2012 Jeep Wrangler: My Parents-In-Law Bought One
February 27, 2013
My wife got a call from her mother yesterday. Apparently she and my father-in-law bought a new car.
My wife was a little perplexed. She knew they were thinking about getting one, but per tradition, they hadn't talked to me yet about what they should be looking for. I haven't steered them wrong yet.
She knew immediately why they didn't when she found out what it was: a loaded 2013 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 2-Door.
2012 Jeep Wrangler: Am I In My Lane?
February 26, 2013
When I look at our Jeep Wrangler, I don't feel like it's massive. Next to our Jeep Cherokee it seems relatively normal. Parked in my structure at home it doesn't seem gargantuan. When the Wrangler is stationary, it seems large but not too big to park, commute in, or navigate on normal roads.
The size dynamics of the Wrangler change dramatically the moment you drive it. It's high up, difficult to see out of in traffic and has aftermarket tires that are wider than the body. Is this all an illusion or am I running over curbs, fire hydrants and small woodland creatures everywhere I go?
2012 Jeep Wrangler: Rear Headrest Fail
February 25, 2013
Some time ago one of the headrest mounts on our Wrangler's rear seat broke. The fixture which locates the driver side headrest in the seat pulled free. The headrest can still be removed and inserted, but the mount is no longer fixed to the seat. Fortunately, the other side is still attached and it locates the headrest solidly.
2012 Jeep Wrangler: Needs Proper Gearing
February 21, 2013
Given our Wrangler's huge tires there's no need to ever use sixth gear. At 70 mph in sixth the Pentastar V6 is turning over only about 1,850 revolutions per minute. And that's just not enough to pull even the slightest hill. Even a medium crosswind will trigger the need for a downshift. Fifth gear is only turning about 2,350 rpm at the same speed and that's a usable engine speed.
2012 Jeep Wrangler: Built-In Bike Security
February 20, 2013
Here's one of the overlooked benefits of removing the Wrangler's rear seat: Cargo security. The rear seat's u-shaped strikers — all six of them — offer perfect locking points for whatever costly cargo (in this case a mountain bike) you might otherwise leave unsecured inside the soft top.
2012 Jeep Wrangler: Simple Ventilation Controls
February 14, 2013
Ask yourself, do you want a Wrangler with climate control? I don't. This is partially why I find myself liking the Wrangler's simple, three-knob, two-button ventilation controls. Simple, direct and functional like everything else about the Wrangler.
Josh Jacquot, Senior Editor @ about 27,500 miles
2012 Jeep Wrangler: Interior Wear
February 12, 2013
Despite the fact that our Wrangler now smells like it hosted a campfire for several nights, its interior continues to wear well. After its weekly bath yesterday, I got to looking around and noticed that, aside from a few nicks here and there, the only real sign of wear on its interior is this small deformation on the driver's seat. It's relatively insignificant considering the indifference with which we've driven it to nearly 28,000 miles.
2012 Jeep Wrangler Sport: Headrest Discomfort
February 11, 2012
I like a lot about our Wrangler. I like its manliness. I like its raw talent in the rocks. I like leaving its top down at night. I like its unvarnished indifference to modernity.
But I don't like its headrests.
Josh Jacquot, Senior Editor @ about 27,500 miles
2012 Jeep Wrangler: Earned Its Stripes
February 5, 2013
The same way a kid isn't a ball player until he's taken a fastball to the ribs, a Wrangler isn't a Jeep until it's cracked its windshield. Our Wrangler has proven itself a Jeep multiple times during its stay with us. This growing crack (nearly spanning the length of the glass) only solidifies it.
Dan Frio, Automotive Editor @ 25,706 miles
2012 Jeep Wrangler: Fuel Economy Update for January
February 4, 2013
During the month of December we drove our 2012 Jeep Wrangler 1,524 miles, many of which were off road. During those four weeks the Wrangler averaged 15.9 miles per gallon of 87 octane fuel.
2012 Jeep Wrangler Sport: With Google Maps, Who Needs Factory Navigation?
January 29, 2013
One of the things our 2012 Jeep Wrangler Sport doesn't have is a factory navigation system. Heck, it didn't even come with Bluetooth, a matter we quickly rectified by installing a factory-developed U-Connect Mopar accessory.
But that didn't address navigation. Fortunately, the recent dust-up between Apple and Google has resulted in a very cheap and effective solution, an alternative to the factory nav system and the aftermarket Tom Toms of the world that make the purchase of either one unnecessary.
