Long-Term Road Tests
2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
April 11, 2008
With the Wrangler nearing the end of its stay in our long-term fleet, I decided to give its prodigious trail-busting talents one more chance to shine. So I told Vehicle Testing Coordinator Mike Schmidt that I was going to take the long way home.
Schmidt cocked an eyebrow. "The long way home?"
I nodded slyly. "That's right."
"Well," he sighed, "I guess we know what you're driving tonight."
"Beep beep," I grinned. "Who's got the keys to my Jeep?"
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- Posted by: SadButTrue April 11, 2008, 4:14 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
April 8, 2008
On any other scale, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is not a good car. It's shaped like a brick. It's louder than a dinner with Fran Drescher and Gilbert Gottfried. The engine is anemic, thirsty and sounds horrible. The brake feel instills zero confidence...
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March 31, 2008
You can only find the soul of the 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara in the wilderness. The farther you drive off the beaten path the more clearly this car asserts itself. Around town, it seems gimmicky and impractical. But tackle a washed out mountain road, or piles of snow, and it seems to say, "Now I'm gonna show you what I'm all about."
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- Posted by: Philip Reed March 31, 2008, 8:16 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
March 24, 2008
I just got the 2007 Jeep Wrangler washed and was waiting at a red light waiting to turn down the street to our offices in Santa Monica when I felt a shove from behind. You've gotta be kidding me! Rear-ended? With no thought to traffic, I immediately jumped out of the car (dumb move I know but I was in shock at this person's recklessness) and ran to the back of the Jeep...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla March 24, 2008, 1:04 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
March 17, 2008
This past Saturday I spent the afternoon and most of my knuckle skin reinstalling the doors and top of our 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited. Good fun. Ranks right up there with root canal and the musical stylings of Chikezie.
During the process I realized three things:
1) Reinstalling the doors and top of our 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited royally sucks...
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March 14, 2008
Up to now, I haven't particularly enjoyed driving our long-term 2007 Jeep Wrangler. I think the Unlimited body style adds bulk without adding enough utility, and I don't like having an automatic transmission in a Wrangler.
However, I like our Jeep a lot more with the doors off. It makes our nav-equipped Sahara Unlimited feel much less serious -- and more like the adventure vehicle it's supposed to be.
In addition, it encourages resourcefulness on the part of its driver. I carry my lunch to work in a plastic bag. So I simply tie it to the grab handle to keep it from flying away.
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- Posted by: Erin Riches March 14, 2008, 10:18 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
March 13, 2008
I remember the first time I actually got up to any decent speed on my bicycle as a kid. It was down one of those 'Dead Man's HIll' type streets that we would all stand around and dare each other to ride down. Inevitably, this boulevard of death took you past the Creepy Lady's house, past the house that always hands out raisins on Halloween, and past the Haunted House where the Axe Murderer lives.
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- Posted by: Kurt Niebuhr March 13, 2008, 11:15 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
March 10, 2008
This weekend I learned that removing the doors from our 2007 Jeep Wrangler is actually easier than lowering or raising its top. Each door simply pops off after the removal of two bolts (I had to go buy a T-50 Torx head socket) and the unplugging of an electrical connection. Total operation took about 10 minutes.
Trouble is, I now have four huge doors taking up my back porch and of course there's no way to lock the vehicle...
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March 4, 2008
So this past Saturday, I had to take our 2007 Jeep Wrangler downtown to the L.A. Convention Center to pick up my L.A. Marathon bib. The thing is, though, that parking at the center's garage was $12 and I had only intended to be there for less than half an hour so I really didn't want to pay that...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla March 4, 2008, 2:34 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
February 26, 2008
I got the jeep over the weekend thinking I might take off and do a solo night of camping. The girlfriend was out of town, a bunch of friends were out of town, and I had nothing to do. Even those plans got canceled since Mother Nature decided to swing a rain storm on through Southern Cali.
I mostly stayed indoors for the weekend, but on Sunday I had to scout out a new location for an upcoming shoot...
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February 12, 2008
I got into the Jeep last Thursday and was hit by a dense cloud of musty funk. The stench was choking. I fumbled for the center mounted window switches and not finding them in time I had to just open the door and bail out.
I've held back pointing the finger at a fellow editor...
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February 8, 2008
Death Valley, if you haven't been, is a fantastic place to spend a few days. Lots of hiking to be done, things to be climbed upon, oh and unpaved, 4x4 roads to be driven.
If you have a Wrangler, that is.
