My Jeep

Times change, and vehicles change with them. After 9 years wheeling with my 2000 Jeep Wrangler TJ, it was time for something new. I needed more highway safety, more room, and less miles on the odometer. It wasn't easy to part with my old rig, but it had to be done.

For 9 great years I had a trail Jeep that could still go down the highway reasonably well. Now I need a highway Jeep that can still go down the trail reasonably well.

The answer, for me, was a 2008 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon.

Off the factory floor, the Rubicons come equipped with things that I had spent thousands of dollars installing on my old Wrangler: locking differentials, oversized tires, electronic swaybar disconnects, Dana 44 front axle, rock sliders, and a decent stereo to name a few. The Rubicons also come with a 4:1 transfer case, and a lifetime powertrain warranty. All this on a stock vehicle was unheard of until the introduction of the Rubicons in the mid-2000's.

This JK (i.e, 2007 Wrangler models and later are called "JK's") will cruise very comfortably (and safely) down the freeway, and still be able to do all the off-road trails I am ever likely to want to do. After several years of rockcrawling and crunching down trails in my old TJ, I am at a point now where I feel if I can't do it with this stock Rubicon, I don't need to go there.

So far, I am very pleased. I am particularly impressed with the Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM), Traction Control, and Hydraulic Brake Assist features. During a recent trip over the mountains, I stopped in my favorite snow park to test these features out on the big, empty, ice-covered parking lot, doing things that would have made my TJ spin around like a top. The JK systems worked flawlessly, and made it almost impossible to fishtail or do "cookies" or any other radical maneuvering. The best part is, I can disable these things with the push of a button if I want to, for off-road performance.

In memory of my old TJ