aj8544
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
After owning my JTR for only about a month, I can say even as a decided buyer I didnt understand or appreciate just how good of a vehicle it is. In the first month Ive taken a 6 hour road trip with my wife and 2 kids, carried 4 adult coworkers for work trips, done some mild off-roading, towed my utility trailer, even hauled a little lumber (no plywood yet...), and daily driven it including picking kids up daily from daycare. It has been nothing short of awesome at every task.
Lets start with the road trip. When I bought the JT I was expecting to compromise on comfort. 3 hours into the trip I turned to my wife and said “damn I am comfortable”. Not sure if its the fox shocks on the Rubi, or if they all ride this way, but even with the MTs mine is phenomenal, particularly on the highway. Expansion joints are still a bit sharp as I would expect, but general ups and downs and bumps in the road it just floats over. Handling- I am used to a 2018 F150 (still have the pos), the JT is so much nicer to drive. A portion of the trip we took is on Interstate 99 (rt15) from corning ny to williamsport pa. That stretch of interstate is so winding and up and down in elevation I have always been shocked they make it a 70mph speed limit. With the F150 I never did 70 because quite frankly it didnt feel like it would make the turns. With the JT I set the cruise at 73 and never had to adjust. If there are steering issues with these mine definitely doesnt have the issue, it steers perfect with minimal play on center. To sum this part up the I prefer the JT in comfort and handling over my F150, which is the opposite of what I expected.
Off road: I havent done anything crazy yet, but have tested out the sway disco etc on snow banks in my driveway, driven alot of miles of dirt and just today some snow/ice/water/mud covered seasonal roads. The factory MTs are awesome. Visibility is way better than a 1/2 ton truck. I always know right where my tires are, and the nimbleness of the smaller platform is incredibly valuable.
Truck utility: Yes its a small bed. But so far I havent needed more room. No Im not a construction worker, but I do a lot of diy home projects, hunt, fish, camp etc... I did install a swingcase and literider tonneau. My thoughts on the bed so far are that it is small but sufficient, and just requires a bit more organization than a larger bed. Towing my 18’ PJ utility trailer was a far different experience than I expected. Again the nimbleness of the JT benefits in making tight maneuvers in my driveway- never gave that part a thought before. The mirrors are small, but with the open trailer I could see just fine. I did add some cheap convex spotter mirrors from amazon which drastically improve trailer visibility in the mirror as well. Power was sufficient, I only hauled about 4k total this time, but was pleasantly impressed with how it pulled, I live on a steep hill so just leaving my driveway is a test.
So here is why I say it’s underrated and misunderstood. Everyone seems to overlook that this will do all the things Ive mentioned- haul your family, tow your boat, run to the hardware store, off road... AND its a convertible. The convertible part is why I bought it. It was 60 in NY today and I had to take the top off (not a bad 1 person job for the hard top by the way). Then I set out for some seasonal roads, to find them still packed with snow and ice, muddy in places and running water in others. The JT never missed a beat, never even needed 4 low. It was the best day Ive had in a while, eating lunch on the tailgate in the 60 degree sun with 8 inches of snow under the truck was awesome. The best part was knowing not many other vehicles could get to where I was, and other than a wrangler none could do it topless. I then returned home, put the top back on, went to the car wash, picked up my kids and took my family to dinner.
This is a true swiss army knife of a vehicle. And unlike most multi-tools it seems to do most things very well- maybe a jack of all trades, master of...most? The price is off putting to most- I used to bitch about it too. After owning one I can say its worth every damn penny. Kudos to the Jeep engineers- this thing is excellent, just hope that others will eventually see all that it is capable of.
Lets start with the road trip. When I bought the JT I was expecting to compromise on comfort. 3 hours into the trip I turned to my wife and said “damn I am comfortable”. Not sure if its the fox shocks on the Rubi, or if they all ride this way, but even with the MTs mine is phenomenal, particularly on the highway. Expansion joints are still a bit sharp as I would expect, but general ups and downs and bumps in the road it just floats over. Handling- I am used to a 2018 F150 (still have the pos), the JT is so much nicer to drive. A portion of the trip we took is on Interstate 99 (rt15) from corning ny to williamsport pa. That stretch of interstate is so winding and up and down in elevation I have always been shocked they make it a 70mph speed limit. With the F150 I never did 70 because quite frankly it didnt feel like it would make the turns. With the JT I set the cruise at 73 and never had to adjust. If there are steering issues with these mine definitely doesnt have the issue, it steers perfect with minimal play on center. To sum this part up the I prefer the JT in comfort and handling over my F150, which is the opposite of what I expected.
Off road: I havent done anything crazy yet, but have tested out the sway disco etc on snow banks in my driveway, driven alot of miles of dirt and just today some snow/ice/water/mud covered seasonal roads. The factory MTs are awesome. Visibility is way better than a 1/2 ton truck. I always know right where my tires are, and the nimbleness of the smaller platform is incredibly valuable.
Truck utility: Yes its a small bed. But so far I havent needed more room. No Im not a construction worker, but I do a lot of diy home projects, hunt, fish, camp etc... I did install a swingcase and literider tonneau. My thoughts on the bed so far are that it is small but sufficient, and just requires a bit more organization than a larger bed. Towing my 18’ PJ utility trailer was a far different experience than I expected. Again the nimbleness of the JT benefits in making tight maneuvers in my driveway- never gave that part a thought before. The mirrors are small, but with the open trailer I could see just fine. I did add some cheap convex spotter mirrors from amazon which drastically improve trailer visibility in the mirror as well. Power was sufficient, I only hauled about 4k total this time, but was pleasantly impressed with how it pulled, I live on a steep hill so just leaving my driveway is a test.
So here is why I say it’s underrated and misunderstood. Everyone seems to overlook that this will do all the things Ive mentioned- haul your family, tow your boat, run to the hardware store, off road... AND its a convertible. The convertible part is why I bought it. It was 60 in NY today and I had to take the top off (not a bad 1 person job for the hard top by the way). Then I set out for some seasonal roads, to find them still packed with snow and ice, muddy in places and running water in others. The JT never missed a beat, never even needed 4 low. It was the best day Ive had in a while, eating lunch on the tailgate in the 60 degree sun with 8 inches of snow under the truck was awesome. The best part was knowing not many other vehicles could get to where I was, and other than a wrangler none could do it topless. I then returned home, put the top back on, went to the car wash, picked up my kids and took my family to dinner.
This is a true swiss army knife of a vehicle. And unlike most multi-tools it seems to do most things very well- maybe a jack of all trades, master of...most? The price is off putting to most- I used to bitch about it too. After owning one I can say its worth every damn penny. Kudos to the Jeep engineers- this thing is excellent, just hope that others will eventually see all that it is capable of.
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