The 2012 Jeep Wrangler you see here will not be the same Jeep Wrangler that leaves us in 12 months. Admittedly, it looks rather lame with its steel wheels, tiny tires and who-cares black paint. If we said we boosted it from the Dollar Rent-a-Car in Maui, you'd probably believe it.
However, that just means our long-term 2012 Wrangler is a clean slate. New wheels and real tires will be an absolute must; a new axle ratio seems likely. Rock rails, a winch and maybe even a snorkel could also be in order. True, we don't routinely find ourselves fording rivers, but you just never know when our office might be relocated to a place with "Gulch" in its name. Besides, few things look as cool as a Wrangler with all the fixins.
To be honest, though, the Wrangler isn't for everyone. No matter what we do to it, it will always have solid axles, deafening wind noise, doors that provide little crash protection and a thin layer of vinyl for a roof. Some of our editors may see those traits as glaring flaws, while others may view them as endearing quirks. We'll see who changes their mind after 12 months.
What We Bought
The Jeep Wrangler has come a long way from its humble roots shuttling around GIs. Today's Wrangler is available with two or four doors, a hard or soft top, navigation, leather upholstery, heated seats, automatic climate control, satellite radio and an Infinity sound system.
In light of this, we bought a Wrangler with the following options: air-conditioning.
Yep, that's it. We said no thanks to power locks, power windows, power mirrors, keyless entry, Bluetooth, an automatic transmission and alloy wheels, along with all those frivolities mentioned above. We were going to nix the A/C as well, but we couldn't find a Wrangler without it in Southern California. Probably for the best.
So what we bought is a Jeep that is a mere $800 away from the base price. It's the bare-bones, bargain-basement 2012 Jeep Wrangler that shows up on The Price is Right, and should you ever find yourself staring at one during the Showcase Showdown, you'll want to remember that it stickers for only $23,740. After some shrewd negotiating, we got the price down to $22,570 thanks to an end-of-the-month deal.
Why We Bought It
Admittedly, this is not the first Jeep Wrangler that has passed through our garage. In fact, it's not even the first of its generation. We had a 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited for a year, a truck in which we struggled to reach 15,000 miles, let alone the regular 20,000. As we wrote in its long-term wrap-up, "Once you compare this Jeep to competitive SUVs, it falters. We see four doors and we want a more civilized experience. The Unlimited just does not offer the level of isolation and highway demeanor we would get from a Toyota FJ Cruiser or Nissan Xterra."
So why are we getting an even less civilized, less isolating, less spacious and less equipped Wrangler? Well, for starters, the ultimate Jeep has undergone quite a few changes since our old long-termer. The frustrating soft top was improved for 2010, while last year saw a new interior that actually looks as if someone bothered to style it. Improved materials were welcome, but when you can remove a vehicle's doors, our expectations on that front are low. More important was the standard stability control and hill start assist.
This year, however, the biggest change occurs. Gone is the agricultural pushrod V6 that didn't really do much except make a lot of uncouth noise. The new Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 produces 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. Performance testing of a 2012 Unlimited Sahara showed this engine shaves a second off the Wrangler's 0-60 time, while the EPA says fuel economy is up by 1 mpg combined. From a subjective standpoint, it makes a world of difference in terms of getting off the line and it sounds better, too.
How will we fare living with a bare-bones two-door 2012 Jeep Wrangler? Will we actually like it more, or will we complain incessantly about not having heated seats and an iPod interface? Heck, will we simply miss power locks? And what sort of aftermarket goodies can we add to make it cooler to look at and more capable off-road?
Well, we have 12 months on the Long-Term Test Blog to detail our likes and dislikes, and hopefully we can hit 20,000 miles this time around.
Current Odometer: 841
Best Fuel Economy: 16.7
Worst Fuel Economy: 16.0
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 16.3
Edmunds purchased this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
Add A Comment »
hlisle says:
04:03 PM, 10/01/2011
The ONLY thing that makes me not want to buy a new wranger is the fact that mine (2008) has unlimited warranty (not 3 yrs/36000 miles)... That is until who ever "owner" goes under.............................. Maybe I drank the cool aid...
My advice - Get extra/upgrade your tranny linkage plastic parts... I was stuck in 4wd mod - then had to shift from under neath. A Rubicon stuck in FL is not a good thing...
