Would you drive this Wrangler?

Let me start off by saying that Jeeps aren't for everybody.  The Jeep SUVS are, well, an SUV with a completely different purpose than Jeep's Wrangler and Rubicon Series.  I really wanted to take the Rubicon on this little joy ride but since it was getting detailed, I decided to take it's smaller cousin: the Wrangler.  These Jeeps are built for one thing:  to go off road.  While I personally didn't get to seriously test it's four-wheel drive, I thought I'd take it for a little jaunt through Sequoia Park.  For those who don't know, there is a road that goes through Sequoia Park that's basically a one way service road that connects the main park to the duck pond down the hill.  And because of all roots under the road, even though its paved, it may as well not be as some of the roots have pushed sections of the road up as much as foot and a half!

Climbing into the cab I have to say that I really like the interior. For it's small size the cab of the Wrangler feels really spacious and everything appears really well made and sturdy.  Little things like how thick the plastic on the air vents is, and when you grab the handles to climb in there's no flex or give to them.  Solid.  I also really like the Speakers that are built into the roll cage.  That's just awesome.

Heading out I noticed that the engine has a good bit of torque to it.  Perhaps not as much as it's bigger cousin the Rubicon but more than adequate for some serious off-roading.  The suspension seemed kind of stiff as I made my way to the park, but I'm sure that's to improve the handling when not on a paved surface.  Turning into the Park, I immediately ran over a choppy section of road just to see how the suspension performed.  Still a little stiff for my taste but the Jeep didn't seem to mind.  Going down another steep rooty section I can see how this could become a lot of fun and why so many Jeep owners love their Jeeps.  It's like an awesome off-road convertible.  Having owned a convertible in the past, I can say that it's almost like riding a motorcycle.  It seems really inconvenient until you do it and realize that the exhilaration and fun that comes with it far outweighs any inconveniences. Driving it makes me wish I could strip off the soft top and head to the River! Coming to a stop at the Duck Pond I got out to admire the Jeep one last time before heading back.