A buddy of mine test drove a brand new stock JL he's considering buying. He took me for a spin and we looked under it. If you know anything about me, you already know that I'm an unwavering TJ guy and I like making my Jeeps run good. Here's my thoughts on the JL.
1) The JLs have a bunch of buzz words that the dealers teach you real quick. I'm going to address them all.
My buddy quickly pointed out that there's an electric assist drive motor for better gas mileage.
Tox: I get it, a stock JL gets like 24mpg if you do burnouts and drive like a maniac. But remember that's on stock tires and a bunch of plastic air dam junk that you will need to remove if you're serious about going off road. So unless it's purely a minivan, I don't understand the gas mileage argument.
A turbo.
Tox: That's nice. It is important to compare the horse power to weight ratio though.
The vents behind the tires are real.
Tox: Okay. I don't see how that's any better than not having them on the TJ. My TJs don't overheat (nor should they) and venting is only beneficial if you need the additional cooling.
The carpet is removable.
Tox: So is the TJs. The difference is that the manufacture made "removable parts" big, gaudy and ugly so you'd notice them. Ever notice the TJ carpet snaps? No, because they are cleanly hidden under the seats and up in the foot well.
There's a tray for your bolts.
Tox: This feature is nice, but a plastic bag in the glove box does the same thing.
35s fit stock.
Tox: Whatever. Tire size has way more to do with the ratio of the tire in relation to the Jeep width, length and height than it does about the tire size itself. Plus, it'll ride worse if you just slap them on.
2) The stock suspension rides like a typical 1/2-ton truck.
My driveway is full of ruts and pot holes so it's a good testing ground for the suspension. To be honest, I couldn't tell you if I was in a Chevy Silverado or a Jeep JL. The suspension likes to bounce after the initial bump and takes a second to even back out. On a paved road it's comparable to my lifted TJ that has 35" tires, anything larger than a crack in the road I prefer the ride of the TJ and the TJ feels more planted.
3) The JL is loud!
The electric fan whines and the electric motor screams. If you're driving under 35 mph the noise level is comparable to the TJ but you're trading low rumble with hitch pitch screams.
4) Skids, mods, etc.
Due to the shear number of these being bought there is a lot of aftermarket products coming from China. But if you want to build one into something for true offroad use the frame is engineered and not tubing like the TJs, and the body has a lot of formed metal that doesn't lend itself well to flat armor. Simply put, a JL can not be built as far as a TJ can be.
5) It's 2019.
I get it, it's 2019, you can't buy a new JL problem-free off the lot. But it's also not 2006 and you cannow buy a good clean TJ for under $10k. If you don't do your own work drop it off at your mechanic and have them fix everything they can find, let's say that it even has a junk axle, fix that too. If it has a stain on the seat that bothers you replace it. And drive it for a few weeks and keep fixing every little thing. $5000 will go a long way towards fixing a stock TJ. Now, throw another $1-1500 in shocks under it (and a lift at the same time if you want to... but I'm trying to keep it comparable to a stock JL) to make it ride super plush. So for $16500 at the high end you can have a very nice TJ that you can grow into as you get into offroading. Compare that to $34000 for a new JL.
I could go into the valid excuses and poor reasons to buy a JL but they all end with the same conclusion: It's to make the owner feel like they're some big boy/girl that bought their way into some non-existent club. That it's supposedly better than the "old model" and therefore they are outsmarting everyone else.
In conclusion, for something that drives like a 1/2-ton pick up truck with undersized shocks it just doesn't put a smile on my face.
1) The JLs have a bunch of buzz words that the dealers teach you real quick. I'm going to address them all.
My buddy quickly pointed out that there's an electric assist drive motor for better gas mileage.
Tox: I get it, a stock JL gets like 24mpg if you do burnouts and drive like a maniac. But remember that's on stock tires and a bunch of plastic air dam junk that you will need to remove if you're serious about going off road. So unless it's purely a minivan, I don't understand the gas mileage argument.
A turbo.
Tox: That's nice. It is important to compare the horse power to weight ratio though.
The vents behind the tires are real.
Tox: Okay. I don't see how that's any better than not having them on the TJ. My TJs don't overheat (nor should they) and venting is only beneficial if you need the additional cooling.
The carpet is removable.
Tox: So is the TJs. The difference is that the manufacture made "removable parts" big, gaudy and ugly so you'd notice them. Ever notice the TJ carpet snaps? No, because they are cleanly hidden under the seats and up in the foot well.
There's a tray for your bolts.
Tox: This feature is nice, but a plastic bag in the glove box does the same thing.
35s fit stock.
Tox: Whatever. Tire size has way more to do with the ratio of the tire in relation to the Jeep width, length and height than it does about the tire size itself. Plus, it'll ride worse if you just slap them on.
2) The stock suspension rides like a typical 1/2-ton truck.
My driveway is full of ruts and pot holes so it's a good testing ground for the suspension. To be honest, I couldn't tell you if I was in a Chevy Silverado or a Jeep JL. The suspension likes to bounce after the initial bump and takes a second to even back out. On a paved road it's comparable to my lifted TJ that has 35" tires, anything larger than a crack in the road I prefer the ride of the TJ and the TJ feels more planted.
3) The JL is loud!
The electric fan whines and the electric motor screams. If you're driving under 35 mph the noise level is comparable to the TJ but you're trading low rumble with hitch pitch screams.
4) Skids, mods, etc.
Due to the shear number of these being bought there is a lot of aftermarket products coming from China. But if you want to build one into something for true offroad use the frame is engineered and not tubing like the TJs, and the body has a lot of formed metal that doesn't lend itself well to flat armor. Simply put, a JL can not be built as far as a TJ can be.
5) It's 2019.
I get it, it's 2019, you can't buy a new JL problem-free off the lot. But it's also not 2006 and you cannow buy a good clean TJ for under $10k. If you don't do your own work drop it off at your mechanic and have them fix everything they can find, let's say that it even has a junk axle, fix that too. If it has a stain on the seat that bothers you replace it. And drive it for a few weeks and keep fixing every little thing. $5000 will go a long way towards fixing a stock TJ. Now, throw another $1-1500 in shocks under it (and a lift at the same time if you want to... but I'm trying to keep it comparable to a stock JL) to make it ride super plush. So for $16500 at the high end you can have a very nice TJ that you can grow into as you get into offroading. Compare that to $34000 for a new JL.
I could go into the valid excuses and poor reasons to buy a JL but they all end with the same conclusion: It's to make the owner feel like they're some big boy/girl that bought their way into some non-existent club. That it's supposedly better than the "old model" and therefore they are outsmarting everyone else.
In conclusion, for something that drives like a 1/2-ton pick up truck with undersized shocks it just doesn't put a smile on my face.
