That aside, too many people want a Jeep Wrangler for the "cool" effect. But the truth is, the ride is harsh and the handling is clumsy on the road. It has a very tight fit, making it uncomfortable for anything other than short drives. There is only one real reason to own a Wrangler. And that is for its offroad capability. That is the only reason I bought mine. I belong to an offroad club and we go out on trails that would break pretty much any other vehicle. Otherwise, I would never own one.
Here is the rundown on the three Wrangler models. First is the Sport. It is entry level. Bought by those who can't afford anything else and those who want to do some serious modifications. Second is the Sahara. Best known as a pavement princess, this one has a plushed out suspension, 18 inch tires and was designed for those who never go offroad, or just venture onto Forest Service roads. Third is the Rubicon. This is for the serious offroader who wants to hit the trail without too many modifications. It has electrically activated lockers front and rear, as well as an electric swaybar disconnect. The Rubicon also comes with a Dana 44 front axle, as opposed to the Dana 30 on the other two. Additionally, the Rubicon has a lower geared transfer case.
The Sport and Sahara can be had with a rear limited slip differential, which you would want in snow conditions. The Rubicon lockers can only be activated in 4LO, so all your winter driving will be with open differentials.
All new Wranglers have a Pentastar 3.6L V-6 and come with a part time four wheel drive system that has a high and low range. A 6 speed manual transmission is available, but most have the 5 speed automatic. The four door version is known as the Unlimited.
Bottom line...the Wrangler is a poor choice for a daily driver. I only drive mine when I hit the trail. The rest of the time, it's my wife's to drive. Because I'd much rather drive my Chevy Silverado, which has a much nicer ride and has the full time 4WD capability my Jeep doesn't have.
Best known as a pavement princess, this one has a plushed out suspension, 18 inch tires and was designed for those who never go offroad, or just venture onto Forest Service roads.
______________
This sort of describes me. I do drive in snow, sometimes lots of it, sometimes unplowed. My objective is to have something fun and different for a couple of years then trade it in for something more sedate.
I have an additional question for you about Jeeps. I have been behind a jeep called a 4x4 in chrome in the left back . No other indication of model or style. Tall, with two doors. Is that a two door unlimited? It is tall and rugged looking but not as rugged looking as a Rubicon. No other signage. I cannot find a model called 4x4 and I do know it is a feature but was wondering whether it was also a model or sub-model.