The Jeep brand first rose to fame by producing rugged vehicles for the United States Armed Forces during the Second World War. Today, Jeep is best known for making rugged, off-road vehicles, most notably the Jeep Wrangler. The Wrangler is arguably Jeep's most popular vehicle, and it is easy to see why.
With its powerful look combined with the ability to go off the road and iconic convertible look, the Wrangler is one of the most popular Jeep vehicles ever made. Despite its widespread popularity, many consumers note that this car is not as great as it seems. Here are ten things about the Wrangler which make no sense.
10 Safety Rating
One thing about the Jeep Wrangler which makes absolutely no sense is its consistently poor safety ranking and how these ratings have virtually no impact on its sales. In 2018, the Jeep Wrangler only received one out of five possible stars in the Euro NCAP test according to Forbes. The Wrangler's peers such as the Audi Q3 and the Volvo V60 all received a perfect score.
Despite this extremely poor rating, the Wrangler's sales were undeterred. The Wrangler's poor rating comes due to its lack of safety features. This vehicle retails for around $60,000, and other vehicles in this price range have basic features such as automatic braking which the Wrangler lacks.
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The second thing which makes no sense about the Jeep Wrangler is its absolute lack of trunk space. The Wrangler has always been branded towards off-roaders and is renowned for its off-road use, yet, there is absolutely no trunk space on the Wrangler.
The Wrangler can fit a few grocery bags in it but considering most off-roaders such as campers and hikers must carry loads of gear to ensure their survival off the grid, it is ridiculous that the Wrangler has virtually no trunk space. Due to this reason, most Jeep owners find themselves needing to purchase add-ons such as trailers which can cost up to hundreds of dollars.
8 Lack Of Mirrors
As far as the Wrangler's flaws go, this one makes the least amount of sense. The Jeep Wrangler is known for its ability to be an open-door Jeep. During the warmer months, Jeep owners have been known to take off the top and the doors of their vehicles to give it a cool, sporty look.
Along with the option to remove doors, however, comes a huge issue. The removal of doors also means the Wrangler now lacks side mirrors, which is not only dangerous but also illegal in some states. The ability of drivers to essentially rid their car of side mirrors is a contributing factor to its consistently low safety ratings.
7 Fuel Economy
Next up on this list is the Wrangler's poor fuel economy. The 2020 Jeep Wrangler has a very poor fuel economy at 21 miles to the gallon in the city and 22 miles to the gallon on the highway. Considering this car retails at over $60,000 plus taking into account that the 2020 Wrangler runs on a hybrid engine, it's poor fuel economy makes absolutely no sense as other hybrids such as the Prius gets almost 60 miles to the gallon.
The Wrangler's poor fuel economy makes even less sense considering the Wrangler is meant to be used off the road. Owning and driving a Jeep Wrangler will cost any owner a fortune in gas.
6 Poor Acceleration
Next on this list is the Wrangler's terrible acceleration. Considering the terrible fuel economy on this vehicle, most consumers generally expect the Wrangler to have an excellent acceleration to compensate for its shortcomings. Once again, however, consumers are left disappointed.
The 2018 Jeep Wrangler, for example only accelerated from 0 to 60 miles per hour in a solid 7 seconds. Not only is this a hassle for Jeep owners when they are on the open highway, but it can also prove to be troublesome and even dangerous if Wrangler owners attempt to go off-roading and require powerful acceleration to climb up a steep hill or battle an area with terrible traction.
5 Noisy
Another issue most Wrangler consumers have is the extremely noisy ride it offers. Even with the top and the doors still attached, the Wrangler's interior mechanics are very shotty and not in place. As a result, anybody riding inside the Wrangler can hear the rattling of the mechanics and experience a very noisy and unpleasant ride.
For this reason, the Wrangler is not suited for long drives, which defeats the purpose of it being an off-road vehicle that typically warrants lengthy drives. In addition to the rattling mechanics, during the warm months, with the top and doors off, Wrangler consumers are prone to additional noise.
4 Bumpy Ride
One thing to note about the Wrangler is that it is not a smooth ride—at least, not on the highway. The Jeep Wrangler is designed to be an off-road vehicle, and it thrives when going over rocks or down steep hills, not on a smooth highway.
This, combined with the fact that it is very noisy due to its rattling body and its suspension, the Jeep Wrangler is not only extremely noisy but also very unpleasant to ride in. It is also important to note that there is not much cabin space within the interior of the Wrangler meaning riders will need to frequently stop and stretch their legs out.
3 Poor Visibility
This issue was previously described in the article albeit briefly, but here it is. One thing which makes absolutely no sense about Jeep Wrangler is its zero visibility. For starters, if the doors are taken off of the Wrangler, the driver loses their side mirrors which is dangerous and irresponsible.
In addition to the loss of side mirrors, the visibility on the Wrangler is absolutely dreadful. The spare tire hung on the back of the Jeep in addition to the rear mechanics makes looking back for the driver extremely difficult, even if they turn back instead of relying on their mirror alone.
2 Slow Steering
If the noisy ride, terrible drive, and lack of safety features were not bad enough, here is more bad news. The Jeep Wrangler is notorious for its incredibly slow steering. The slow steering on the Wrangler can make it incredibly hard to respond to road conditions and other hazards in a speedy manner and can even be dangerous in some situations.
This makes absolutely no sense when taken into consideration that the Wrangler is designed to be used on rough terrains, and quick response time is crucial to the driver and the passenger's safety when going off the road.
1 Not Very Aerodynamic
Finally, the Wrangler is not aerodynamic at all. The Jeep Wrangler boasts its classic style with its boxy shape, rugged wheels, and bull bars which are perfect for facing any obstacle off the road. This design is not a hassle when the Wrangler is being driven slowly on an off-road dirt path, but its boxy shape is anything but useful when the Wrangler is used for a regular commute.
The boxy shape of this vehicle makes it look cool and rugged but does very little to improve upon its performance. Due to its sharp angles and straight edges, the Wrangler is not very aerodynamic and its unique shape contributes to its poor acceleration issues.