By: Xaroula

When buying cars I’m sure everyone has certain criteria in mind, maybe you want to fit your family, maybe you want something nice and sporty, maybe you want something that’s a bit of both. However, there’s a secret option that Jeep has been offering for ages: Maybe you want to join an international cult? At least that’s how the salesperson made it seem when we asked about test driving literally any manual Jeep Wrangler they happened to have on the lot, showing us to a 4 door from 2015.

Now, my boyfriend’s criteria for a car are super simple, he wants a 4WD car, with a manual transmission (okay, maybe he doesn’t want that, but it’s what we’re looking at), preferably 2 doors and seating for 4. Of course there’s so many options from the 90s, but in the off chance he’s willing to get tied up in a payment we decided to look in the last ten years and under 100k miles, which is a little car buying rule when buying used. So, our sales guy throws us the keys, puts the plate on and sends us on our way.

Honestly, my first impressions getting into the car weren’t the best, we are talking about a car that has not depreciated in value due to the nature of Jeeps, this car brand new was $25k out the door and it’s that same price now, absolute insanity. However, the interior is shockingly comfortable, especially having driven other Fiat Chrysler products like the Grand Caravan, this one certainly is catered to a certain type of person.

Important things to note, this manual car is 9 years old and I’ve seen semis with less throw on their gearbox, however, I don’t really think this is a fault since the gears were not difficult to find and this makes sense if you’re taking this off road and just roughing it around. The seats weren’t powered in the slightest, which is something I expected, the lowest seating position being rather comfortable and the pedals being easy enough to reach with ease. One of the few things I didn’t like about the interior is the footwell space leaving no space to rest your foot when driving, something sports cars generously have,

I may have never noticed this before driving, but this thing is rather bulky, you’re already a decent ways off the ground and this thing is SUV sized. Not exactly comparable to the likes of something like an Expedition or even the Explorer, though, because it generally feels way more nimble and responsive. The manual provides a nice drive, and something I personally enjoyed was the tachometer showing where you should be when cruising.

Of course, having the car I had to do classic Jeep activities, such as going to the mall, grabbing fast food, and heading down back roads, and let me tell you that it shines on that last one. Having always been in smaller cars like the Corolla and Z3, this thing felt more in place than those at the mall parking lot. Of course, hopping in and out isn’t the easiest in the world, but the amount of space is rather forgiving when you’re seated.

Going through the drive through wasn’t much of an issue, even though this thing felt massive, it slipped through it rather easy. Driving to and from parking lots, getting it parked, getting it settled, all made easy. I was honestly shocked at how easy it was to get parked in this vehicle, it was easy to get it pulled in and parked well.

This thing also has amazing visibility, something you rarely get in big vehicles these days. The back window gave plenty of visibility and the mirrors gave a perfect wide view of your blind spots. Maybe it’s just a matter of how boxy the car is, but I truly had no issues seeing where I was headed. Even the hood, which initially seems pretty large, provided enough visibility to park without worry. No sensors needed!

The physical controls in the car were easy to figure out and use, being very utilitarian. It was confusing at first cause the window controls are set dead center under the radio, but after that we got the AC cranked up and figured out the rest of the controls. This car has two 110 volt plugs, which likely never get used by most Jeep owners, but perfect for your on-the-go student or doomsday enthusiast. The wheel had phone and radio controls which is really nice to have on the road.

Bluetooth radio, cruise control, what I believe to be a fairly decent sound system, and a little tray to hold your phone, all very nice to have. This car had modified grab handles to get into the car, which are necessary for these cars as they sit very high off the ground, and outside of the few odd bits and bobs, this car felt very nice to sit in.

However, it didn’t always feel the best on the smooth and clean pavement, my boyfriend noting from the passenger seat that it could probably be smoother if I was more familiar with the car. I can admit that bigger cars aren’t my forte, I’m far more used to whipping around cars that can fit between the tires of the Jeep, but by no means was the ride very rough. That’s when got to the fun part: back roads.

If you happen to be test driving or looking into a Wrangler like my boyfriend, my highest recommendation would be to take it down a back road that’s not even remotely smooth. This car thrives on them, feeling smoother then a Lincoln Town Car Executive L down the highway. Twists and turns, while not fast, were enthralling as you didn’t have the usual bumps in smaller cars.

The car is rather responsive to input, whether that’s needing to turn last minute, or get up or down to speed. The turning radius is better than I expected, the reality being that it can U-turn on a dime better then most cars I’ve driven so far. Going down that backroad really helped me realize why people buy these things, why people are obsessed with them.

These cars work insanely well for a plethora of uses, you can take the top off and have a fun day at the beach, drive through the worst of winter conditions, or just use it as a daily and a people hauler.

Pros:
– Manual transmission still offered even to this day
– Very comfy for the price point
– Easy physical controls, nothing that’s gonna come off with a simple bump
– Possibly more aftermarket support then any other car sold in America

Cons:
– You can’t ignore that it’s a Fiat Chrysler product, this thing will hurt you regardless of love
– A combined mileage of 19 miles per gallon, horrid compared to it’s competitors
– Jeeps are inherently a cult, this is a pro, but it can also be a con
– You are going to pay original MSRP on a 10 year old car

Overall, I’m gonna have to driver other manual 4WD cars to truly get an opinion on where the ’15 Jeep Wrangler stands among them, probably the FJ Cruiser, TJ Wrangler, FJ-40, 4Runner, Rav4 and others. My boyfriend is still a little ways away from buying his next car, but the Jeep seemingly fits his needs, and now it’s a matter of finding one that suits his price point when he’s ready. Driving one myself has helped me understand the appeal, and it’s only strengthened my boyfriends opinion.