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- Posted by: dotsara February 8, 2008, 10:22 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
February 6, 2008
(Photo by Dave)
Let's talk about the head rests in the Wrangler. You're saying, "Sara, do we have to do this again?" Yes, yes we do.
Because I was the one who complained about them in Caroline's entry and I'm here to say: they still kind of suck.
Here's
the thing: the Wrangler isn't meant for city streets...
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- Posted by: dotsara February 6, 2008, 12:42 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
February 4, 2008
Sure it gets you from place to place, but the Wrangler has some other uses, too.
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- Posted by: dotsara February 4, 2008, 9:02 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
February 3, 2008
Driving in the dark in the desert, y'know where there aren't street lights, you have cause to drive with the high beams on. Friday morning, Dave and I got up at o'dark thirty to make it up to Dante's View for the sunrise. Now, most of the drive from Furnace Creek Ranch to Dante's View is relatively straight road. The peak is 5,475ft and we were starting from -190ft: so there's a bit of climbing to be done...
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- Posted by: dotsara February 3, 2008, 3:54 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
February 1, 2008
I know, I know, the Wrangler was just in Death Valley! But, well, it's back! This time it's carrying my good friend Dave and I (hi, I'm Sara, aka HTML Manager here at Edmunds) for a relatively short, 2-day trip through the park. Not a ton of gear to carry, just us two and our (many) cameras...
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- Posted by: dotsara February 1, 2008, 10:32 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
January 28, 2008
This weekend, I had great plans to head up the mountains to lovely Lake Arrowhead for some play in the snow. So I requested the off-road-capable Wrangler Unlimited. The long wheelbase gives it a decent highway ride, and the high ground clearance and 4WD would give it sure-footedness in the snow. In theory. The CHiPs didn't buy that theory (demanding snow chains on every car) and we were turned back and sent down the mountain...
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- Posted by: Doug Lyoyd January 28, 2008, 5:21 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
January 25, 2008
Uncharacteristically, we've been having lots of wet weather here in Los Angeles recently. "Storms of the century" and such. I had the Jeep Wrangler last night, and drove home in pouring rain. There were no problems with leaks on the drive home, but this morning -- after having parked the Wrangler outdoors to face yet more of the wet stuff -- I awoke to find that the Jeep's front passenger seat was pretty soaked...
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- Posted by: Warren Clarke January 25, 2008, 2:06 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
January 24, 2008
The 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited isn't known for being especially warm and friendly when it comes to the design of its comfort and convenience features. When your main mission involves dominating boulders and ripping trails a new one, friendliness isn't always near the top of the agenda. This leads to design quirks like its non-illuminated, dashboard-mounted window controls, which are so much fun to locate and use during those times when you need to roll your windows down to enter and exit your office building's semi-dark parking structure.
Still, there's one area in which the Wrangler gets it right...
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- Posted by: Warren Clarke January 24, 2008, 1:14 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
January 22, 2008
Eesh! I was just going to do an update on our 2007 Jeep Wrangler's fuel economy but it turns out we haven't done one for this car yet. So here it is. Much apologies to those who have been waiting for this...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla January 22, 2008, 11:14 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
January 17, 2008
Over the past weekend, I drove myself and my daughter to the airport in the Jeep Wrangler to catch our plane to the 2008 Detroit Auto Show. After 20 miles on the freeway, she'd had enough. The constant freeway noise, coupled with the rough ride pushed her into a serious state of seven-year-old crabbiness which lasted until she saw our local Chrysler PR rep at the airport gate. Poor guy was also heading to Detroit, and had no idea he was about to be ambushed by a pint-sized automotive journalist...
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- Posted by: Kelly Toepke January 17, 2008, 3:29 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
January 7, 2008
Last weekend, to ring in the New Year, our 4-door Wrangler had some dusty fun. A three day, 854 mile road trip which included salt flats, living ghost towns, dry river washes, abandoned mines.......and did i mention a water crossing or two?
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January 3, 2008
My friend Sara used to own a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo, which she had for many years and which she still loves to this day so I thought she might have an appreciation for our 2007 Jeep Wrangler. But when we were driving back from the mall last night and chatting, a propos of nothing Sara would insert a comment about the Jeep into our conversation. She has ridden in our Wrangler many times before so I found it curious that she just made these observations now.
"It sure is a noisy car."
"These headrests are hard."
"It's bouncy."
