24th Dec 2020, 20:38
Since you are not driving far and like camping, I recommend a Rubicon. Take it everywhere, fun if you are active.
7th Jan 2021, 18:58
No thanks. I rented a Jeep Rubicon on a trip to Hawaii. It was - without a doubt - the most uncomfortable and surprisingly un-fun vehicle I've ever driven. That and the build quality was terrible. I'd much rather have either a 4Runner, Subaru or some other crossover.
8th Jan 2021, 17:53
A Jeep can go places & traverse terrain a 4Runner & Subaru pick-up couldn’t dream of.
8th Jan 2021, 22:25
We just put a RIP supercharger in it. Loaded to the gills. Fantastic vehicle. Not a boring bland Toyota with no power.
11th Jan 2021, 12:59
That’s on our Challenger. As you no doubt know. I wouldn’t advise it in California. Good one.
11th Jan 2021, 18:06
The highways most of all. Then the Florida Beaches. And camping with a really great Jeep Rubicon. Highly sought after and great style. Or trail bikes put on the back. There are far cheaper options as the direction I see this heading. Price first, quality second.
13th Jan 2021, 19:41
Like I said, I drove a Jeep for a week while on vacation in Hawaii. We rented it because we were traversing a lot of rural unpaved rough roads. It was good at ONE thing: Yes - it was in fact capable of going off roading well. We took it on one of the steepest roads in all 50 states... but then again the locals were using the same road using old Tacomas and in some cases - ordinary cars.
My issues were that other than that it was a pretty miserable experience. The handling on regular roads was awful. I absolutely hated the transmission: It would hesitate on acceleration. Fuel economy was horrible. But the worst was the interior. It was akin to driving around in a bunker. The door sills were so far up it created really bad blind spots. For a larger vehicle it also felt cramped inside - and I am not a big guy by any means. And the overall build quality simply was pretty bad.
Honestly, if I were to entertain the idea of a rugged off roading machine machine I would get a 90's era Toyota Land Cruiser. Designed for a minimum service of 25 years and used all over the globe in seriously difficult terrain. That or maybe the late model version of the old Jeep XJ with the straight 6 4.0 engine, which was one of the only actually reliable things Jeep made.
15th Jan 2021, 04:40
Is your Jeep from the 80’s? Jeeps of the past 10 years are really smooth on highways.
16th Jan 2021, 03:13
I may be wrong but you are wasting your time. He’s not about to buy even a brand new sub compact, let alone follow your suggestion. But we can. No other debt, so save up cash and buy a far better nice product. With stay at home and little dining out, people are buying nice cars vs heaps.
16th Jan 2021, 18:01
Same. Also owe nothing on cars or any other non-mortgage debt. Probably correlated with me not driving a Jeep from the 80’s and breaking the news to everyone that it has a rough ride.
18th Jan 2021, 14:28
If wasting time is such a concern to you, then why suggest a Jeep Rubicon to the reviewer when they clearly state that they will replace their current plug in hybrid with another one?
19th Jan 2021, 00:28
This year comes the Wrangler 4xe plugin. They start at around $50k. Like they say you only live once.
20th Jan 2021, 15:53
Don’t want a Wrangler and don’t want electric. What for? Just fill the fuel tank and go.
21st Jan 2021, 05:05
If you’re off roading far from any petrol stations, you’ll appreciate having an electric Jeep pick-up. Can go to even more exotic locations without needing fuel, but rather just battery.
21st Jan 2021, 19:01
Yes, we get the point that you are not fond of plug in vehicles. You make it abundantly clear every time the author of this review posts an update.
23rd Jan 2021, 17:43
Thought it was about camping and off road vehicles. Take a jerry can of gasoline vs plug into a tree.
24th Jan 2021, 16:43
Instead of bringing a jerrycan of petrol and having a fire hazard, having some solar panels on the Jeep to help recharge the battery sounds better to me.
26th Jan 2021, 03:07
Possibly if you are moving to the Australian Outback. But there are innumerable gas stations; that has never been a problem. Not a fan of the current administration pushing the direction you prefer. We are polar opposites on our automotive preferences; best to let it be. People are going to drive what they like to drive. Some willing to pay any price for the ultimate vehicle out there. Or build one.
23rd Dec 2020, 18:06
Another year has passed and we still own the car, which is now closing in on the 10 year old mark. Granted this has been a highly unusual year. We have been working from home since late February and so the car has only had a fraction of the use it once did.
We have had no issues with the car since the last problem was fixed a year ago. That said it is starting to show its age. The overall range of the battery has fallen noticeably. This is the first generation of the Volt and was rated at around 34 miles of total EV range. When the car was newer and the weather was ideal, we could sometimes get over 40 miles. For the past year that range has dropped to the lower 30's. Ever since the pandemic started we have been showing a range average of 27 miles. That said, over the summer my wife did take a few 250-350+ mile road trips which probably affected the range, and since as mentioned we aren't commuting anymore and now use it occasionally to get groceries, it barely gets used enough to "reset" that range.
Some noticeable wear and aging is happening with the exterior. The plastic lenses have started to fade. Occasionally I will use a plastic polish to bring them back, but in my experience once these lenses start to do this, they simply keep on doing it. The B-pillars appear to have a black plastic film that has started to oxidize. The roof, which is black, is starting to also show early signs of oxidation; surprising given that the car is not old enough to see that kind of degradation. That said, we do live in a very sunny part of the country and UV is brutal here.
Other than that, the rest of the car seems to be holding up OK. It's still aggravating that some 10+ years after the introduction of the Volt, that hardly anyone makes anything like this save for maybe the Honda Clarity. As my wife does a lot of camping now, the Volt is hardly appropriate anymore for the rough roads and back country areas she goes to. So we are holding off on for a plugin hybrid SUV. It appears that the Rav4 plugin hybrid could be a worthy replacement.