Apple got cocky and ditched the native Google Maps app that had always come pre-installed on their phones. The in-house Apple iOS map replacement was (and still is) a disaster, and within a matter of weeks Google came out with a fresh Google maps app that anyone could download from the iTunes store.
For free.
Thing is, Google Maps, the App is light years better than the old native Google Maps button that came on the iPhone before the infighting started. The new one reroutes, it issues turn-by-turn instructions with or without voice (through the car's speakers), it offers the choice of perspective view, the graphics are better, you can see traffic red zones along a planned route (the blue route line no longer obscures them), it displays and recalculates ETA as you go along and much more. It's better in almost every possible way, in fact.
And it's free.
This new Google Maps iOS app is especially effective in our 2012 Jeep Wrangler because an iPhone will perch comfortably atop the flat-topped steering column without obscuring the gauges. A non-skid rubber phone case helps greatly to keep it there, of course.
There are two drawbacks, however.
2012 Jeep Wrangler: Wants to Be Wild
January 28, 2013
I've got this neighbor, really nice guy, works in IT. He must stress, because I often see him outside having some nicotine when I drive in for the evening. We always get to talking about whatever car I'm in. "I've always wanted a Jeep," he said the other night when I drove up in the Wrangler. "Maybe not as aggressive as this, but a Jeep. A Wrangler, specifically."
He doesn't have any need for the winch, nor our beastly tires. But he likes the look and more so, the purpose of a Jeep. I told him ours was horrible to drive on the freeway, floaty with steering that feels continentally wide. Jacquot says he feels the clutch slipping too. I didn't notice that, but my mechanical senses are nowhere near as keen.
But, bad as the Wrangler might be for commuting, I like how it kinda keeps you on edge buffeting down the highway. It's not a relaxing drive, but it's good to drive something that keeps you fully engaged now and then. In the Wrangler's case, it just reinforces the notion that this car is built from the factory, and now especially under the guiding hand of Dan E, is made for the wild. It just wants to be out there, and rewards you for being out there.
My way of coping is just getting up on the Pentastar hard, then easing off into the right lanes and parking it there for the duration of the drive home. People see a blacked-out Wrangler perched up high and they treat it like a VW Bus. You don't need to stress. They'll find a way around you.
Dan Frio, Automotive Editor @ 25,800 miles
2012 Jeep Wrangler: Washboard Abuse
January 24, 2013
Hundreds of miles of washboard roads can take its toll. In the recent trip crisscrossing the Panamint and Saline Valleys (and eventually ending up in Death Valley) the 2012 Jeep Wrangler handled it easily, but with two minor hiccups.
2012 Jeep Wrangler: The Big Loop
January 23, 2013
Los Angeles, Sacramento, Reno, Virginia City, Bishop, Panamint Springs, Death Valley and back home.
The 2012 Jeep Wrangler wouldn't be considered much of a road trip vehicle, but with two dogs and two adults it fit the bill. The back seat was removed to help with canine and cargo space. With a smartphone/iPod hooked up to the aux we were off.
2012 Jeep Wrangler: Last Chance Canyon
January 22, 2013
The Sunday trip was set and we were off. Last Chance was the destination and we made good time getting there. This particular area is south of one my other favorites, Jawbone, where I spent countless weekends trying to ride MX bikes that were way too tall for me as a kid.
Last Chance Canyon is a beautiful remote canyon within Red Rock Canyon State Park. Not exactly the most hardcore wheeling, but it's spectacular and there's a lot more than just rocks and sand. The name Last Chance is generally associated with explorers and prospectors who finally found water as time was running out via dehydration.
2012 Jeep Wrangler Sport: Which Tire Pressure Gauge is Correct?
January 10, 2013
It was cold, and the tire pressures had recently been dropped on purpose for some light off-roading. It was therefore understandable that the TPMS light had winked on, but I still needed to check and make sure one of them wasn't leaking.
The Wrangler's TPMS system is of the dumb variety, in that it doesn't display the actual pressures on the dash like some others. So I grabbed a tire pressure gauge out of my toolbox.
None of them were lower than any of the others, so I wasn't facing any sort of leak. For fun I decided to grab a couple of other gauges I had lying around.
As you can see, three out of three tire pressure gauges don't agree. Can you guess which one was correct?
