ExpoMike
Well-known member
So, I thought I would do a write up about my week long rental of a ’09 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. All of the info I present is of my opinion and take them as you will. My wife and I took a trip to the Big Island of Hawaii and originally had our reservation for a Wrangler 4x4 2 door model. Once at the checkout counter, I had made a comment about really liking the 4 door model we had a couple years back on Maui. A few clicks from the manager and I was offered an Unlimited Rubicon for $10 a day more. I didn’t even pause to say yes! I had wanted to try one of these from the day they came out and with my plan of some good offroading on the Big Island, the extras the Rubicon offers was more than welcomed. I chose the bright yellow one they had in the lot. BTW, as a side note, you would be surprised by how many yellow Jeeps are on the Big Island.
We loaded up our bags, which was two full size suitcase, two carryon size cases and a 12 pack size cooler. Folding down the rear seats made swallowing up the luggage no problem. I give Jeep credit for a well designed rear fold down seat in the Unlimited. First they are split, 60/40 IIRC and the great design of the folding headrests, which retract back as the back seat lays flat to the floor. Nothing to remove or mess with, it just works. I wish we had this feature in our Cherokee. This was also the first time I have had a JK series Wrangler with the hardtop as our previous rentals (2 and 4 door models) were soft tops. As we got on the road, I noticed that the hardtop made it much quieter inside the previous soft top models we had rented. It also kept it cooler and more secure to boot. During the week we did test out the removable roof panels over the driver and passenger areas. They removed fairly quickly and with the rear seat up and nothing in the back, fit in the rear cargo area, stacked flat on the floor. This was even with the optional sub woofer this model had. I could see it being a pain to figure out where to put them if you had cargo in the back but I am sure someone in the aftermarket makes (or should) a holder that would stand them upright or hung off the spare tire.
As the week progressed, different likes and dislikes emerged. I found the ergonomics from the driver spot to be very well laid out. Everything was clear and easy to get to. During the week, we drove over 1100 miles, with about 150 of those offroad. Both my wife and I, who are heavier than average, that the front seats were comfortable on the road. Our longest nonstop stint was about 140 miles and we did not feel fatigued when we got out. Offroad was a little different. We both noted that after an hour bouncing around, the seat bottoms felt too firm. I don’t know if the density is too high and when you start moving around but we have never felt this way about our Cherokee seats. The Wrangler ones may need more time to break in (rig did have 15,000 miles). Something else that surprised me was the Goodyear MT/R tires, standard on the Rubicon, were not nearly as loud as I feared they might be. There is a little noise from them but nothing that felt tiring over time. Offroad they worked great. We never had any traction issues and being that a lot of the area is sharp, volcanic rock, they just seemed to take everything with strides. I am not sure I would have felt as comfortable on some of the trails, had the tires been the lower models they put on the non Rubicon editions. I do have to note that on road, in the wet, the MT/R’s did not give me the same confidence of other tires. We got caught in some rain coming back to the resort one night, on a twisty area of the highway. Knowing these were not wet performance tires, I had been driving very easily and cautiously but on one tight turn, the backend started to step out. I started to counter steer when I noticed the DSC light flashing. It had caught what was happening even before I had the chance to start reacting to it. As much as I don’t like babysitters when it comes to car control, this system worked very smoothly. This was the only time during the trip the DSC kicked in, so I don’t have any more info on how well it works but for the average driver, I would say it’s not really a hindrance. One thing to note, the DSC is disengaged when you are in low range 4WD. A message on the dash info meter will tell you this, as a reminder.
Now for the offroad opinions. To start, the first thing I did the very first night we got to our room was to bring up the owners manual and read everything about the 4x4 systems. I wanted to make sure I knew how the electric sway bar disconnects work, the front and rear selectable lockers and engaging 4WD and low range. The Rubicon model has a 4:1 low range transfer case and prior to driving this rig, I always thought 4:1 was too low to be any practical use outside of rock crawling. Well, my opinion has changed. I actually found it very useful from allowing steep descents without having to ride the brake to climbing over obstacles with a little more precision. I really could see an advantage if towing a trailer offroad, as you could help keep the trailer from “pushing” you as you went down hills and such. I could even leave it in low range and use 3rd or 4th gear (this was an automatic transmission) and use it as a good trail speed range but knew I could drop it down a gear or two if needed, without having to stop and move the transfer case from high to low. I may have to look at a 4:1 setup for our Cherokee.
Having known the advantages of disconnecting the sway bar on our Cherokee, it truly was nice to hit a button and not have to get out and disconnect anything manually. We actually found we used this feature a lot, not so much because we needed the extra flex but because it road better in the dirt/rocks with it disconnected. Since we did not have a way to air up tires on the trails, we had been driving everywhere at street pressures. At these pressures, it really made the ride rough and jostled you around a lot. With the sway bar disconnected, it was a very noticeable and much welcomed smoothness to driving. This does bring me to one of my dislikes. Jeep saw it fit to only allow the disconnects to work when in a 4WD range and at lower speeds. At approx. 20mph, it would start flashing the sway bar light warning you. I have heard there is an aftermarket fix that changes the computer program to allow this system to work in 2WD. It would be first on my list of mods. This brings me to the next system I like about the Rubicon but wish it was done a little differently.