OK, these might not be ground-breaking observations but I thought it was interesting that a former Jeep owner had them and seemed surprised that a Jeep has these traits...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla January 3, 2008, 11:57 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
December 19, 2007
It isn't raining in the above photo, but I drove our 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited home in a severe thunderstorm last night. And I'm here to tell you that the Jeep's soft top did not leak. Not a drop. I arrived at my residence so dry I was thirsty...
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December 17, 2007
This weekend, our long-term 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited was called upon to help jump-start my pop's early-2000s ('01 or '02, I'm not sure) Mercedes E-Class. It seemed appropriate, for former DaimlerChrysler stablemates to assist each other in a show of peace and brotherhood.
The Jeep is a breeze. As you can see from the above and below photographs, the hood doesn't need to be popped from within the car, should there be a problem...
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- Posted by: Doug Lyoyd December 17, 2007, 11:53 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
December 5, 2007
Last week I extolled the virtue's of the Accord's nav/audio controls and voice commands. "An example of how to do it right," was my conclusion. Now, here's how to do it wrong. The following video describes the unhappy marriage between the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and Chrysler's MyGig navigation system touchscreen...
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- Posted by: JRiz December 5, 2007, 10:42 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
December 3, 2007
"Hey, what do you think of your _______?"
Drive around a variety of new, occasionally interesting cars and you'll frequently be asked this question. For strangers, I've long since skipped explaining that it's not really mine (unless it's a real heap and/or the Compass), and instead found it to be a great way to find out what I really think of a car. You're first response is usually the one closest to your gut, like one of those rapid-fire question exercises when someone throws in a serious question amongst a bunch of mundane ones to see how you really feel ("Boxers or briefs?" "Chocolate or vanilla?" "Do you stay with Victoria, or go for it with Robin?")
So, using that logic, here's what I really think about the Wrangler. The first being most important, and the subsequent answers showing what happens when pesky old rationality starts to rear its ugly head:
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- Posted by: JRiz December 3, 2007, 10:37 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
November 26, 2007
I love taking the Jeep Wrangler for all-American holidays. It seems fitting to drive a domestic brand and the Wrangler is such an American icon, especially in that Jeepy Green (not the official color).
Despite the Wrangler Sahara's size and weight (over 4200 pounds), it feels light and manageable. It's always fun to drive and with the handy AUX port my iPod helped drown out the constant wind and road noise with holiday tunes...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa November 26, 2007, 2:24 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
November 8, 2007
Whenever I turn on the A/C in our 2007 Jeep Wrangler I smell something funky and I swear it isn't me. The smell is usually short-lived, going away after I leave the air conditioner running for a bit. To be more descriptive it smells like B.O. and, to reiterate, I swear it's not me...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla November 8, 2007, 12:14 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
November 5, 2007
This past weekend I used our Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited to haul furniture from Ikea one day and take surfboards to the beach the next. I was impressed with the amount of space there was with the seats folded down, and it made me change my mind about Wranglers not being a useful everyday car. However when I filled the gas tank I realized that I might as well be driving a small truck, about the same cost in gas and it would have a bed to haul cargo. The problem for me is that I think Jeeps are cool, which can sometimes out weigh practicality. Maybe Jeep will solve my problem and make the Jeep Wrangler JT.
Seth Compton, Broadband Production Assistant
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- Posted by: scompton November 5, 2007, 2:38 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
October 29, 2007
The redesigned Jeep Wrangler has been a big sales success for Jeep. Chrysler is reporting that it sold 92,549 Wranglers through September of this year. That's up by about 70 percent compared to last year and more than double what Toyota's sold for the FJ Cruiser.
Chrysler doesn't break down the Wrangler's sales by model, but the four-door Unlimited has no doubt been a large part of the new Wrangler's success. It's more livable and functional than any Wrangler to date. But having spent the past week and a half with our long-term 2007 Wrangler Unlimited, I'm left thinking that image is still the driving force behind Wrangler sales.
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- Posted by: Brent Romans October 29, 2007, 9:57 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
October 24, 2007
A few days ago I ran into Bill Burke, an associate of ours. Bill is a very experienced and internationally recognized instructor of off-highway driving, and we've hired him in the past to help teach our editors the basics trail driving with four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Since I've been driving our long-term Wrangler, I asked him what he thought of the new Jeep. He replied that he actually just got back from testing a stock Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon on California's Dusy-Ershim trail. The Dusy trail isn't as well known as the Rubicon trail, but it's just as difficult.
