Is that a soft top?

I love the Wrangler Unlimited!
 
-- it is relatively compact
-- it has excellent front seats and driver ergonomics
-- it is available with RWD and 6-speed manual transmission
-- limited slip differential is available on base RWD model as low cost option (who needs 4WD?)
-- it is well equipped and relatively inexpensive for what you get
-- It has all the modern safety features, including ESP, as standard even on the base model
-- it is a convertible!
 
The only thing I would really wish for is a good turbodiesel.

Yes, ours has the softop. I didn't even notice when I first got into in (in the dark parking garage) and then I got up above 30 mph out on the street and I was like, "Hmm, this thing sort of has a lot of wind noise." Then I looked up and thought, "Oh, actually it's pretty low wind noise." And that holds true even at highway speeds.
 
And yes, the seats are pretty comfortable and it's got plenty of good featues like ESP. Ergnomics are okay overall, but I continue to HATE window switches that aren't near the window (i.e. switches mounted in the center stack instead of on the door where they should be). Pretty simple: I shouldn't be looking away from a common control when I need to use the control. Looking at the center stack while putting the window down is simply counter-intuitive. When you lower a car window where are you looking 99 percent of the time? OUT THE WINDOW. So please don't make me:
 
1. Look out the window to see the parking structure card reader or drive-through window or person knocking on my window and giving the universal "roll down" movement
2. Then turn my head all-the-way around to find the window switch
3. Then turn my head all-the-way around to look back out the window and deal with said cardreader/drive-thru/person
 
Instead, keep the switch on the door (remember that's where all window switches used to be -- they were called cranks). With this location it's:
1. Look out window, glance down at switch, look back out window.
 
Ahh, much better.

My kids would LOVE it if I bought one of these. A family convertible. You can tolerate some wind noise and weird ergonomics when something is just plain cool like that. How's the storage space behind the second row, pretty decent? I sat in the front of a regular Wrangler at the auto show and remember being impressed by the amount of leg room because of that tall, flat dashboard.

I'm sure engineers, bean-counters and perhaps stylists love the center switches because it means fewer parts in the system. Perhaps safety nuts as well since it reduces the chances of Junior accidentally stepping on the window switch and falling out the open window. As I recall, center switches were traditionally a European thing. Perhaps this is some fallout from the DCX merger? One wonders why roll-down windows are necessary on a CJ descendent anyway.

Speaking as an engineer, having the switch further from the thing it activates requires more parts.
 
Personally, I don't like the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. To me the Jeep Wrangler has always been the Sport side of Sport Utility Vehicle. The idea of a 4-door Wrangler is as appealing as a 4-door Corvette is to me.

Karl,
  
I have always liked window switches between the seats because that's where my right hand is most of the time. In both my SAABs I love how the gearshift lever, handbrake, the window/lock/sunroof switches and the ignition switch are all within easy reach of my right hand. That's the hand that must release the steering wheel anyway to shift gears. It is especially evident pulling away from places like toll booths. Whenever I drive a car that has window switches on the door through a toll booth, I get disoriented and frustrated because I have to alternate between shifting gears, steering, closing the window and putting away change -- with both my left and my right hand. Having everything on the right side is much better because your left hand never has too release the steering wheel. An added bonus is that your PASSENGER can close the driver side window for you if the switches are in the middle.
  
Thankfully, my E46 BMW has them in the middle, too. That was one of the reasons why I chose to buy an E46 vs. an E90 -- location of window switches in the middle vs. on the door.

so excited! I guess you didnt go for the removable modular hard top as an excessory then? I see a Rubicon Trail visit in the near future.

I'm guessing the center switches have something to do with removable doors.

"I'm guessing the center switches have something to do with removable doors."
 
I think you are right. Isn't this the first Wrangler with power windows? Even the high end Wranglers before seemed to only have the cranks.

I thought that manufacturers who centrally located the window switches intended those vehicles for both North American and overseas markets (i.e. less to modify when changing the location of the steering wheel and instruments). I also thought that the central window switch location was to ease removal of the Wrangler's doors for open air motoring. Does someone here know the correct answers?
  
BTW, Karl, how does Edmunds select its long-term vehicles? Seems like your fleet is heavy on thirsty 4x4 vehicles that don't seem practical in the L.A. market. Is that a function of what products are new to the market and what most consumers are purchasing?

LA, Colorado and Texas are Jeep's saviors. They are loved in Southern California. When I was in school I couldn't throw a stone without hitting one.

"BTW, Karl, how does Edmunds select its long-term vehicles? Seems like your fleet is heavy on thirsty 4x4 vehicles that don't seem practical in the L.A. market. Is that a function of what products are new to the market and what most consumers are purchasing?"
 
