The only thing more American than mobbing California’s desert in a Jeep Wrangler would be to get married in Las Vegas and then go on a tour of the Grand Canyon in a helicopter.
Coincidentally, I did both of these things.

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The Jeep Wrangler has become a symbol of freedom and unification in the country of bald eagles and Bud Light. Wrangler drivers wave at each other like bikers do. Because when you drive a Wrangler, you belong to a group of people who drive a vehicle that represents exploration, all the while oozing liberty in the form of exhaust gases, and Americans are very proud of that.

The Jeep Wrangler we drove had a soft top and no rear windows. I thought to myself: ” It can’t be that bad. I’ve owned a convertible before and having the wind go through my hair is a great feeling!” But the Wrangler has the aerodynamics of a brick, and the turbulence created by its famous styling is a nightmare over 50mph. We drove on the highway for a little over an hour, and our top speed was 65mph. It can go faster, the owner claims he hit 110mph, but that’s nonsense because I suspect the death wobbles would have killed him before he got to three digits on the dash. The tarp used for the soft top flaps on the bar above the windshield and on the B and C pillars, too, mix that with the wind noise, the vibrating steering wheel, the unpredictability of the car being pushed left or right by a gust of wind, makes for a soul-sucking time on the highway. When we got to Anza-Borrego, my wife and I both had headaches, even though our adventure hadn’t even started yet.  

The plan was to take the Wrangler offroading from Anza-Borrego up to Anza, then join the beautiful Highway 74 to drive back down home. A nice little loop was planned here, but we were not able to do it because San Diego County closed the road going through the state park – to protect a species of wild animal.
So we got back on the tarmac and drove towards another off-road location. Because of our headaches, we decided to avoid the motorway and drive a little slower, which suited the American Brick as it doesn’t like driving much faster than 45mph, anyway.

The suspensions are stiffer than I anticipated. Being an off-roader, I was hoping for a ride resembling my 2008 Land Rover LR3. A ride that would absorb all the bumps and imperfections in the road, so that when taken on more demanding paths, it would crawl over the rocks like an elephant would. But no, instead, the Wrangle has a lot of rebound, and it jumps around from rock to rock like a cricket.
The steering is uncommunicative and not very precise. The throttle is slightly heavier than expected, and it feels like it’s cable actuated, which is nice. The brake pedal is intuitive enough.

The Jeep does feel better in rougher terrain, going slow and finessing it between rocks and boulders is a good time. Like my GMC Jimmy, the steering sensation improved in an off-road setting, and the lack of precision faded away but the lack of communication lingered, sadly.

Power is around 280 horses and 260 pound-feet of torque, yet it felt incredibly underpowered. Driving against strong winds feels like hitting a brick wall, or stepping on the brakes. The engine can’t keep the car at highway speeds unless it’s revving upwards of 5000rpm. To be fair, let’s not blame the 4.6L V6 but instead the aerodynamics. If the Jeep didn’t have the drag coefficient of the Empire State Building, I’m sure it would handle windy situations better.

The average price for an American Brick like the one we drove is 37,500USD, that’s a lot of money for a car that frankly isn’t very comfortable, or pleasant to be in. To sum up our adventure: we both had headaches and had to stop three times on the side of the road to make the wind noise stop. We agreed never to buy a Wrangler, and we were very happy to sit back in Burke, our Ford Explorer.

All this made me realise another reason why Wrangler drivers salute each other. Driving an American Brick comes at a cost: Besides the hole in your wallet, you give up your sanity and your hearing. So when you see a fellow Wrangler driver, you wave, as a sign of solidarity and compassion because “I too have a headache from the noise, I understand what you’re going through. But don’t we look cool?”.
The answer is yes, yes we do look cool at the wheel of a Wrangler. With no roof, no side windows, and a rollbar. From the outside, we do look pretty cool. But is it really worth it?
For the same money, we’d rather buy a second-hand Land Rover or a brand-new Toyota 4Runner. So as far as two Europeans are concerned, no, it’s not worth it.

Bud light doesn’t flow through our veins, we have never been to Dunkin Donuts, and we don’t have a pet bald eagle, so I don’t think we will ever truly understand the symbol this car is for its country, its citizens, and the people who wish they were American and live accordingly.  
To each their own, I guess.

Max,