NoDoorsNoProblem
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Took a trip to Sedona recently, and unfortunately, now that I live on the east coast, could not bring my Gladiator. I ended up renting a 4xE JL in Sedona and doing several trails, including the famous Broken Arrow, and it was a really interesting experience for sure.
First off, if you are ever looking to rent a Jeep in Sedona, I can't recommend Barlow Jeep Rentals enough. They have an inventory of about 6 or 7 JLs, all Rubicons, most 4xE, on Mopar 2" lifts and 35s. The staff was extremely knowledgeable about the area, the Jeeps, and off-roading, and shared their experiences and tips and tricks. They have done most of the trails in the area and will share tons of detail and maps of the area. The staff member helping me asked if I had any experience, and when I told her I've wheeled Moab, TX, and AR, she immediately slipped into "Jeep talk" nerding out with a fellow owner.
The JLR 4xE that I got was a great time, and I was glad I got to try out what these were all about, and what the future of Gladiators and Jeeps are likely to be. The staff member working with me said she couldn't wait for the 4xE to come to the Gladiator to get the increase in power over the Pentastar. Around town driving, I noticed the increase, but I didn't think it was as extreme as she had made it out to be, compared to the Mojave with stock 4.10 gears on 37s that I daily. The main difference was the extremely linear torque curve. No waiting for the engine to rev to 3500+ RPM to start putting down the power. It was very odd having the 2.0 4cyl turn off and on randomly when it needed and didn't need power, and even weirder to occasionally accelerate from a stoplight on pure battery power. The quiet hum of the motors winding was pretty neat with that wall of torque.
Side note - I went in thinking that the Mopar lift would handle like a boat, with the heavy 4xE and the basic Mopar Fox shocks that come with it. However, those shocks I thought were fantastic for a simple smooth body 2.0" shock. Before I bought my Mojave, I test drove a used Gladiator Rubicon with about 8,000 miles on it. I almost walked away from buying a Gladiator because it drove so poorly. I don't know if the regular Rubicon shocks on the Gladiator are way different, or the previous owner had just blown them out, but it was incredibly wallowy and unstable IMO. In contrast, the 4xE with the Mopar lift drove great around town, in the rocks, and on the washboard at 30 mph.
As far as wheeling with the 4xE, it was definitely something that you have to get used to. The power is fantastic on climbs and always right there. In 4LO, the 2.0 stayed mostly on, running between 2k and 3.5k rpm, based on engine load, but it rarely turned off. With the low gearing, constant torque, and the odd engine sound, when slow speed crawling it felt like driving a small diesel tractor. On easy to moderate descents, some combination of the electric motor and regenerative braking system forced the Jeep to crawl at 1-2 miles an hour - almost like a hill descent control you don't need to activate. It was super neat, until it wasn't....Coming down the Devils Staircase on Broken Arrow, I wanted to trust my right foot at creeping down the steep descent, and not just let the Jeep try and take me down. The 4xE system was not a huge fan of this, and it was extremely hard to modulate the braking at low speeds in order to creep down ledges. It wound up being a very jerky start-stop descent. Nothing that felt unsafe, just not as smooth as I have learned to do in the Mojave, based on learning the exact bite point of the brakes in a lot of downhill climbs. I'm sure with some more experience in the 4xE I would figure it out, but that was my main gripe with it.
Overall a very cool experience, and cool to see the potential for where Jeep is going. I plan on keeping my 3.6 Mojave alive until it turns into a clapped out buggy build in 20 years, and the reliability and electrical gremlins in the 4xE scare me. But definitely interested in the possibilities down the road.
First off, if you are ever looking to rent a Jeep in Sedona, I can't recommend Barlow Jeep Rentals enough. They have an inventory of about 6 or 7 JLs, all Rubicons, most 4xE, on Mopar 2" lifts and 35s. The staff was extremely knowledgeable about the area, the Jeeps, and off-roading, and shared their experiences and tips and tricks. They have done most of the trails in the area and will share tons of detail and maps of the area. The staff member helping me asked if I had any experience, and when I told her I've wheeled Moab, TX, and AR, she immediately slipped into "Jeep talk" nerding out with a fellow owner.
The JLR 4xE that I got was a great time, and I was glad I got to try out what these were all about, and what the future of Gladiators and Jeeps are likely to be. The staff member working with me said she couldn't wait for the 4xE to come to the Gladiator to get the increase in power over the Pentastar. Around town driving, I noticed the increase, but I didn't think it was as extreme as she had made it out to be, compared to the Mojave with stock 4.10 gears on 37s that I daily. The main difference was the extremely linear torque curve. No waiting for the engine to rev to 3500+ RPM to start putting down the power. It was very odd having the 2.0 4cyl turn off and on randomly when it needed and didn't need power, and even weirder to occasionally accelerate from a stoplight on pure battery power. The quiet hum of the motors winding was pretty neat with that wall of torque.
Side note - I went in thinking that the Mopar lift would handle like a boat, with the heavy 4xE and the basic Mopar Fox shocks that come with it. However, those shocks I thought were fantastic for a simple smooth body 2.0" shock. Before I bought my Mojave, I test drove a used Gladiator Rubicon with about 8,000 miles on it. I almost walked away from buying a Gladiator because it drove so poorly. I don't know if the regular Rubicon shocks on the Gladiator are way different, or the previous owner had just blown them out, but it was incredibly wallowy and unstable IMO. In contrast, the 4xE with the Mopar lift drove great around town, in the rocks, and on the washboard at 30 mph.
As far as wheeling with the 4xE, it was definitely something that you have to get used to. The power is fantastic on climbs and always right there. In 4LO, the 2.0 stayed mostly on, running between 2k and 3.5k rpm, based on engine load, but it rarely turned off. With the low gearing, constant torque, and the odd engine sound, when slow speed crawling it felt like driving a small diesel tractor. On easy to moderate descents, some combination of the electric motor and regenerative braking system forced the Jeep to crawl at 1-2 miles an hour - almost like a hill descent control you don't need to activate. It was super neat, until it wasn't....Coming down the Devils Staircase on Broken Arrow, I wanted to trust my right foot at creeping down the steep descent, and not just let the Jeep try and take me down. The 4xE system was not a huge fan of this, and it was extremely hard to modulate the braking at low speeds in order to creep down ledges. It wound up being a very jerky start-stop descent. Nothing that felt unsafe, just not as smooth as I have learned to do in the Mojave, based on learning the exact bite point of the brakes in a lot of downhill climbs. I'm sure with some more experience in the 4xE I would figure it out, but that was my main gripe with it.
Overall a very cool experience, and cool to see the potential for where Jeep is going. I plan on keeping my 3.6 Mojave alive until it turns into a clapped out buggy build in 20 years, and the reliability and electrical gremlins in the 4xE scare me. But definitely interested in the possibilities down the road.
Sponsored
