I'm Ryan from extremeterrain.com and this is a very exciting video for me to be making.
This is something I've been looking forward to doing ever since we saw the first leaked
images of the new JL.
This is your introduction to my 2018 JL Wrangler.
I am super excited to have this thing finally.
It took a long time after we ordered it to get it in and I am super excited to let you
guys know what the plan is for this Jeep once we start to build on it because, of course,
it is not staying stock for very long.
But what we have here is a two-door Stingray JL.
This is a Sport S. it does have the eight-speed automatic and I did get the two-liter turbo
engine in this Jeep.
I was really excited to see what that two-liter turbo would feel like on the road and also
on the trail, what kinda torque it would be able to make to turn some big tires that,
of course, we don't have installed just yet, but I was also excited to be getting a few
more MPGs than you can get out of that 3.6 liter because I do have quite a commute and
this is doing daily driver duty.
So far I've really loved this Jeep.
I've loved everything that Jeep has done with the new JL.
Really, not a lot of complaints about it but again, we are, of course, gonna be doing a
big build on this thing and I'm very, very excited to see how this performs on the trail.
So as far as what option packages we ended up getting on this Jeep, we went with the
technology group because I did want the slightly larger screen on the center of the dash.
I really like the Android Auto and those were features that I definitely wanted in this
Jeep.
We also went with the convenience package that adds the garage door openers that are
built into that sun visor there and also remote start.
But the remote start was a little redundant because we also got the cold weather package.
Yes, in my old age, I went for a few more creature comforts than I have in my TJ.
So this does have that cold weather package, the heated steering wheel, heated seats, remote
start, all really nice features for when it does get cold for those few months up here
in Pennsylvania.
We also added the HD electrical and towing package onto this Jeep.
Really, I got that for those four auxiliary buttons that are down on the dash from factory.
We're definitely going to be using those with some of the lighting that we're gonna be getting
onto this Jeep down the line.
So this is a Sport S. Obviously it's not a Rubicon, it's not a Sahara.
The Sport S does save us a few dollars there.
The Rubicon, of course, has a lot of offroad-ready features but we are gonna be doing a big build
on this Jeep.
We're gonna be changing out a lot of stuff that the Rubicon would give us.
So I certainly didn't wanna spend money there that we would be taking off the Jeep so we
decided that the Sport S was the way to go versus the Rubicon.
And the Sahara, while it does have some more of those creature comforts, it's still a Jeep
and for me, I wanted those cloth seats over the leather.
I didn't want the leather dash and a few other options that the Sahara does afford you, I
just wasn't interested in, again along with the slightly lower price tag.
So that's how we landed on Sport S with these option packages.
I think it's a really well put together little Jeep.
I've absolutely loved driving this thing over the last couple of months.
So why don't we hit the road?
I'll take you for a little bit of a spin, show you what it's like to drive a two-liter
JL in case you hadn't been behind the wheel of one yet.
So we'll just take a quick spin on the road here.
I'll talk you through some of the things that I really like on this Jeep.
The two-liter has a lot of torque and when you put your foot into it and it does build
a little boost, it's even a little bit quick now but Jeep's never gonna be a race car.
It's not ever what I expected from this Jeep but you do want it to be torquey, you do want
it to have some of that low end, especially when you're gonna put some big tires on it
like we are.
So that's something that I was really happy to see and happy to feel when I got in the
Jeep.
The eight-speed automatic is something that I'm also really enjoying.
It keeps you right in that power band but also when you're driving on the highway and
you are just kinda cruising along at 70, 75 miles an hour, you're under 2,000 RPM and
that is really great for the fuel economy.
I do around a 100 miles round trip a day in this Jeep as it is now pulling that daily
driver duty and if you believe the computer on the dash, which I know aren't always a
100% accurate, I'm getting like 27 MPG.
But if it's anywhere near that, I am more than happy with that fuel mileage.
Again, put some big tires on the Jeep, that goes down a little bit.
You regear it, it comes back up.
So we'll see where it settles out once we're done with the build but that is a great place
to start.
Now why did I go with the automatic and not the stick shift?
Stick shift is a ton of fun to drive.
I love driving a stick on the street but honestly, on the rocks and the type of wheeling I like
to do and the type of wheeling we have out here on the East Coast, an automatic is just
a little bit more fun for me.
I enjoy the challenge of picking a really technical line, putting the Jeep exactly where
it needs to be, and having that throttle control.
But as far as picking the gear and messing with the clutch, it's just not something that
I really enjoy off-road.
I've always liked wheeling an automatic.
I know I might get some crap for that but that's just me and that's just what I wanted
for this as well as that commute I mentioned is sometimes in stop and go traffic the entire
way.
So this is going to be much, much more enjoyable.
But as I said, you get some great efficiency, some great mileage.
It's really comfortable and we're still in the early fall here but I'm really excited
to be able to hit the remote start, have the heated seats, the heated steering wheel, all
those creature comforts that weren't even a thought in Jeep's mind when they built the
TJ.
Some things we're gonna be able to take advantage in this Jeep and that's gonna be great for
a daily driver.
The technology package, the larger screen here with the Android Auto is excellent because
I don't have the built-in GPS in the Jeep here.
I can just plug my phone in.
It gets me anywhere I need to go.
Really nice feature as well.
As far as the comfort, you know, we're gonna be changing out a lot of the parts on this
Jeep, tires, obviously suspension.
We're definitely gonna go a lot bigger on this thing.
But in stock trim, it's really comfortable, handles the road really well.
One of the interesting little tidbits about this Jeep in particular is that I was going
over it and taking a look at everything, opening and closing all the doors, checking everything
out, making sure that it's exactly what it should be and it was but one thing that I
did notice was that on the driver's side of the Jeep, the sticker that says Sport actually
says Sport Unlimited Wrangler.
So I have a four-door sticker only on the driver's side.
The passenger side sticker is correct.
So just a little something that makes my Jeep a little bit more unique than most of the
other ones you find out there.
Maybe it was a Friday Jeep.
Who knows?
Or maybe it was just an honest mistake.
But honestly, I think it adds a little bit more character, a little bit more personality
to the Jeep and I'm gonna leave the sticker on there.
The one thing that I noticed right off the bat when I hopped in this thing, actually
the very first time when we were picking it up from the dealership is that it did feel
almost a little bit wandery.
I would say that it felt very much like the tow setting was incorrect but obviously, it's
a factory Jeep.
Now I got used to it very, very quickly.
I don't think it went away but I did get used to it and it's not something that really bothers
me anymore and I think it's just a function of the way the Jeep is set up, the short wheelbase
just out of the factory, how it handles.
And that's not a bad thing but it was something that I remember noticing right when I hopped
in the Jeep that very first time.
Other than that, not really anything that I can complain about.
I love the color, the Stingray, brand new color for the JL.
It's definitely a head turner.
I love it.
With the black interior here, it has a nice sort of stealthy, dark, and down look to it
and I think a lot of the aftermarket accessories that we're gonna bolt on to it are gonna be
right in line with that as well.
So I think we're gonna make something that looks great but also a Jeep that performs
incredibly well off-road.
We're not gonna take you guys off-road today.
You all know that a Jeep in stock form is an incredibly capable off-roader and we're
gonna save all of the wheeling for after this thing is built.
So make sure you comment below, let me know what you think of my JL.
Let me know if you have a JL and what you like or maybe don't like about it and also
make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel.
That way you're gonna be able to check out every step of the build on this Jeep.