The Bad: Somehow, the front windshield is smaller. It's easy to spot from outside the car, but the impact from behind the wheel is tangible. At traffic lights, I had to hang back for a good view of what's happening, and there's an almost chop-top sensation in normal driving. And beyond that, it is a bizarre design choice. From the front, the windshield looks too small for the rest of the Jeep's proportions, particularly the lower beltline.
The Good: The new cabin looks great. There are plenty of neat design touches that feel functional. The grenade-shaped shift knob is among the best and one of Jeep's few Easter eggs that's genuinely useful—it's the perfect size and is easy to grip. I drove the Wrangler in January, so I wasn't able to remove the doors, pull the hardtop off, or lower the windshield, but after doing all of the above with a Willys Wheeler last summer, I can't wait to see how much easier Jeep's engineers have made these physically demanding, time-consuming tasks.
The Bad: The front seats aren't very good. There's not enough support and the lower cushion could stand to extend a few inches forward to provide more leg support. But my bigger concern was my test car's beige leather upholstery. Despite barely 1,800 miles on the clock, there was already a distinct tinge of blue on the outer bolster of the driver's side bolster, no doubt from the brushing of oversized, denim-clad journalist bottoms (your author's included).
Press loaners usually live harder lives than privately owned vehicles, but to see it on a product that's barely broken in and on upholstery that adds $1,495 to the price tag is very disappointing.
