I couldn't help myself. I just bought a very decked out 2014 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon in the color "dune." Or, as the guys here at work call it: "Baby vomit." (Obviously, they're just jealous) It's heated leather seats (Saddle brown) and power windows and everything else, navigation system, automatic headlights, etc. etc. besides all the Rubicon stuff like Dana 44's at both ends, push button locking axles, (Both) 4:1 crawler transfer case, and push button sway bar disconnect.
I can say the sway bar thing will be worth its weight in gold because I broke a bolt in the XK's bar once. It was NICE off road. After that, if we were heading in for days of off-roading, I'd unbolt one side and bungie the loose end. It was a PITA, but it's nice for trails. You have to be sitting perfect or have a buddy rock the Jeep to get the bind off the bolt, but it does work.
Couple of other cool features are hill decent and hill assist. Even with the paddle shift (What I call it anyway) automatic, (Very much like the XK's) it'll hold a hill for a few seconds until the throttle is applied. No more two-foot gas/brake peddles on steep stuff. The hill decent thing is push a button, and the speed automatically follows the gear selection: 1st limits to 1 MPH, 2nd is 2 MPH, etc. The computer handles what it takes to keep the speed held. The paddle shifter is a bit different than the XK in that while stopped, you can select 1 or 2 on the display. If it's showing 2, then it starts out in 2nd instead of 1st, like when on glare ice or the like when you want low starting torque. Other than that, it's just like the XK with the + and - flipping.
Traded in both the Chrysler 300 and XK for it. Payment wise and with the insurance drop etc. (Loosing a vehicle) it works out to less heading out the door a month despite buying a $43,860 Jeep. (God! What have I done?!?)
WHY?!?
We bought a new Rubi here at work. (Two door) There's a helluva lotta changes in the new ones. My last test drive was 5 years ago when they still had that one-option gas sucking gutless 3.8 V6. The dash is redesigned, no more leg cramming. They're super quiet, more quiet riding than my Chrysler 300 in fact. They've come a long way, baby. The 3.6L Pentistar according to Car & Driver knocks about 8 seconds off the paltry 0-60 time over the older ones. The Unlimited is 7.8 seconds zero to 60. (Not that I've done that yet) Coming back from the dealer, starting out at only 11 miles on the clock, it was getting 19 MPG.
I'll lurk here on the forums, so I'm not abandoning it quite yet. I may even go to Silverton this year, maybe.
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