For proof, here's what CaliforniaJeeper.com has to say about Dusy-Ershim:
"Full size and long wheel base vehicles are not recommended. A lifted, locked short wheel base vehicle with skid plates, rocker guards, and tow hooks and straps are a must. It is highly recommended that someone in your group have a winch. The less the vehicle is equipped the more work and damage you can expect. Bring extra gas and spare parts. Remember help for your vehicle and medical attention are hours or even days away."
Bill (you can read about him and his services here) was kind enough to write up a report based on his experiences with the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. It's a very interesting read if you're into Jeeps, and it follows here.
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- Posted by: Brent Romans October 24, 2007, 11:44 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
October 22, 2007
While driving our Jeep Wrangler on the highway at about 70 mph last Friday night, there was a sudden drop in power. A red warning light lit up – I didn't recognize the symbol at the time – and the stability control system light began flashing. The engine didn't die, but there was obviously something wrong. Throttle response was sluggish and the engine was running rough...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans October 22, 2007, 9:17 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
October 15, 2007
One of the things I love about our 2007 Jeep Wrangler is its 10-inch ground clearance -- compare that to the FJ Cruiser's 9.6 inches and Nissan Xterra's 8.3. In the city, this means that while other cars have to tiptoe carefully over road imperfections, I don't. I don't have to worry about scraping the underside or whacking wheels out of alignment. It's awesome...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla October 15, 2007, 11:09 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
October 5, 2007
Before I make my comment about our long-term Jeep Wrangler Unlimited's backseat, let me lay out my credentials. A family member of mine has owned 3 previous-gen Wranglers (first a Sahara w/ roll-down windows, then an X with zip-down windows, then a standard-wheelbase Rubicon). Whenever I've gone to visit him, I've invariably done some time in the backseat...
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- Posted by: Erin Riches October 5, 2007, 4:30 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
October 4, 2007
I've been spending a lot of time in the Jeep Wrangler and I've noticed that the headrests are really hard. I don't mean firm, I mean almost as hard as plastic.
No matter how I adjust them, they are uncomfortable. They look normal but they are shaped strangely with a rigid line that goes across the back of your head...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa October 4, 2007, 12:43 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
October 3, 2007
The navigation system in the Jeep Wrangler has some interesting features.
This weekend, I needed to make a trip to Sears, sadly enough. It wasn't where I remembered it to be but I knew it was located nearby. So I asked the Wrangler's nav to save my sorry butt before I got too lost...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa October 3, 2007, 12:28 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
September 24, 2007
I like the long-term Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. It's reasonably comfortable, adequately quick, sufficiently silent (even with that canvas top at highway speeds) and completely practical for real-world use. I can deal with the manual exterior mirrors and the somewhat bouncy ride on expansion joints, but there's one feature I can not abide -- the window switches.
I'm probably supposed to feel "lucky" just to have electric windows on a Jeep Wrangler, but I'd prefer manual windows with door-mounted handles to these tiny, ill-placed switches that I can't find...
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- Posted by: Karl Brauer September 24, 2007, 7:33 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
September 10, 2007
Before Vehicle Testing Assistant Mike Magrath handed me the keys to our 2007 Jeep Wrangler for the weekend, he mentioned how his girlfriend hated it because with its 10-inch ground clearance she had a hard time getting into it without being obscene. As a girl who likes to wear dresses, I got what he meant but then I replied, "Why doesn't she just step up on the running board and hold onto the roof to pull herself in?" But apparently she's shorter than me -- I'm 5'5" -- so she can't reach the roof to do that.
The next day, a friend of mine who is 6'1" complained how the step to get in is as high as the cabin and therefore not that helpful at all. In his words, "It's dumb." He also noted that the running board just gets in the way when exiting the Jeep since it's too high to be of any use in climbing down...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla September 10, 2007, 3:48 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
September 6, 2007
Last night when offered the 2007 Cadillac SRX or the 2007 Jeep Wrangler, I jumped at the latter naturally. Ferget luxury, I wanted my fun mobile. Besides, I was driving to downtown for the evening and figured it would be much easier to find a spot to park the Jeep.
When on the freeway driving about 70 mph, I couldn't help but notice all the wind noise in the cabin as the wind buffeted the canvas roof...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla September 6, 2007, 10:21 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
September 4, 2007
With so many posts describing our Jeep's on road performance, I decided it was time to get it a little dirty. I've already driven the Wrangler on the Rubicon trail, so I know that it can pretty much climb up anything you have the guts to attempt, but rock crawling wasn't on the agenda for the weekend. Instead, I did what most owners will probably attempt -- basic fire roads with a few technical hill climbs thrown in for fun.