The selectable front and rear lockers. This was a great system and really allowed us to crawl up areas without any wheel spin, minimizing our footprint on the trail. The system allows rear only or front and rear together. Again, this system only works in a 4WD range. It would have been nice to allow the rear locker to work in 2WD as 4WD wasn’t always needed with the extra traction from the locked rear. There is also a limit to slower speeds to use them, again something I would like to change and there may be an aftermarket solution out there. When used, they worked flawlessly and it was nice to be able to disconnect the front locker while leaving the rear engaged. Climbing up something that required a tight turn, you could feel the front trying to straighten out the steering but a quick hit of the switch, unlock the front and it would steer right where you wanted to. Being this was my first experience with selectable lockers, I would have to say this really gives the best of both worlds, for street and dirt use. I also feel it does limit the impact to the terrain since you tend to not spin the tires as much, if at all.
I know that most offroad enthusiasts feels the need to modify their vehicle, almost out of the box. Many do not really get out and test the vehicles before jumping into lifts, bigger tires, suspension mods and whatnot. I can honestly say that out of the box, the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon is a top notch rig that for 80% of most people, really doesn’t need any modifications. If your typical trail duties include hard 2 to moderate 3 rated trails (out of 5), it is doubtful you will need to change anything. I feel it is by far the best Jeep, Jeep has ever put out. You can tell that enthusiasts had a very big hand in the design and building of this rig. It is not until you start moving into the more extreme end of the scale, mods would really start to make sense. I think I would be looking at some upgraded armor, to play it safe and wheel the heck out of it. I feel it would have made any trail I have taken in our Cherokee. I typically find the limits are not so much the rig itself but the people inside the rig. I know my wife has her limits well before the rig does. LOL This is not to say there are not improvements to be had but I feel many are not needed but wanted. Each person will need to evaluate their own needs and see what is right for them. If you are truly honest with yourself and your needs, you might find a lot of extras are not really needed in this case.
In closing, I hope my opinions were useful in giving a real world test, not done by marketers or someone trying to sell ad space in one of the publications. I am just sharing what I experience and my opinions. Take them for what they are. I feel I was lucky to get to test out a vehicle that I have wanted to drive for a long time. Would I like to own one? Yes I would but our Cherokee has done everything we have needed it to, so I haven’t felt the need to replace it. If and when the time comes that the Cherokee is no longer viable, the Unlimited Rubicon is on my list to replace it. I have included some pictures we took while out and about. I hope you enjoyed my review and the pictures. Until next time…
We loaded up our bags, which was two full size suitcase, two carryon size cases and a 12 pack size cooler. Folding down the rear seats made swallowing up the luggage no problem. I give Jeep credit for a well designed rear fold down seat in the Unlimited. First they are split, 60/40 IIRC and the great design of the folding headrests, which retract back as the back seat lays flat to the floor. Nothing to remove or mess with, it just works. I wish we had this feature in our Cherokee. This was also the first time I have had a JK series Wrangler with the hardtop as our previous rentals (2 and 4 door models) were soft tops. As we got on the road, I noticed that the hardtop made it much quieter inside the previous soft top models we had rented. It also kept it cooler and more secure to boot. During the week we did test out the removable roof panels over the driver and passenger areas. They removed fairly quickly and with the rear seat up and nothing in the back, fit in the rear cargo area, stacked flat on the floor. This was even with the optional sub woofer this model had. I could see it being a pain to figure out where to put them if you had cargo in the back but I am sure someone in the aftermarket makes (or should) a holder that would stand them upright or hung off the spare tire.
As the week progressed, different likes and dislikes emerged. I found the ergonomics from the driver spot to be very well laid out. Everything was clear and easy to get to. During the week, we drove over 1100 miles, with about 150 of those offroad. Both my wife and I, who are heavier than average, that the front seats were comfortable on the road. Our longest nonstop stint was about 140 miles and we did not feel fatigued when we got out. Offroad was a little different. We both noted that after an hour bouncing around, the seat bottoms felt too firm. I don’t know if the density is too high and when you start moving around but we have never felt this way about our Cherokee seats. The Wrangler ones may need more time to break in (rig did have 15,000 miles). Something else that surprised me was the Goodyear MT/R tires, standard on the Rubicon, were not nearly as loud as I feared they might be. There is a little noise from them but nothing that felt tiring over time. Offroad they worked great. We never had any traction issues and being that a lot of the area is sharp, volcanic rock, they just seemed to take everything with strides. I am not sure I would have felt as comfortable on some of the trails, had the tires been the lower models they put on the non Rubicon editions. I do have to note that on road, in the wet, the MT/R’s did not give me the same confidence of other tires. We got caught in some rain coming back to the resort one night, on a twisty area of the highway. Knowing these were not wet performance tires, I had been driving very easily and cautiously but on one tight turn, the backend started to step out. I started to counter steer when I noticed the DSC light flashing. It had caught what was happening even before I had the chance to start reacting to it. As much as I don’t like babysitters when it comes to car control, this system worked very smoothly. This was the only time during the trip the DSC kicked in, so I don’t have any more info on how well it works but for the average driver, I would say it’s not really a hindrance. One thing to note, the DSC is disengaged when you are in low range 4WD. A message on the dash info meter will tell you this, as a reminder.
