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Few vehicles on the market today roll off the production line ready to handle the open road and the rockiest of paths. There have always been a few caveats, though. It’s great for on- and off-road use, but you don’t exactly get the quietest cabin in the world. The on-road ride has also, traditionally, been a little rougher that other models in this segment. Or, at least that’s what we thought until we actually had a chance to take the new Wrangler JL for a test drive. After spending a week with the JL Wrangler we’ve come to realize that the Wrangler actually sits in a segment all its own. Despite our efforts, we can’t find another model this size, with a full-frame, that comes off the showroom floor ready to handle the business.
The real question is, however, whether or not the new JL Wrangler can still handle those off-road thrills but provide a more modern feel inside and more comfortable on-road ride. That’s a tall order for something designed for off-roading first, but the natural evolution of the Wrangler has put it in a unique position on the market. It honestly has no direct competitors in a true sense, and its go-anywhere mentality has been improved with fresh on-road manors. Is it enough to widen the Wrangler’s appeal and make it interesting to those that have traditionally searched for softer crossovers? Does the full-frame, solid-axle arrangement still stand on its own in this ever evolving market where unibody construction and independent suspension is the norm? Is the JL Wrangler still a jack of all trades that’s good for a weekend of fun and carrying a small family during the week?
These are now questions that we now have answers to, thanks to a week spent with the 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. We didn’t just have any run-of-the-mill Rubicon, though. The Wrangler that showed up at TopSpeed HQ also included a ferocious amount of MOPAR parts that makes it more off-road ready than ever. So, that raises one more question that we have to answer – at what point does molesting the MOPAR catalog move the Wrangler from a modest daily driver to something that’s more suited for weekend thrills?
This is our full, hands-on review of the 2019 Jeep Wrangler JL (with tons of Mopar parts) and our story of a week’s worth of fun, honest acclimation into a world that we seldom get to experience.
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