Originally Posted by JBKettle

Interesting that there are comparisons above between Wranglers and trucks.

While I've never driven a modern Wrangler, I have driven the Gladiator and I would say that it is nothing like a truck. I don't know how the Gladiator compares to the Wrangler, but I found the Gladiator drove just like the old CJ-5 I used to drive did. (i.e. B. A. D.) There's not a truck that drives like that. (Unless you start talking about modifications. I'm comparing 'off-the-rental-lot.')

Honestly, I was shocked that the Gladiator drove the way it did. Not necessarily that it had those characteristics, (Poor steering feel and tracking, excessive body roll, 'hobby horse' longitudinal rocking (which is a function of wheelbase, which means the Wrangler would be worse.)) but rather that FCA felt that was good enough for them. As mentioned above, these vehicles are relatively expensive, and I would expect more from them. I have a truck as a daily driver and have driven every brand of truck in the past 12 months (courtesy of EAN,) and there's no comparison. I'm not looking for an S-Class ride, I'm looking for a 'truck' ride, and they didn't even manage that.

Originally Posted by SkyLich

Wranglers are blast to drive (especially 2 door models).

I once read an article in MotorTrend that said there were only a handful of, as in single digit, vehicles that offered drivers a truly unique driving experience. All were exotics costing a fortune...except the Wrangler.

I've owned 5 over the years and absolutely love them. Unique driver position, visibility, and so nimble at low speeds it seems like you could practically spin in a circle. Like driving a kids idea of what a vehicle should be like. Off road capability is another matter but you're not likely to do that in a rental.

All that said, a rental model will likely be thinly equipped and not the best representative of a Wrangler at its best, so try not to judge.

Fully loaded a 2 door is around $65,000, with all the tech and most of the creature comforts you'd find in a luxury vehicle, along with many upgraded components for better off road performance.

A rental is likely to be equipped closer to a $40,000 base model, but will still be a lot of fun to drive.

Rentals typically come with the hard top(vs soft canvas top), and you can remove the roof panels at the front. Don't be intimidated, it's not hard. Get some open sky if the weather allows!

Originally Posted by AppleBoy97

I rented a Wrangler a few years ago because it was a loophole for my wife and I (when we were 24) to get a “convertible” for a week in Miami in the fall. I had 50/50 luck rolling off the aisle with a mustang or Camaro at the time, but never got questioned with a Jeep. It was a bit of a chore to drive on 95 with Miami traffic but this particular one had blind spot monitoring which helped a TON.

The other time I picked one because I had to drive from Pittsburgh to DC the second week of December right after a major snow storm. It was relatively new and had stubbier tires which was perfect for the 8-10” of snow on the Penna Turnpike.

I tend to stay away from them because many are bare bones models without CarPlay, blind spot monitoring, and they do suck down gas. There are the niches for them (like I mentioned above) however.