Make sure you give the jeep wave - it's cool, and a brotherhood of hardcore off-roaders...
jscion says:
02:17 AM, 09/25/2011
The Wrangler Sport is my favorite model. It's the one cool, one of a kind car that Mercedes, BMW, Toyota, Volkswagen, etc. could never make better. You don't need power anything in a vehicle like this and the larger wheels aren't a necessity for everyday use, accept maybe in the Unlimited model. Most of us don't exactly climb rocky mountains with these more than just enjoy cruising around, running erands with the top down. The Wranger needed more power badly. The Pentastar engine is a welcomed change and the Wrangler is one of the few 4WD vehicles you can still get with a V-6 engine and a manual transmission. For under $24K, you can't beat the Wrangler Sport.
yellowmiata says:
11:44 AM, 09/23/2011
"If the Raptor is any indication we are going to see too many posts about urban driving and how the tall ride height and buff exterior looks makes certain editors feel more like real men when they are in suburbia. I don't want to read about how a 4X4 makes someone want to crush the PT Cruiser in front of them in traffic. Or how rebellious they feel they are by sticking it to the Man by parking in EV only stalls. I've been through my high school years and moved on.
Take this thing off road and do some extensive and thorough posts about it, or don't bother."
+1 The number of "man-card" posts about the Raptor was embarrassing for IL. Lets keep this about what the Jeep *can do,* not how it makes you want to roll over (read murder) the person in front of you.
Kevin
jayparry says:
03:37 PM, 09/22/2011
After wheels/tires, get some stuff from AEV! Suspension Lift/Vented Hood/Winch and Bumpers/Snorkel. I always loved the baubles and bolt ons section of a certain car mags wrap ups and I will follow this eagerly. We have a 2011 wrangler unlimited.
v8vader says:
01:08 PM, 09/22/2011
gaaaah! you needed to get the model one up from the base to get the limited slip diff as an option! what were you thinking?! it only would have been another $2k...
pc123456 says:
12:16 PM, 09/22/2011
dumb. It is cheaper to get the Rubicon if you plan on adding full lockers.
dumb dumb dumb.
goaterguy says:
10:24 AM, 09/22/2011
This is amazing! Last week I traded my bare bones 2010 (just A/C) for a bare bones 2012 (A/C, Uconnect, Sirius, and 3.73) I read all the coments here and some of them are full of ignorance, this long term test will help with the myths.
On not having power locks, never lock a soft top Wrangler, if a thieve wants to get in, all he has to do is unzip the rear or side windows but as Murphy's law will show, they will cut the top with a razor blade instead. Just don't leave anything of value in it.
I am definitively subscribed, I own an aprilia bike, a 400hp GTO and an SUV and the bare bones 2010 Wrangler was one of the most fun vehicles I've ever owned.
The 2012 is proving to be even more fun.
A word of advice on the wheels, replacing the 16' wheels (especially with the base 3.21 rear end) with bigger and heavier tires will hurt your acceleration times. It happened to me on the 2010 where I bought and installed the 18' Sahara wheels.
noburgers says:
10:12 AM, 09/22/2011
+1 ahightower
before and after tests.
please, no chrome! Don't go crazy--winch, tow hooks, and rails. wheels and tires seem like they will happen no matter what, but there is some charm to those little steelies. The base Wrangler really is an amazing blank slate. It's gas mileage and safety that would prevent me from buying one, but it sure looks like it will be fun, and sure to draw many opinions.
dmos says:
07:57 AM, 09/22/2011
@ lions208487 : It's not a 5 speed. It's a 6, like it's been for quite some time. I like many others applaud the choice of the base model when you've got the options of going for mods before the warranty expires. Most of us have to live with the vehicle for years before being willing to rip things off of it. I at least am one. Besides once the tires are changed for tires less likely to suffer sidewall damage, the rest of the mods will be more for looks than actual capability gains unless you are aiming for truly challenging terrain. Please change the bumper though in that "cosmetic" category. I've always hated it.
ahightower says:
07:31 AM, 09/22/2011
But please test it thoroughly off road before doing any mods so that we can see what a bare bones Wrangler is capable right out of the box. I suspect it will be plenty and prove that the new wheels and tires you want are purely for aesthetics. Which is fine. But honestly I don't think it looks bad at all the way it is.