Now for the offroad opinions. To start, the first thing I did the very first night we got to our room was to bring up the owners manual and read everything about the 4x4 systems. I wanted to make sure I knew how the electric sway bar disconnects work, the front and rear selectable lockers and engaging 4WD and low range. The Rubicon model has a 4:1 low range transfer case and prior to driving this rig, I always thought 4:1 was too low to be any practical use outside of rock crawling. Well, my opinion has changed. I actually found it very useful from allowing steep descents without having to ride the brake to climbing over obstacles with a little more precision. I really could see an advantage if towing a trailer offroad, as you could help keep the trailer from “pushing” you as you went down hills and such. I could even leave it in low range and use 3rd or 4th gear (this was an automatic transmission) and use it as a good trail speed range but knew I could drop it down a gear or two if needed, without having to stop and move the transfer case from high to low. I may have to look at a 4:1 setup for our Cherokee.
Having known the advantages of disconnecting the sway bar on our Cherokee, it truly was nice to hit a button and not have to get out and disconnect anything manually. We actually found we used this feature a lot, not so much because we needed the extra flex but because it road better in the dirt/rocks with it disconnected. Since we did not have a way to air up tires on the trails, we had been driving everywhere at street pressures. At these pressures, it really made the ride rough and jostled you around a lot. With the sway bar disconnected, it was a very noticeable and much welcomed smoothness to driving. This does bring me to one of my dislikes. Jeep saw it fit to only allow the disconnects to work when in a 4WD range and at lower speeds. At approx. 20mph, it would start flashing the sway bar light warning you. I have heard there is an aftermarket fix that changes the computer program to allow this system to work in 2WD. It would be first on my list of mods. This brings me to the next system I like about the Rubicon but wish it was done a little differently.
The selectable front and rear lockers. This was a great system and really allowed us to crawl up areas without any wheel spin, minimizing our footprint on the trail. The system allows rear only or front and rear together. Again, this system only works in a 4WD range. It would have been nice to allow the rear locker to work in 2WD as 4WD wasn’t always needed with the extra traction from the locked rear. There is also a limit to slower speeds to use them, again something I would like to change and there may be an aftermarket solution out there. When used, they worked flawlessly and it was nice to be able to disconnect the front locker while leaving the rear engaged. Climbing up something that required a tight turn, you could feel the front trying to straighten out the steering but a quick hit of the switch, unlock the front and it would steer right where you wanted to. Being this was my first experience with selectable lockers, I would have to say this really gives the best of both worlds, for street and dirt use. I also feel it does limit the impact to the terrain since you tend to not spin the tires as much, if at all.
I know that most offroad enthusiasts feels the need to modify their vehicle, almost out of the box. Many do not really get out and test the vehicles before jumping into lifts, bigger tires, suspension mods and whatnot. I can honestly say that out of the box, the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon is a top notch rig that for 80% of most people, really doesn’t need any modifications. If your typical trail duties include hard 2 to moderate 3 rated trails (out of 5), it is doubtful you will need to change anything. I feel it is by far the best Jeep, Jeep has ever put out. You can tell that enthusiasts had a very big hand in the design and building of this rig. It is not until you start moving into the more extreme end of the scale, mods would really start to make sense. I think I would be looking at some upgraded armor, to play it safe and wheel the heck out of it. I feel it would have made any trail I have taken in our Cherokee. I typically find the limits are not so much the rig itself but the people inside the rig. I know my wife has her limits well before the rig does. LOL This is not to say there are not improvements to be had but I feel many are not needed but wanted. Each person will need to evaluate their own needs and see what is right for them. If you are truly honest with yourself and your needs, you might find a lot of extras are not really needed in this case.
In closing, I hope my opinions were useful in giving a real world test, not done by marketers or someone trying to sell ad space in one of the publications. I am just sharing what I experience and my opinions. Take them for what they are. I feel I was lucky to get to test out a vehicle that I have wanted to drive for a long time. Would I like to own one? Yes I would but our Cherokee has done everything we have needed it to, so I haven’t felt the need to replace it. If and when the time comes that the Cherokee is no longer viable, the Unlimited Rubicon is on my list to replace it. I have included some pictures we took while out and about. I hope you enjoyed my review and the pictures. Until next time…
