INTRO

Almost three months ago my mighty mini-wagon ('93 Cavalier) bit the dust. Since then I’ve been on the search for a new vehicle, trying to decide what direction I wanted to go. I wanted something that I would actually like, but it had to be capable of hauling my drum gear. Pick-ups and Suv’s were not an option, I just don’t like ‘em. I was leaning toward a variety of wagons. How’d I end up in a Jeep? My brother owned a new '95, and I always loved it from a styling standpoint, however the 4 cylinder engine and soft top/doors combo made for very poor performance, and very undesirable driving conditions (especially on the freeway). So what changed between then and now? Read below.

OPTIONS

I still haven’t found my option tag and gone through it to see all the details, but here I’ll list the major options I have, and the options I would have liked to have had. I have the Sport (available SE, Sport, Sahara)

The single most important thing to me was the engine. You have two choices, the 2.5L 4 cylinder (120hp), and the 4.0L straight 6 (181hp, 222 ft-lbs. torque). My brother’s '95 with 2.5L was fine tooling around town, but it had serious problems on the freeway, especially in windy winter conditions. I also went with the 3 speed automatic tranny. The 5 speed manual definitely has advantages, especially for you hard-core off road types. I just didn’t want to deal with a manual for a daily driven vehicle. If fuel economy was different I may have opted for the 5 spd, but its nearly identical (16/19 for the stick, 15/18 for the auto).

I have A/C, which is nice for those times when you or your passenger don’t want to get the wind in their hair. It blows ice cold, and it’s the first vehicle I’ve owned where the A/C actually worked well. The wheels are 15” steel, with chrome wheel covers, and 225/75/R15 Goodyear GSA tires. I believe this is a mid-line wheel package. I have the Add-A-Trunk option as well. It bolts into the very rear cargo area behind the rear seat. It has a hinged door that opens up (like a cooler). It has two spring-loaded latches that are only accessible from inside the compartment. When the tailgate is closed and locked it makes for a completely secure storage area. It is also easily removable if you need the free space. I have the sound bar. It’s a two-speaker unit that is secured to the roll bar above your head, just behind the front seats. Combined with the two front dash speakers, it is an absolute necessity if you want to hear anything that resembles decent sounding music. Actually I expected much more from it, and will definitely be looking to upgrade the speakers. The previous owner installed an aftermarket cd player, which has functioned great, but I may look to change it out as well. That covers the major stuff!

This paragraph is dedicated to things I recommend getting and want to get as time goes on. The Hard Top. Its not cheap, but it makes the Wrangler much more comfortable and secure, plus it looks great as well. Factory Fog Lights and the Locking Gas Cap are also little things that I recommend and will get as well. ABS is available, but cannot be ordered with some of the better off-road packages (like the trac-loc limited slip rear differential), so I would research this area and see what is of greater value to you. As I mentioned above, my stereo is in need of some help. I’m not looking to get any obscene sounding monstrosity, but as a musician I definitely appreciate hi-fi sound, and will ponder the variety of options available to me for the Wrangler.

PERFORMANCE/IMPRESSIONS

As I mentioned in the intro, my brothers '95 was weak on the highway and very unpleasant to drive in windy/cold winter conditions. Why did I buy this? First off, the 4.0L engine is a powerful little beast. It accelerates well under aggressive throttle, and cruises on the highway effortlessly at 70mph. It can be a bit sluggish on hills, but nothing that'll get you run over. My biggest surprise was the ride! It is incredibly smooth and comfortable. No, it won’t supplant your BMW for a glass like ride, but as truck/4X4’s go this is quite impressive, especially when you consider the short wheelbase. The short wheelbase also appears to be an advantage for off-roading. Not only does it improve your approach and departure angles, it allows you to attack hardcore terrain without a sqeak, rattle, or hint of body flex. In '97 they replaced the front leaf springs with a coil-over suspension setup. This not only improves ride greatly, but it has advantages for the 4X4 crowd as well, offering a full 9" of additional articulation over the '95, which was the last of the leaf spring models.

