2017 JEEP Wrangler

2017 75th Anniversary Wrangler Unlimited

Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 4 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 4 Technology Rating: 4 Value Rating: 4

This is our 2nd Jeep with our first being a 2015 2dr Willys. Now I know this is to be for 2016 models but, really there isn't much different and really you can say ours could be a 2016.5 LOL. But... really what do we think of our Jeep? First, new for the 75th edition and a huge improvement are the LED head lamps. I think Jeep finally got this one right and they are standard on the Sahara and Rubicon, but don't worry they are an upgrade for 495.00 on the Sport versions. They are a bright white(daylight) type which are bright on the roads. We have not had a chance to make a night run offroad to see how they light up the woods but I am sure they will be far better than what we had on our Willys. The overall look of the 75th Anniversary we really love. The Power dome hood and front/rear bronzed bumpers from the Hard Rock really set it apart. The tire size is ok but I think the 255-75r-17s that came on our Willys would have given a much better off road ready look than the Wrangler Armor Tracks that came on it. Don't get me wrong, the Armor Track tires are quiet and do have an off road look to them but it is just a personal preference. The ride is the same as any Sahara with the provided Jeep "heavy duty" suspension. I must admit that I like the ride of the Jeep "Performance suspension" that came on our Willys or standard for the Rubicons. The Sahara suspension like the Sport(s) suspension just seems too soft for what I expect a Jeep to ride, again it's just a personal preference. For most folks that spend much of their time "Mall Crawling" the ride would be perfect and most likely their preferred. Now moving to the inside and our impressions. First look inside there is a bit of EWWW and AHHH from the upgraded interior of the Sahara/75th Anniversary edition over the Willys. But that feeling is short lived as you get in and get comfy in your seat. The leather trimmed seats do feel nice but the lack of lumbar is a minus for me. When traveling the added lumbar support is a nice feeling on the lower back. The dash appears to be very close to what we had in our Willys but with some extra little touches. The speedo and tach lettering are nicer to look at with what appear to be larger letters and a cleaner look. Not really sure how to explain this other than for you to go look at a Sport then look at the 75th edition to know what I mean. Now I will admit that I did not look at any other trim level for 2017 so I am comparing it to our 2015 Willys, which also had the premium dash/cluster in it. The steering controls are the same for 17 as they were for 15 and I am sure the same for 16s. They do take a bit to get use to all the functions that they can do. The My-Gig 430 is a nice upgrade over the 130 standard radio that we had in our Willys. The touch screen for me is a novelty and the upgrade to navigation with travel link is a plus for the interstate traveler. It is not as refined as other systems from the other manufacturers but it does get the job done. We have not had a chance to explore all of the features of the 430N but I did find it to be easy to use without reading the manual. Finding some of the feature items could be easier to find with a dedicated button over searching thought the "Menu" button. Our Jeep also came with the Alpine speaker upgrade and it is a great improvement over the stock radio. Yes it is a pricey upgrade and many will say you can that they can build a nicer one for less but many will never do it and be disappointed with the stock system. The Alpine upgrade provides a much need bass response that is not in the stock system. You do lose your hide away in the back as the sub is mounted there. In the JKU it is not a big deal but if you have a JK you will miss that bit of storage. No matter what radio you have the Alpine system is available for an upgrade, my only issue is the lack of being able to tune it. You get Bass or Treble in one radio or you get Bass, Mids, or Treble with the touch screens. Not much there and maybe something that Jeep will touch on for the JL release. I love listening to music both in the Jeep and in my home and the Alpine has a very pleasant sound. The bass is firm but doesn't rattle your ear drums, now you can turn the bass up all the way and it will shake the mirrors and vibrate your back but it is by no means a 15-inch subwoofer. I did notice that the AM/FM tuner picks up stations better than the U130 that we had in the Willys. The ability to copy my CDs to the hard drive is a nice feature, it is a little slow but the playback is great. The U-Connect works great wth both my Android phone and my wife's iPhone and music playback is great with each. Our iPod touch that we use from time to time works well with Bluetooth or the data/charge cable. While using the cable the radio controls the iPod but Bluetooth you keep control on the device. Seating is great up front and spacious in the back but the seats are too up-right in the back. Wish i had more room.