Tag: JL (2018+ Wrangler)

Barlow Adventures > Nena’s Blog > JL (2018+ Wrangler)

What the Heck Is eTorque?

Posted on by Barlow Adventures Media Team

By Nena Barlow

This article originally appeared on fourwheeler.com.

When I first heard there would be a mild-hybrid motor option in the JL Wrangler, I was curious, but not convinced that anything but a diesel would tempt me away from the tried-and-true 3.6L V-6. I reluctantly ordered two for our fleet, just to try them out. First to arrive was a pretty Hella Yella Unlimited Rubicon that we named MaryAnn. Though I can neither confirm nor deny that there was drag racing between the 2.0L turbo eTorque Wrangler and one of our 3.6L V-6 Wranglers, what I can say is that the 2.0L turbo is noticeably faster off the line and in the quarter-mile than the V-6 in the JL Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon.

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Preparing a Jeep for 1,000 Miles of Desert

Posted on by Barlow Adventures Media Team

By Nena Barlow

This article originally appeared on fourwheeler.com.

The first year of the Rebelle Rally was 2016, and Emily Miller of Rod Hall Racing had put together an all-women’s off-road rally lasting seven days and covering more than 1,000 miles of desert roads. The competition would not be for speed, but for navigational accuracy using only a map and compass—no GPS allowed. I was asked to prep some Jeeps for that first Rebelle Rally and decided to compete as well, and I have ever since. Having completed our third year in the rally, we have fine-tuned an approach to preparing a Jeep for such an endeavor.

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How to Prep a JL for Rental Duty

Posted on by Barlow Adventures Media Team

By Nena Barlow

This article originally appeared on fourwheeler.com.

I won’t say I’m old, but I will say that I have been in the Jeep guide and rental business long enough to ride out the transitions between CJ, YJ, TJ, JK, and now JL. So far, other than waiting for the aftermarket to have time to develop the things we need for our typical trail use, the introduction of the JLs into our fleet has been relatively painless. As mentioned in my last article, almost every single thing that we had wished was better on the JK is better on the JLs.

What is required to make a factory Wrangler worthy of Barlow Jeep Rental status is less and less with each new generation. Barlow-worthiness is the ability to traverse the majority of the area trails without billable damage when driven by a novice to moderately experienced driver who will simply pay attention and drive slowly, with the intention to be safe and responsible. Our Jeeps are expected to traverse much of Arizona, Moab, and the Rubicon Trail, with minimal exertion.

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Is the New Jeep Wrangler JL Better Than the JK?

Posted on by Barlow Adventures Media Team

By Nena Barlow

This article originally appeared on fourwheeler.com.

With the introduction of the new 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL, one can’t help but wonder how it compares to the previous generation Wrangler, the bestselling JK. If you read no further than this, here it is: The JL is better than the JK. For simplicity, I will only discuss how the JL Rubicon compares to the later-version JK (2012–2017) Rubicon. I won’t even discuss comparisons to any Wrangler built before the 2012 model, because, well, that just wouldn’t be fair.

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