My Bro’s '95 had the soft top with the soft half doors. This made it not only loud at highway speeds, but the soft portion of the doors would tend to flap, allowing your heat to escape in the winter and just making for unpleasant conditions. Also, it wasn’t fun it the rain, often leaking. I too have the soft top, however I have the full steel doors with roll-up glass windows. This not only makes for a quieter, more civilized ride, but in the rain I haven’t seen any leaks, and I suspect come winter that it’ll be much more pleasant to drive. I plan to have the hard-top by then anyways, which will eliminate any of these things for certain.

The seats are very comfortable, and I have plenty of space, both in the footwell and head and shoulder room. One thing may be a concern for taller drivers. I’m 5'11” and I have the seat all the way back, this could be an issue. The passenger seat seems to go back much further, which I can’t figure out. Both seats are on sliding tracks, which allows them to move forward and up, to allow ample room for passengers to access the rear bench seat. My steering wheel is fixed, and its position is great for me, there is an option for tilt. The gauges are well laid out and easy to read, and the console cluster is easy to identify and operate. The wipers have three stages, an adjustable delay function, then full on, then full on high. The center console features the shifter for the tranny, the shifter for the 4 wheel drive, and the parking brake. Most importantly, it has two nice size cup holders, and a spacious locking storage area. Despite the center storage, there is still a handy little glove box, perfect for my owners manual and other small items (air gauge, etc)

SAFETY

Driver’s side and passenger side airbags are standard equipment. The NHTSA gives the Wrangler 4/5 stars for front crash ratings, which is quite good. With the often open nature of the Wrangler, wearing your seat belt is essential. Its something I’ve always done anyways, but its even more critical in this vehicle. It is rated as Average to insure, which puts it right in the middle. This is based on vehicles in similar price ranges. My insurance costs were actually lower than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. My research showed that based on the last 10 years, the Wrangler is incredibly reliable, with nothing more than a few low cost problems. It appears the things I’ve “heard” about the bulletproof drivelines are true. That’s what I wanted to hear! In my search for a vehicle I also found that these things have an amazing re-sell. This was one of the major factors in my decision to buy, along with the cool looks of course!

SPECS

4.0L straight 6 (181hp, 222 ft-lbs. Torque)
3 spd Auto trans
3,221 lbs curb weight
225/75/R15 wheels/tires
payload 800 lbs.
Towing 2000 lbs.
15/18 fuel “economy”
Color: White with black top, dark interior.

OUTRO

Basically, I love it so far! It looks great, has a masculine, hard-core vibe, yet is comfortable to drive with strong performance. I’ll be putting it through the paces soon enough, I’m driving from Cleveland to Denver for vacation. Not only will that test its highway manners on a long trip, but it’ll see some mountain/off-road action as well! My buddy in Denver owns a 2002 loaded Sport as well, and I sorta helped convince him to get it, so he basically told me I should put my money where my mouth is when I narrowed down my list, so I did! I will update the review as needed!

Update 9-22-02

Well I completed my trip from Cleveland to Denver and back and the Jeep performed flawlessly. It handled prolonged highway travel without a hiccup, and cruised along at 75-80mph rather well. My fuel economy seemed to drop at those speeds (16.5 mpg) but it was a little better if I stayed I the 65mph range. For my daily around town driving I've regularly been getting about 19.5 mpg, which I'm happy with. The seats were comfortable and my back never bothered me, even after driving 900 miles I felt quite fresh. I would recommend cruise control (which I don't have) 'cause my right leg did get sore/tired from the slightly odd position required for the accelerator. This trip just confirms that the Wrangler can do it all, and I'm even more pleased with it now than when I first bought it!

Related Reviews:

2002 Jeep Wrangler: http://www.epinions.com/content_78633799300


Amount Paid (US$): 17,000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: 4.0L Sport