2007 Jeep Wrangler Sahara: Finding its True Nature

I drove the Jeep to Lone Pine, CA, at the foot of 14,494 foot, Mount Whitney with my two sons. This is a small historic town where they used to film westerns. It's a great get-away only three hours from Los Angeles yet it's completely ignored by the hordes of people rushing to Mammoth Mountain for skiing. The other great thing about Lone Pine is it's close to Death Valley, especially if you take a Jeep trail over the mountains.

The first day we drove up the portal at Onion Valley, west of Independence, CA, another sleepy little town with an interesting past. The road was covered with boulders but thanks to the extremely high clearance we pressed on. At one point, packed snow covered the road threatening to block our way. In 2-wheel drive it was no-go. In 4-wheel drive it was no problem.

The next day we took the road to the Cerro Gordo Mines. Climbing up the dirt road to the mine was fairly tame. But we continued on into Death Valley and the road degraded with washed out areas that pitched us around inside the Jeep. Still, I had no doubt we could make it. The suspension never bottomed out and body seemed extremely rigid. All that weight for the heavy frame was paying off.

In the Saline Valley the road turned to washboard for 30 miles or more. I was surprised to find that the nav system placed us on the road and even named it accurately. At times, it seemed confused about which road we were on but it was always close enough to give us confidence. Finally, we reached the abandoned salt mines on the edge of the dry lake. The wooden towers here were once part of a tram that carried salt 14 miles over the mountains to Swansea where it was loaded on a train.

After four days living closely with the Jeep I feel I know it intimately. I can easily say I've never been in such a capable off-road vehicle. If I was lucky enough to live in Lone Pine I would love to have one. But as a part-time explorer and mainly urban dweller I think the vehicle has many limitations when it tries to straddle two worlds.

The soft top is a hassle and leaks (see earlier posts). When you open the rear gate and load bags in the back you either have to unzip the plastic window and flop it up on the roof or let it smack you in the face. The first time I hit the brakes hard I wondered if I'd stop in time. We hit high winds on the drive back and the Jeep jumped all over the road. And the transmission is far from responsive.

Despite my gribes, I found that deep inside this car is a strong identity that shines through like a thoroughbred in a claiming race.

Philip Reed, Edmunds.com Senior Consumer Advice Editor @ 14,392 miles