Exactly Dave. As Brett noted, they make little sense around here...and you see them everywhere (the H2's on PCH particularly crack me up -- obviously people with more money than off-road interest, think the final scene in the Pixar movie "CARS" -- which totally made me laugh).
 
vvk -- One other point on window switch location. If I'm at a parking garage gate or drive-thru window, I have to reach out of the door with my left hand anyway. The idea that my right hand is near the switches and thus doesn't have to come off the steering wheel falls down if I still end up using my left hand (and thus removing it from the steering wheel) just to deal with whatever is outside the window (pull a parking ticket, wave my parking card in front of the card reader, hand over cash and grab bag of food, etc.). If I have to do that anyway, I might as well use my left hand to open the window, and since I'm already looking out my window to do these things it's easier to just glance quickly down to locate the window switch.

Heydave: I've got to say, despite the gas mileage, a wrangler is a damn-near-perfect car for the L.A.--and any other big city--market. They're tough enough that pot holes, curbs, and other drivers won't do much damage. They're small enough to park virtually anywhere (including over curbs) and easy to sling through heavy traffic.

heydave:
They have 14 2007's, now 15.
The relative fuel savers count 8.
 
Outlander XLS 4x4 ..............19/26
G35 6M ..................................19/27
Azera ......................................19/28
Compass Limited 4x4 5M ..23/26
Altima SE V6 CVT ................22/28
Camry LE V6 .........................22/31
Versa SL 6M ..........................30/34
Fit Sport 5M ..........................33/38
 
That's pretty fair. The Camry would count for 5 cars and the Altima count for 3 lol! ...although that would be the I4 models...

"One other point on window switch location. If I'm at a parking garage gate or drive-thru window, I have to reach out of the door with my left hand anyway. "
 
Uh, I see. That makes sense! I almost never use a parking garage and I think I have used a drive-thru window only once in my life, so I wasn't thinking about those situations. You are right.

Thanks for everyone responding. I did not intend to be critical of edmunds choices. I guess with all the new CUV and SUV product out there now, they have to evaluate what people are buying.
 
When I was stationed in S. Cal in the early 90s, the place was crawling with Wranglers, Explorers and duelie Silverados, so I know this isn't a recent development. Vehicle image is important there. From an objective standpoint (IMHO), it just seems questionable to spend all that money on a feature/capability (not to mention the extra fuel to be consumed) when most will never use it.

The autos and the people that drive them have never been about capability ever since the Model T went out of production. Although I see your point, we Americans will always want the car that gives us something else (design, power, handling, prestige, youth). When actual use becomes the driving force of our vehicles the car will be come nothing more than an appliance.

Karl,
      This just what I've been waiting for. Could you post on the engine performance is various conditions and situations. I am seriously thinking about purchasing a new 4 door Wrangler pretty soon, however most of the reviews that I've read have called the 3.8 V6 gutless and underpowered. Is it that bad? Or could it be dealt with pretty easily with some aftermarket horsepower add-ons? Thats pretty much the only problem I have with it until I get a chance to go test drive one. If it's too bad I may just wait until the diesel version comes out, that'll be sweet. It's not like I'm looking for a racecar in a jeep or anything, but it will be my daily driver and I would like it to get up and go energetically when I need it to. Thanks.

"From an objective standpoint (IMHO), it just seems questionable to spend all that money on a feature/capability (not to mention the extra fuel to be consumed) when most will never use it."
 
Agree 100%. The amount of "off-road" vehicles being driven (both in L.A. and across the country) the NEVER go off road could probably largely cut our dependence on Middle East oil if these drivers switched to vehicles they actually need. Sad but true.

There they go again, telling us what we need... this time coming from the guy with two classic Mopars and a Ford GT! ;-)

Yes, but I rarely drive those vehicles, and when I do I use them like they were meant to be used. All those soccer moms in Tahoes and Explorers (versus Siennas and Caravans) do not.

I am looking at several totally different types of vehicles but am currently living in the Philippines and have been for over 4 years now.
I'm currently driving a Toyota Hi-Lux 2 wheel drive 2.5L Turbo diesel. For the US the 3.0L turbo diesel would be a better pick and teh roads here are very bad and home made speedbumps are everywhere. I drove my truck up into teh mountains of Baguio and i see smaller cars there but I will be in a more mountainous and snowy area of the US once aain nd I think the Wranger is a good possibility. lso my wife is very short at 4'10" She can drive the Hi-Lux without much problem but she like the jeep over the FJ Cruiser mainlt because we have been reading about the blind spots. I also had a BJ40 here with a 13B diesel in it and that sold me on diesel. I'd probably buy the jeep hands down if it came with a turbodiesel option.
Questions are how easy is the Jeep to drive for someone who is short? I'd look at the Rubicon Model. my wife likes to offroad.
Reliability is also a concern as we would want to keep it after teh warranty runs out.

