Topic: Test Drive: 2015 Jeep Wrangler Sahara

[Autos_Editor]

Right soldier, wrong boots.
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[Benhaze]

At the end of the week, fuel mileage rated a fairly unimpressive 14.5 L/100 km, thanks perhaps to the cold, damp weather, but still scoring between the official 15 L/100 km city and 11.4 L/100 km highway. Besides, what else did you expect when you signed up?

I actually think 14.5 L/100 Km is really not that bad for such a specialized vehicle. Our two V6 cars are doing worse than that... (considerably worse in winter city driving).

I wonder what the new model design will bring: high strength steel thorough for the ladder frame,  aluminum body, 8-speed auto? Wrangler design changes happens about every 10 years so Jeep has to plan this one quite a bit. Will the folding windshield finally abandoned? (lots of compromises are required to keep that feature but once it is gone there will be no turning back...)

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Nice review.  It was entertaining, considering there wasn't much you could cover that hasn't already been covered in the 8 years since the JK was first released (eight years, how's that for generation longevity?)

I would agree with you in saying that the tires represent the biggest compromise on this vehicle.  Those Duelers are really less of an A/T tire and more of a street-biased tire, which considering that is where 90% of owners would take their Sahara, is just fine.  A nice set of BF Goodrich All Terrains, or General Grabber AT/2's would have sorted out your off-road traction problem nicely without severely compromising on-road manners.  It would likely be the first (and possibly only) modification I would make to this JEEP.  I personally wouldn't bother with Mud Terrains as the compromise on the street is too much to handle most of the time (not to mention their performance on hardpacked snow is abysmal).

[Thinking Out Loud]

At the end of the week, fuel mileage rated a fairly unimpressive 14.5 L/100 km, thanks perhaps to the cold, damp weather, but still scoring between the official 15 L/100 km city and 11.4 L/100 km highway. Besides, what else did you expect when you signed up?

I actually think 14.5 L/100 Km is really not that bad for such a specialized vehicle. Our two V6 cars are doing worse than that... (considerably worse in winter city driving).

I was getting 12-13 L/100 on a combined commuter loop once it was broken in...it's now about 14.5 L/100 since I put the Gobi roof rack on, which is expecially noticable at 120 kph 'cause the ECO light isn't on as often can you have to keep into it with the extra wind resistance.

[Thinking Out Loud]

Nice review.  It was entertaining, considering there wasn't much you could cover that hasn't already been covered in the 8 years since the JK was first released (eight years, how's that for generation longevity?)

I would agree with you in saying that the tires represent the biggest compromise on this vehicle.  Those Duelers are really less of an A/T tire and more of a street-biased tire, which considering that is where 90% of owners would take their Sahara, is just fine.  A nice set of BF Goodrich All Terrains, or General Grabber AT/2's would have sorted out your off-road traction problem nicely without severely compromising on-road manners.  It would likely be the first (and possibly only) modification I would make to this JEEP.  I personally wouldn't bother with Mud Terrains as the compromise on the street is too much to handle most of the time (not to mention their performance on hardpacked snow is abysmal).

I was looking on Kijiji.ca for new rims (every year I try to personalize my Wrangler a little more) and let me tell you, the stock rubber isn't great for off roading but people who buy a Sahara then sell all 5 wheels - rims ands tires - to upgrade their 'boots' makes for either free rims OR free tires, depending on what you prefer for the $1,000 they ask.

[WRX_Pilot]

I'll always have a soft spot for the wrangler, having owned a few.  But like others, the price and size of them these days makes me gag.  I really hope they downsize and lose weight in the next generation.

It's frustrating that even just to get into a 2-door with a dual top requires a 30k+Tax outlay...

[OliverD]

Regarding the price, it says $800 for the hardtop but it's actually standard on the Sahara. The $800 is to get the body color hardtop.

[Noto]

Bossman has a 911 as his summer toy (with PDK) and last week picked up this exact Jeep, albeit with the MT to make it his winter toy. He traded in his 2012 for a '15.

The last thing on his mind was purchase price, nor was he concerned about fuel economy. It becomes his daily driver when he takes the kids to hockey, etc, and he loves it. The third car is a Yukon Denali, btw.

To go from a Porsche to a Wrangler with 4 doors is testament that this thing is still fun to drive in its own right - but you hit it right on, Brendan: it's a beater. Jeeps are designed for nothing else than to be enjoyed. For that, I forgive all shortcomings. A Jeep is a toy and a wonderful one at that

I do fully agree re: the tires - in Mexico, with a light rain (yes, oils) on a concrete hwy, everyone was spinning out when taking a wide U-turn at 10km/h (in RWD). Maybe good for sand? Not great for the road - just goes to show that buying an off-roader isn't necessarily good for on-road.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Bossman has a 911 as his summer toy (with PDK) and last week picked up this exact Jeep, albeit with the MT to make it his winter toy. He traded in his 2012 for a '15.

The last thing on his mind was purchase price, nor was he concerned about fuel economy. It becomes his daily driver when he takes the kids to hockey, etc, and he loves it. The third car is a Yukon Denali, btw.

To go from a Porsche to a Wrangler with 4 doors is testament that this thing is still fun to drive in its own right - but you hit it right on, Brendan: it's a beater. Jeeps are designed for nothing else than to be enjoyed. For that, I forgive all shortcomings. A Jeep is a toy and a wonderful one at that

I do fully agree re: the tires - in Mexico, with a light rain (yes, oils) on a concrete hwy, everyone was spinning out when taking a wide U-turn at 10km/h (in RWD). Maybe good for sand? Not great for the road - just goes to show that buying an off-roader isn't necessarily good for on-road.

