New Jeep

So… yeah – I kind of feel like a traitor. For just over 30 years I’ve been a die-hard Land Rover fan. It started with the Series Land Rovers around 1995 (my friend’s neighbor had a Series III in his barn), and was quickly bolstered by the then-new Discovery. Things like the Camel Trophy and the intersection of adventure sports (I was/am an avid mountain biker and back packer) and vehicles like the Discovery just drove this point even further home. And, part of being young (immature?) and fervently passionate about things of course makes you dig into dismissing the opposition as intensely as possible. Jeep, being the opposition in this case.

And in 1995, the situation with Jeep was rather laughable. With the Land Rover Defender shipping on coil springs and known globally as one of the most capable off road vehicles on the planet – not to mention the capabilities of every other vehicle in Land Rover’s line up at that time – the Wrangler in the mid-nineties was atrocious. Under-powered, sitting on stiff leaf springs with minimal articulation – they really were a joke. And I made pointing out these lacking features a “hill that I was going to die on”.

But, as with most things in life, time tends to change us. And so did my outlook on Jeep. Especially the Wrangler.

With today’s vehicles being large, expensive, over-complicated computers on wheels, and with my personal life being overran by too many technical items in too many places, I find myself yearning for simplicity. And over the last 30 years, Land Rover has jumped into creating overly complicated and complex vehicles with both feet – they’re literally among the worst offenders. I mean, I get it. This is what the market wants, and Land Rover is leaning into the fact that “technological new territory is an area they boldly charge into” or something to that effect. But for me, I’ve just become exhausted by the whole situation.

But the Wrangler has stayed pretty bare bones, and rather true to the roots of the original Jeep design of nearly 80 years ago. This is something I appreciate now more than ever.

Crawl under a Wrangler and you’ll find some rather simple things going on – solid axles with coil springs. Up top and inside you’ll find similar – manual transmission options, manual transfer case levers, removable tops and doors, and engine compartments with spaces designated for connection of exterior electronics. And the list goes on.

In an age of overly technical, inaccessible vehicles being built with a feeling more akin to an iPhone than a piece of mechanical machinery, the Wrangler has ALL of my attention. So we bought one. And I’m obsessed.

You will hear more about this over time, I can guarantee it.