The vehicle has a relatively high seating position and low/large greenhouse with minimal blind spots. Should be no problem for someone of smaller stature to drive. Reliability is a tougher question to answer, but if I otherwise liked the Wrangler and it suited my needs I wouldn't feel worried about that aspect.

I have a couple of very short friends, and one of them is more short in the legs than anywhere else, and has trouble reaching the pedals unless she lowers the seat to the max. So you'll have to test it anyway, because we're all built differently.
 
Karl I agree, that green is perfect on the Jeep. Any Jeep, probably.

Why do people compare Jeep Wrangler to Toyota FJ Cruiser? I think they are entirely different. For starters, even the long wheelbase Unlimited is only 173.4 inches long. That's shorter than a Civic coupe. FJ Cruiser is comparatively huge at 184 inches. Despite that, it offers significantly less practicality as far as cargo room. Where Wrangler is classy, practical, and utilitarian, FJ Cruiser is garish, toy-like and tasteless. In my view, they could not be more different. And then there is the pricing. Where basic Jeep with all the safety features is $20k, FJ Cruiser is typically about $30k. They are totally different animals!

"Yes, but I rarely drive those vehicles, and when I do I use them like they were meant to be used. All those soccer moms in Tahoes and Explorers (versus Siennas and Caravans) do not."
 
I have to agree with Karl on this. I also have two rarely-driven vehicles that I keep for hobby use, and I drive them as they were meant to be driven (one is a 4x4).
 
In response to brett8210, I'm not advocating that we all drive the equivalent of bread boxes. There are a lot of great non-4x4 products out there that fulfill the needs and wants of almost everyone. Maybe our driver's ed programs (or insurance companies) should teach bad-weather driving skills so soccer moms wouldn't feel the need to purchase H2s and Expeditions. As for what this 40 YO drives - my daily driver is an '05 Accord Coupe EX-V6 6-speed. It is a very entertaining car to drive, it feeds my ego and I get 32 MPG on the highway. Until I sold it last month, my winter beater was a '90 Lincoln Town Car w/ 214k miles; she handled great in snow.

http://www.edmunds.com/new/2007/toyota/fjcruiser/index.html
 
You can get an FJ for $23K. Like any other new car, options is where they get you.
 
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2007/jeep/wrangler/index.html
 
The only Wrangler under $20K is the Wrangler X and you don't get much on that model.
 
Personally, I love the FJ's style. Awesome throwback to the FJ-40 of yesteryear. The "wheelbase" numbers you mentioned are actually overall length. Wheel base for the Jeep Unlimited is 116. FJ's is 105.9. Overhang is definitely not in the Toyota's favor, but I actually haven't heard many complaints about too much overhang. Besides, the Jeep has always been known for their short overhangs. Point for Jeep there. The slightly longer wheelbase helps during steep, uphill climbing. More stability and more likely to get the use out of that power through the rear wheels.
 
Wrangler is definitely a competent vehicle and the Unlimited just adds practicality to the equation. I like both vehicles.

Hey Dave (lol)
 
You can even get the Jeep Unlimited in 4X2 model. Additionally, here in the Southwest most of the SUV that are running around are not 4x4. I joke with friends that the highest elevation in Dallas is the speed bump in the parking lot.

I'm really interested to see the logbook comments on this new Wrangler. Awhile back I drove a new 2005 Rubicon version with a 6 sp manual through the mountains in Nevada, and it was simply amazing. Eventually we were stopped by snow in the higher elevations, but it was stable and unstoppable on the way back down. No need for HDC - 1st gear in low range kept you crawling around 2 mph, 2nd gear 4-5 mph, etc. After that it tackled rock-crawling in a dried riverbed like speed bumps in the Safeway parking lot. It really is the ultimate off-road vehicle.
  
The 4+ hr trip back to the Bay Area on I-80 was a different story. The wind and tire noise, gutless and wheezy engine (probably due to gearing - frequent downshifts were needed), busy ride and not-very-adjustable or comfortable seats all conspired to make it a very tiring drive home.