Is this the bossman who just bought the Tesla?

[Gurgie]

The gas mileage sounds about right, I'm currently averaging that with mixed driving, winter gas and my Thule roof box on top.  On the hwy I am getting low 12's in that configuration.  Also, I switched over to Michelin Xi2's for the winter & I swear when I first put them on I was getting better gas mileage than with the stock Bridgestone's.  I know the Michelin's are a "Green" winter tire, but I didn't think their rolling resistance would be THAT much better.  Also, I've just turned 11,000kms on the clock, so it's finally breaking in a bit & loosening up.

Overall it's a decent ride for what it is, smooth enough, responsive enough & tough enough.  It doesn't pretend to be a family sedan, or sports car, it's a full framed truck based vehicle & that's what it drives like, so not sure why people would expect anything else.  It drives MUCH better than my 1998 Jeep Cherokee did (though I did love that old AMC derived 4.0L inline 6) and it reminds me a lot of my 2001 Dodge Dakota, all were manual's, as is my Wrangler.  And the one impressive thing so far during this freezing Ottawa winter we've been having is how quick the engine comes up to operating temp & starts heating up the cabin extremely quickly, no complaints there!

[blotter]

great review and as always awesome pictures!

I've always like the Wrangler as well, especially in Tooscoops' colour.
however, I'd be wasting it's capabilities and it just isn't the right fit for me.

[Fobroader]

Great review and pics!! I, for one, would never buy a Sahara, the painted flares will not stand up well to being bashed off of trees and Im sure the navigation would not enjoy being left out in the rain with the top off. I get why this exists, there are a lot of "cool" soccer moms around town that use these to take their offspring to school and such so they don't need lockers, swaybar disconnects and a 4:1 crawl ratio. To me though, the color matched tops and fenders ruin the lines and overall look of the Jeep. Make mine a Willis 

[OliverD]

Great review and pics!! I, for one, would never buy a Sahara, the painted flares will not stand up well to being bashed off of trees and Im sure the navigation would not enjoy being left out in the rain with the top off. I get why this exists, there are a lot of "cool" soccer moms around town that use these to take their offspring to school and such so they don't need lockers, swaybar disconnects and a 4:1 crawl ratio. To me though, the color matched tops and fenders ruin the lines and overall look of the Jeep. Make mine a Willis 

Sahara wouldn't be my pick either and I love the contrasting black fenders and roof but sometimes I see a Sahara like this all-red one and think damn, that's a good looking Jeep.

[Fobroader]

Great review and pics!! I, for one, would never buy a Sahara, the painted flares will not stand up well to being bashed off of trees and Im sure the navigation would not enjoy being left out in the rain with the top off. I get why this exists, there are a lot of "cool" soccer moms around town that use these to take their offspring to school and such so they don't need lockers, swaybar disconnects and a 4:1 crawl ratio. To me though, the color matched tops and fenders ruin the lines and overall look of the Jeep. Make mine a Willis 

Sahara wouldn't be my pick either and I love the contrasting black fenders and roof but sometimes I see a Sahara like this all-red one and think damn, that's a good looking Jeep.

I have yet to see a combo that works for me.....and I really dig some of the new Wrangler colors.

[OliverD]

Great review and pics!! I, for one, would never buy a Sahara, the painted flares will not stand up well to being bashed off of trees and Im sure the navigation would not enjoy being left out in the rain with the top off. I get why this exists, there are a lot of "cool" soccer moms around town that use these to take their offspring to school and such so they don't need lockers, swaybar disconnects and a 4:1 crawl ratio. To me though, the color matched tops and fenders ruin the lines and overall look of the Jeep. Make mine a Willis 

Sahara wouldn't be my pick either and I love the contrasting black fenders and roof but sometimes I see a Sahara like this all-red one and think damn, that's a good looking Jeep.

I have yet to see a combo that works for me.....and I really dig some of the new Wrangler colors.

Yeah, I'm loving the new Sunset Orange

[Fobroader]

Great review and pics!! I, for one, would never buy a Sahara, the painted flares will not stand up well to being bashed off of trees and Im sure the navigation would not enjoy being left out in the rain with the top off. I get why this exists, there are a lot of "cool" soccer moms around town that use these to take their offspring to school and such so they don't need lockers, swaybar disconnects and a 4:1 crawl ratio. To me though, the color matched tops and fenders ruin the lines and overall look of the Jeep. Make mine a Willis 

Sahara wouldn't be my pick either and I love the contrasting black fenders and roof but sometimes I see a Sahara like this all-red one and think damn, that's a good looking Jeep.

I have yet to see a combo that works for me.....and I really dig some of the new Wrangler colors.

Yeah, I'm loving the new Sunset Orange

I really like that combo....a guy in our club had a stone white Wrangler and he rockerguarded his grille, looked awesome.

[Blueprint]

If that test-drive was set in Quebec, the Wrangler would have been wearing mandatory snow shoes, the writer would have dry socks in Sorels, but the great pictures would be ruined by the background. We have bumps, not mountains.

[dirtyjeffer]

interesting timing...was playing around on the Jeep website on the weekend and really like their new colour palette...my favourite looking one was the Sahara in Copper Brown Pearl...one sweet looking package.

[2JDM]

I'll take mine in Hydro Blue Pearl or Tank.

[rrocket]

Around here, this is a chick car.  I see nothing but women driving these...apart from one of IQ's guy friends.