GP. General Purpose. Jeep.
A legendary name forged in the fires of war. On the battlefield, the Jeep was fast, nimble and tough, serving in every clime and place.
Since then, Jeep has gone through many changes in ownership and lineup over the years, and has even been imitated (and arguably improved upon) by Land Rover and Toyota. And while I was always a sucker for an old flat fender Willy's (really, who isn't?), the brand never had my full attention as a consumer until they revealed the JL Wrangler at the LA Auto Show in 2017.
This modern variant of the original Jeep is still built right here in the USA, and the JL features a modern interior and drivetrain with factory solid axles, removable doors and top, and some of the small touches that gave the 1941 Willy's such a cool factor.
This JL weighs 200 lbs less than the JK with it's doors, hinges, hood, fenders and windshield frame being made from high-strength aluminum, while the rear tail gate is made from magnesium. The all-new frame is fully-boxed with five cross members and a hydroformed front section. It uses 80 percent high strength steel, increasing torsional stiffness by 18% over the JK.
The new JL Rubicon D44 axles are stronger and feature a different ring and pinion (210 mm/8.27 inches front and 220 mm/8.66 inches rear) and thicker axle tubes. The Rubicon’s housings are stuffed with 4.10 gears and Tru-Lok electric lockers that can be engaged on the fly at up to 30 mph in 4LO. The new Dana axles are also 1.5 inches wider which allows for a tighter turning radius than the JK, and ground clearance is 10.9 inches from the factory. An approach angle of 44 degrees, breakover angle of 27.8 degrees, and a departure angle of 37 degrees gives it a HUGE advantage on the trail.
The standard 3.6 liter Pentastar V6 makes 285 HP and 260 lb-ft of torque, significantly more than my 4.0 liter 1GR-FE V6 Tacoma did and with better fuel economy too. I wasn’t interested in the 2.0L 'eTorque' I-4 Turbo Engine with BSG (mild hybrid) option with its complicated systems, and the 3.0 EcoDiesel (if it actually happens) doesn’t appeal to me.
The factory electric lockers front and rear are great as is a good old fashioned manual shift lever for the transfer case, and new 850RE TorqueFlite automatic features a low 4.71:1 First gear and delivers a JK-beating 77.2:1 crawl ratio (compared to 58.9:1 on the five-speed automatic JK) when paired with the JL Rubicon’s NV241OR Rock Trac 4:1.
There is simply nothing else on the market in 2018 that offers better mobility right from the factory. It was love at first sight.
So I sold my other rig and started a new project with a goal of keeping it simple, fast and light.
YEAR: 2018
MAKE: Jeep
MODEL/TRIM: Rubicon
COLOR: Sting Gray
PACKAGES: Everything
FACTORY OPTIONS: Everything
ENGINE: 3.6 liter V6, 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque
TRANSMISSION: 850RE TorqueFlite, 8 speed auto
MODS - EXTERIOR:
Additional Lighting by Baja Designs
-LP9 Pros
-S2 Pros
-Rock Lights (red)
-RTL-S
Vehicle recovery via Superwinch EXP12
Suspension by Icon Vehicle Dynamics 2.5 inch Stage 8
Rhino Rack JL Backbone and Pioneer Rack
MODS - INTERIOR:
12V accessory control by sPOD - Bantam w/HD panel
Jeep JL Plate system by Goose Gear w/kitchen
Magnetic phone mount by 67 Designs
ENTER THE GRAY GOAT!
Maintenance Info and Notes:
Lug nut torque specs: 130 ft lbs
Oil and Air filter notes:
Changed both at 29,850 miles February 2020
P/N's:
Engine air filter P/N: Mopar 68257030AA
Cabin air filter P/N: Mopar 68301863AA
A legendary name forged in the fires of war. On the battlefield, the Jeep was fast, nimble and tough, serving in every clime and place.
Since then, Jeep has gone through many changes in ownership and lineup over the years, and has even been imitated (and arguably improved upon) by Land Rover and Toyota. And while I was always a sucker for an old flat fender Willy's (really, who isn't?), the brand never had my full attention as a consumer until they revealed the JL Wrangler at the LA Auto Show in 2017.
This modern variant of the original Jeep is still built right here in the USA, and the JL features a modern interior and drivetrain with factory solid axles, removable doors and top, and some of the small touches that gave the 1941 Willy's such a cool factor.
This JL weighs 200 lbs less than the JK with it's doors, hinges, hood, fenders and windshield frame being made from high-strength aluminum, while the rear tail gate is made from magnesium. The all-new frame is fully-boxed with five cross members and a hydroformed front section. It uses 80 percent high strength steel, increasing torsional stiffness by 18% over the JK.
The new JL Rubicon D44 axles are stronger and feature a different ring and pinion (210 mm/8.27 inches front and 220 mm/8.66 inches rear) and thicker axle tubes. The Rubicon’s housings are stuffed with 4.10 gears and Tru-Lok electric lockers that can be engaged on the fly at up to 30 mph in 4LO. The new Dana axles are also 1.5 inches wider which allows for a tighter turning radius than the JK, and ground clearance is 10.9 inches from the factory. An approach angle of 44 degrees, breakover angle of 27.8 degrees, and a departure angle of 37 degrees gives it a HUGE advantage on the trail.
The standard 3.6 liter Pentastar V6 makes 285 HP and 260 lb-ft of torque, significantly more than my 4.0 liter 1GR-FE V6 Tacoma did and with better fuel economy too. I wasn’t interested in the 2.0L 'eTorque' I-4 Turbo Engine with BSG (mild hybrid) option with its complicated systems, and the 3.0 EcoDiesel (if it actually happens) doesn’t appeal to me.
The factory electric lockers front and rear are great as is a good old fashioned manual shift lever for the transfer case, and new 850RE TorqueFlite automatic features a low 4.71:1 First gear and delivers a JK-beating 77.2:1 crawl ratio (compared to 58.9:1 on the five-speed automatic JK) when paired with the JL Rubicon’s NV241OR Rock Trac 4:1.
There is simply nothing else on the market in 2018 that offers better mobility right from the factory. It was love at first sight.
So I sold my other rig and started a new project with a goal of keeping it simple, fast and light.
YEAR: 2018
MAKE: Jeep
MODEL/TRIM: Rubicon
COLOR: Sting Gray
PACKAGES: Everything
FACTORY OPTIONS: Everything
ENGINE: 3.6 liter V6, 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque
TRANSMISSION: 850RE TorqueFlite, 8 speed auto
MODS - EXTERIOR:
Additional Lighting by Baja Designs
-LP9 Pros
-S2 Pros
-Rock Lights (red)
-RTL-S
Vehicle recovery via Superwinch EXP12
Suspension by Icon Vehicle Dynamics 2.5 inch Stage 8
Rhino Rack JL Backbone and Pioneer Rack
MODS - INTERIOR:
12V accessory control by sPOD - Bantam w/HD panel
Jeep JL Plate system by Goose Gear w/kitchen
Magnetic phone mount by 67 Designs
ENTER THE GRAY GOAT!
Maintenance Info and Notes:
Lug nut torque specs: 130 ft lbs
Oil and Air filter notes:
Changed both at 29,850 miles February 2020
P/N's:
Engine air filter P/N: Mopar 68257030AA
Cabin air filter P/N: Mopar 68301863AA
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