Thanks for the comments about the height issues. If my wife can't drive it we can't buy it. I was driving a 1983 BJ-40 Landcruiser a bit over a year ago and it's an awesome vehicle but hard to fix due to parts availablity in the Philippines.
For me I'm comparing vehicles I like not just medium SUV's.
We will test drive both vehicles and so,me others. I doubt my wife can drive an FJ cruiser but we will see.
I've wanted a Jeep for many year at different times but dealing with any Jeep Dealer has always been a nightmare enough that I never bought one even tho I tried different dealers.
We will be out of the country for another year and by then reliability issues should be coming in on both vehicles.
I'm really thankful that all the vehicles we are looking at except 1 are all Edmunds Long Term Test cars.
I will need 2 vehicles and it's a lot of snow in the mountains of New Hampshire in the winter so AWD or 4WD is very important.
The on road capabiliy of the Jeep is a possible problem. easily solved if they put a turbo diesel in it as I would buy it based on that factor alone. I hope Jeep reads the comments about people wanting the diesel engine preferably a 50 State diesel engine.

I'd rarely drive my SUV if I had a Corvette for owners' rallies, a Prius for commuting to work, and a conversion van for long famiy trips. But most of us have to make do with just one or two vehicles to serve every conceivable purpose. Are H2s and Tahoes a bit over-qualified for many daily tasks? Sure they are, but extra gas is cheaper than extra cars. Don't begrudge us our high seating positions and powerful V8s. We spend a lot of time in there.
 
If you had to choose just one vehicle, I bet yours wouldn't get 60 mpg.

Thanks for putting that so succinctly ahightower. It's absolutely true. I'd be way more than willing to drive a Honda Fit as my daily driver, if someone else were willing to buy it for me and pay for the additional insurance cost over the other vehicles I have now. ;-)

Karl
 
Have you heard anything about a potential diesel engine in the Wrangler? I went to the dealer to look at one the other day (I totally agree with you assessment of the color, the Green is beautiful).
 
A diesel would give us the best of both worlds, more power, better gas milage. They already have one in the GC, I wouldn't think it would be too great a stretch.

I haven't heard anything definite about Jeep specifically, but I know diesel is coming across the industry. Honda is all over it, and apparently they've managed to meet emissions standards without using urea injection like the Mercedes-Benz system (which is also coming on fast). BMW will be bringing it as well, and with all Chrysler's ties to Europe (even after the M-B sale) I'm sure it's just a matter of "when" versus "if."

Yes, the green is beautiful. I was sitting behind a Patriot at the car wash yesterday (which didn't look dirty when it went in) painted what I assume to be the same color. It is so the perfect color for a Jeep.

Don't forget that even after the D-C sale that Diamler still owns a roughly 20% stake in Chrysler. This is still plenty of incentive for Diamler to still favor a turnaround. To me that means sourcing diesel engines for Wranglers (especially when it is already being done in the Grand Cherokee) would be a no-brainer.
Of course, it has taken this long to bring out a four-door Wrangler even though folks have been asking for it for years so I'm not going to hold my breath either. The thing is I am like a lot of folks here who feel the diesel would make the Wrangler much more desirable than with the underpowered minivan gas engine. The 4.0 Litre I-6 was a great engine that is known for lasting upwards of 300,000 miles when properly cared for. I just don't see the same longevity in any of the Chrysler minivan engines. I love my 99 TJ but after you add a lift and even slightly larger tires it could still use a little more power for on-road use. The Wrangler Unlimited is larger and heavier with only slightly more power than the old engine. I fear with the engine being offered it is a step backwards overall.

Ive been looking into the Wrangler 4Door lately...closely. For the first time in my life Im actually considering the purchase of a NEW Jeep. New vehicles are just deadly in their depreciation values--and was considering a Toyota Tacoma 4Door mainly.
 
But when DC announced a "lifetime warranty" on all Jeeps-- that did it. A lifetime powertrain warranty on a JEEP! OFFROAD JEEP--amazing. They are either gutsy or stupid. I guess they haven't seen the Jeep Trails in Colorado!
 
Now the problem-- finding one. Every Jeep dealership I have been to has been "out of stock"...I had a call from a sales associates saying "we got one in"...so I went yesterday to check it out, it was an automatic (BLAH)...but on the hike up to receiving Lot (the wrangler had yet to be prepped for sale)....THREE people, (including myself) were looking at the same Jeep Wrangler....
 
Jeep has hit on something huge....hopefully they will offer a larger engine in 09, or options for a Supercharger.....but the 4 Door Wrangler is tearing up the Colorado Market! They sell them the second they hit the lots......
 
Meanwhile they are trying to give away 07 Liberty, the Commanders and the Grand Cherokees.
 
The green is pretty-- but I love the pure White.....nothing like high contrast Mud splashes--plus with the Colorado Microwave SUN--it keeps the car SO MUCH COOLER!

Karl, can you comment on the poor (predicted) reliability ratings that Consumer Reports seems to stamp on every Jeep? I am particularly interested in your maintenance experience with the 4-door Wrangler Unlimited.
 
Thanks!