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig September 4, 2007, 5:45 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
August 31, 2007
We just took our Wrangler to Moothart Chrysler/Jeep in Cerritos, CA for its 6k mile service. In addition to the standard oil and filter change, our dealer performed a host of inspections. This included adjusting tire pressure, chassis lube, and fluid top-off.
Normally we're not fond of being charged just for inspecting stuff but given the fact that we actually take our Jeep off-road quite a bit we were happy to have steering, driveline and suspension components checked...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody August 31, 2007, 9:47 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
August 24, 2007
I am more and more impressed with the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited's ride each time I drive it. It's all about the long wheelbase. I keep expecting it to bounce and roll and practically tip over around corners, but it handles really well. I specifically drove it down a street with a couple deep dips, and it didn't knock my fillings loose...
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- Posted by: Doug Lyoyd August 24, 2007, 11:31 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
August 23, 2007
I love our 2007 Jeep Wrangler sooo much, I even have a calendar of it (just kidding that's from our wall calendar). And I couldn't really tell you why it's one of my favorite cars in our long-term fleet. It's a tie with the Mini Cooper S.
Maybe it's because of its light steering feel. Even though I'm not strapped into a heavily bolstered sport seat, I just lean with the car into the turn as I go quickly around the corner. There's none of the trepidation one usually feels driving sport-utilities. Such an easy and fun car to drive. And I hate to admit it but I love being so high up. So I feel like I have the best of both worlds: height of an SUV with the steering feel of a sporty coupe.
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla August 23, 2007, 11:54 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
August 20, 2007
The door handles on our 2007 Jeep Wrangler are a mixed bag. Not so wild about the ones on the SUV's exterior. Instead of a handle that opens the door in one fluid movement, we get a big button. A big fat button that you have to press with your thumb...
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- Posted by: Warren Clarke August 20, 2007, 7:25 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
August 13, 2007
When I first jumped into the Jeep Wrangler I spent five minutes looking for the power mirror controls. We've come to take some modern features for granted.
But the Jeep is old-fashioned in that retro-cool kind of way. You still have to adjust the mirrors with your thumb...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa August 13, 2007, 11:32 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
July 11, 2007
It's hard to find anything negative about the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara, because it's such a pleasure to drive. It's very easy to maneuver and drive, decent turning radius, I'm continually amazed at how flat it corners, it's got good power and great controls, great sight lines. So I drove it again and actually found something that somewhat irked me. The turn-signal correction...
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- Posted by: Doug Lyoyd July 11, 2007, 3:50 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
July 10, 2007
Chrysler announced this morning the recall of some 80,000 vehicles, 2007 Jeep Wranglers and Dodge Nitros, to reprogram an electrical glitch that could cause engines to stall.
Checking Edmunds' Maintenance Schedule we were also alerted to a smaller, 62,396 unit, recall involving rear ABS control modules with a potential to drop the "A" from the acronym, and completely lock the rear brakes. This recall, too, is serviced by reprogramming the computer.
A quick call to our local Jeep dealer, followed by a quick call to the national service center led us to the Jeep service Web site which, finally, gave our Wrangler the A-OK: No services needed...
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- Posted by: Mike Magrath July 10, 2007, 3:45 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
July 5, 2007
What vehicle better represents the spirit of American independence than a green jeep. They are timelessly cool.
I took the Wrangler home for the 4th of July holiday. I really enjoy driving it, even though I never left the urban jungle...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa July 5, 2007, 12:01 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
June 27, 2007
As a kid, I thought Jeeps were the bees knees. Loved 'em. My brother's friend got one in high school, and I couldn't WAIT to get in and check it out. A few years later, though, I was in one again and thought, This thing sucks! It gets tremendous road noise from the tires, it's bouncy, it's uncomfortable, it rattles...
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- Posted by: Doug Lyoyd June 27, 2007, 9:55 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
June 25, 2007
OK, so John Adolph, our video guy and resident off-roader, set me straight (after he pointed and laughed at me) about how tipping over in our long-term Jeep Wrangler Sahara would be nearly impossible to do since it has a long wheelbase. Apparently the only way I could really tip it over is if I managed to strap an ice chest, packed tent and chairs to its roof and then proceeded to drive it sideways along some hills.
