
Off road even stock it has good ground clearance and not bad articulation , as I accompanied it on
Blacksmiths Beach in an FJ Cruiser , and I think the Jeep performed better, mainly because the FJ ran out of clearance .
The interior is quite nice , but I found the high dashboard not to my liking and intrusive , but I am used to Land Rover which have great vision.
It has all the fruit inside with modern bits like bluetooth etc AFAIR.
The soft top was not all that noisy and didn't flap at 110 Kmh , but got very hot on a hot day, but this is common to all softops.
I didn't get to drive it with the hardtop on, but I can tell you its very heavy and at least a two man job to lift on and off and very unbalanced with the weight all at the back.
If I had enough money I would seriously consider a 4 door hardtop with diesel auto,as they have a lot of cargo room and are impressive. The 2013 Rubicon looks great with body painted roof but is 50K and only petrol.
Regards Philip A
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Follow Up By: Echucan Bob - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 16:30
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 16:30
Philip
Thanks for that. I have a Disco at present and a ten years old trying to decide whether to keep it going or look at alternatives.
Bob
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Follow Up By: Rangiephil - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 11:26
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 11:26
Ha I just bought a 2002 Disco TD5 with 130KK after having a RRC for 13 years.
If you are DIY I would suggest keep the Disco unless it has 300KK on it and if it does buy another low K one..
From the AULRO and club experience it appears the motors are very reliable if you
check the oil pump bolt, but they do suffer from some annoying small problems like the Fuel Pressure Regulator leak.
I am like a significant number of Land Rover owners who keep their D2s as they think the D3-D4 just has too high a "contingent Liability" ie ability to cost BIG money if something goes wrong, and the complexity of the air
suspension , and the 19 inch wheels also turns me away.
I think seriously if I were in the market for a say 40K 4wd I would be looking at a Mitsu Challenger or Isuzu Mux or whatever it is called.
Simple
suspension , Japanese design and hopefully reliability.
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Reply By: Member - Odog - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 19:21
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 19:21
G'day Bob, I had been looking around at another fourby, year or two ago, had heard stories about water leaking inside the wranglers... Came across one at a car yard, opened the drivers door and put my hand under the
seat, sure enough, about and inch or so of water laying there.. Stories were true! Just for your info. Cheers Odog
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Reply By: mikehzz - Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 19:39
Wednesday, Dec 18, 2013 at 19:39
Wranglers are quite nice to drive, certainly more comfortable than their closest competitor the LR Defender. All the Wranglers I have been in have low range. They suffer from a smallish fuel tank which can hurt for remote travel and they have a surprisingly low tow capacity even in the 4 door model. The diesel is a pretty common VM 2.8 that they seem to be using in the new Colorados. I would go that way for extra range out of the tank. Very capable out of the box off road. Some people say Jeeps are unreliable....all I can say is some are and some aren't. :-)
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Reply By: RedCherokee - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 20:40
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 20:40
Trading in our 3 year old Cherokee for a 2door Wrangler. Pick it up just after Xmas. And can't wait. Been driving tracks with Wranglers for years and where they can go is amazing. Limitation is the driver, not the vehicle.
Jeeps are hard to get fixed if you are away from a city dealer. Parts can be pricey. If you are a DIY type, then you can get parts in cheap from the US. I am not into DIY, so it is better for me to change just before the warranty runs out.
They will go anywhere, but fuel range is an issue when a fair way outback. Towing capacity is also typically not good. To be honest, we use the Patrol for big outback trips for it's long range fuel tank, ease of repairs if needed, towing capacity and space. The Jeep is for play, towing the light camper, and Jeep events.
You need a Jeep to go to
Camp Coffs, Jamboree etc. and those are cool. If you get one, join your local Jeep club.
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Reply By: Echucan Bob - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 21:45
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 21:45
Thanks everyone for the replies. The basic ingredients are there for a great desert tourer - diesel motor, solid front axle, solid build quality etc. Like so many other cars out there the compromise means you can't get the setup you'd like. According to Redbook, none of the diesels come with a transfer case, let alone diff lock. That pretty much rules it out for me.
Bob
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Follow Up By: garrycol - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 22:09
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 22:09
I suspect that information is not correct - all the reviews I have read about the diesel rave about its offroad performance so I suspect there is a proper 4wd system in there somewhere.
I would investigate further.
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Follow Up By: garrycol - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 22:10
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 22:10
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Forum Moderation Team
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Follow Up By: rowdy31 - Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 22:10
Thursday, Dec 19, 2013 at 22:10
Hi. The wranglers do have low range and transfer case. If you want diff locks, etc go for the rubicon model.
I owned a 08 crd two door and the thing was a absolute weapon off-road, walked around struggling cruisers and patrols and wasn't too bad on road.
Never had a leak in my hardtop and I had taken it on and off heaps of times, all depends on your seals and if you're a bit rough fitting them.
Had a accident in it and wrote it off, so will get another one day.
Not the best space wise in the back tho.
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Follow Up By: RedCherokee - Friday, Dec 20, 2013 at 22:45
Friday, Dec 20, 2013 at 22:45
Have you asked your questions on AJOR? Ausjeepsoffroad is the definitive place for Jeep stuff.
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