After I assured him I would do no such thing, he told me about a great place to take the Jeep off-roading. Some place in Southern California that takes you 2 hours just to reach the top of a summit and then you go down past Joshua Tree (around which you'll see one of the only places that has both pine trees and Joshua trees growing together) on the way back to L.A...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla June 25, 2007, 11:25 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
June 22, 2007
The Wrangler's style hums like a Hummer, but some design impracticality stings like a bee.
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- Posted by: Glenn McClanan June 22, 2007, 9:56 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
June 18, 2007
The last time I blogged about the Wrangler, I had mentioned that I had shied away from taking it off-roading while in Joshua Tree for fear of tipping it but some people had told me that would have been difficult to do. And apparently the Jeep is equipped with "electronic stability control and a roll mitigation system which can sense an impending rollover and try to stop it through selective application of the brakes." ( Full Test: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited) And the NHTSA gave it 4 out of 5 stars rating for rollover resistance. So it sounds pretty solid.
But then why does it come with this huge sticker warning of a "High Rollover Risk"?..
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla June 18, 2007, 10:31 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
June 11, 2007
As Dan mentioned on Friday, it took him more than 18 minutes to drop the Wrangler's top and our garage's low roof prevented him from putting it back up again. I told him not to worry about it since I was planning on dropping it anyway for my drive home. After getting a nice sun tan, I needed to raise the roof (in the literal sense, not the lame "old white guy trying to act hip" kind of way) for a trip to Dodgers Stadium on Saturday evening. Luckily, my father was in town for the game and to help out with the roof...
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June 8, 2007
Its finally time for our 2007 Jeep Wrangle Sahara Unlimited's (whew) top to come down for a change. As many of you know, I've taken to grabbing my stopwatch and timing how long it takes me to lower and raise convertible tops. Top time for a top drop so far is held by our 2006 Mazda Miata, a car that blistered the competition with a perhaps unassailable time of 1.35 seconds.
OK, so our Wrangler 4-door is in no danger of beating that mark. But how long does it take?
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- Posted by: Dan Edmunds June 8, 2007, 3:03 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
May 30, 2007
I know what you're thinking. Von Karman Vortex Street? Where's that? The short answer is this: it could be anywhere. In fact, if you stand still enough with your arms pressed tight against your sides on a windy day, you might be there already. Still confused? Read on.
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- Posted by: Dan Edmunds May 30, 2007, 11:03 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
I spent this past Memorial Day weekend with our 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited 4-door (say that three times fast), and I'm a bit ashamed to admit that its tires never saw the least bit of dirt. I'm not alone. In accordance with the Law of Automotive Similarity, which states; whatever ye drive, ye shall see in great numbers, I ran across several others while making the rounds. At one local intersection, three of us sat waiting for the light to change...
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- Posted by: Dan Edmunds May 30, 2007, 9:25 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
May 25, 2007
I considered myself brave for taking on the Jeep's soft top. I wasn't prepared to take it all the way off but I did use the fold back sunroof feature. It works well, nice open air feel without much hassle - I didn't say NO hassle, just not much.
Also, the ride is a HUGE improvement over the previous Wrangler...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody May 25, 2007, 8:38 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
May 24, 2007
Our Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited is one good-lookin' ride. It's boxy and foxy, and those sharp angles really do it for me. I love its shade of green, too -- rich, without being obnoxiously vivid.
Having given it its props, I can now move on to something that irks me deeply...
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- Posted by: Warren Clarke May 24, 2007, 12:55 PM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
May 22, 2007
This past weekend the Wrangler conveyed three outdoorsy girls to a desert adventure in Joshua Tree. OK, two outdoorsy girls and me. I had the option of taking the FJ but since I already took the Toyota camping I figured I should give the new long-termer a shot. Plus the Jeep's off-road capability offered the chance to have some fun in the dirt...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla May 22, 2007, 11:15 AM
- Categories: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
May 21, 2007
Preliminary track testing on our new Jeep is complete.
Acceleration:
0-30 mph, 3.3 seconds
0-45 mph, 6.0
0-60 mph, 10.4
0-75 mph, 16.0
Quarter mile, 17.6 seconds @ 77.3 mph
Braking:
60 mph - 0, 137 feet
Skid pad:
0.65 g
Slalom:
55.7 mph
As tested weight:
4,342 lbs.
We walked away from the track with one thought in mind: On-road handling is not a Wrangler strength. Its invasive stability control and underpowered 3.8-liter V6 limited dynamic performance. Low-mileage on the brake pads gives some explanation for the poor braking, but they still should be better...
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