Depends on which Wrangler you’re talking about.
Older Wranglers – from 1987 through 1996 – known as the YJ, replaced the CJ7. This is the first Jeep officially called the “Wrangler” by the parent company. These came in only one body style, offering a short wheelbase, wider stance, and the same leaf spring suspension of the CJ. This was the first attempt to make a more daily drivable Jeep. It drives like a truck with a really short wheelbase; it bounces from front to back and is good for short trips.
The next generation of Wrangler (1997 through 2006) had numerous significant changes that made the Wrangler a far more livable and drivable Jeep for longer distances. It initially came in only a short wheelbase format, but the new coil-spring suspension made it infinitely more comfortable to drive anywhere. It still had a stiff suspension, but the coil springs mitigated the amount of road irregularities transferred to driver butt.
In 2004, Jeep introduced the Wrangler Unlimited, which – like the CJ-8 Scrambler and the CJ-6 – had a longer wheelbase. This not only gave the Wrangler more cubic feet of interior carrying capacity, it also offered the driver and passenger a more comfortable ride because the longer wheelbase. The longer wheelbase also made the Jeep a more stable towing platform, and the towing capacity of the Unlimited was upped to almost double what the short wheelbase Wrangler offered. The Unlimited was offered only in two-door format from 2004 through 2006. This is the most comfortable of the TJ models to drive over long distances.
In 2007 Jeep introduced the completely redesigned Wrangler JK, which comes with a longer wheelbase (2 inches) in the two-door model, and an all-new 4-door model that rides on a 116 inch wheelbase. The new Wranglers are also substantially wider (3.4 inches). New Wranglers can also be ordered with power mirrors, heated seats, power door locks and other creature comforts that were – until this model – only found in passenger cars. The JK models can – and are – driven as daily drivers and over long distances in comfort.
In 2018 Jeep introduced the successor to the JK, the JL. The JL Wrangler is a complete redesign of the iconic Jeep, with all new axles, transmissions, electronics, and even top options. The JL is offered with the same (more or less) Pentastar 3.6 V6, as well as a 2.0 Turbo, and a 3.0 EcoDiesel. There are three types of transmissions offered: the 8-speed automatic is the tranny of choice for most drivers. It has three planetary gears which allow for a pretty infinite gearing setup. The next is the manual transmission – which (depending on year – 2020 is two years into the production, and that’s when sea-changes to drivetrains are made) is now only available on the 4-door 3.6 powered Wrangler. The 2-door is going to get an automatic and the 3.6 or 2.0 – no diesel option. The diesel changes the axle gearing as well – the Rubicon no longer has the 4.10s as an option. There is a full-time 4WD system offered only on the Sahara model – kind of a ‘set it and forget it’ setup. Rubicon still has the beefier 4:1 RockTrac system and is the hot rod of Wranglers. There are also three different tops: a completely redesigned soft top (no zippers, slide out the windows, unlock the front latches, pull the back level and the top drops in about two minutes. You no longer have to be an Eagle Scout to assemble/disassemble the top!), a quieter hard top similar to the JK offering, and an all new power top that slides a cloth center section from the front of the windshield al the way back past the rear seats on the 4-door, giving passengers an immersive panoramic view of the outside world. With the improved electronics, better transmission, better seating, and all kinds of improved creature comforts, this is the most advanced – and comfortable for long distance journeys – Wrangler Jeep has ever made.
The all new for 2020 Gladiator (model designation JT) is the first Jeep Truck we’ve seen in awhile. We were promised a truck way back in 2005, but that hopeless pipe dream never materialized. The new Gladiator has a longer wheelbase, a real truck bed, and still retains the removable top (soft top AND hard top) that makes Jeep unique in the off-road world. The new truck has similar drivetrain options to the Wrangler, but the 2.0 Turbo is not offered. With the Max Tow package, the Gladiator can tow up to 7,600 lbs (in Sport S trim), and is still extremely capable off-road. Interior-wise, the JT is very similar to the JL, but there seems to be some extra leg/headroom for the front passengers over the JL. This is a perfect truck for overlanding or long trips.
There is also one notable difference with the newer JL Wranglers: I love the automatic transmission! The JLs get about 20 MPG average with the 3.6 Pentastar, 22 MPG with the 2.0 Turbo, and just about 30 MPG with the diesel. You can go about 500 miles on a tankful of fuel with the 3.0 EcoDiesel!
If I were to drive a long trip in a Wrangler, my choices in order of preference would be:
- 2018+ Jeep Wrangler JL Unlimited w/automatic transmission & 3.0 Diesel
- 2020+ Jeep Gladiator JT w/automatic transmission & 3.0 Diesel
- 2020+ Jeep Gladiator JT w/automatic transmission & 3.6 Pentastar
- 2018+ Jeep Wrangler JL Unlimited w/automatic transmission & 3.6 Pentastar
- 2012+ Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited w/automatic transmission
- 2012+ Jeep Wrangler JK w/automatic transmission
- 2007+ Jeep Wrangler JK Unlimited w/manual transmission
- 2007+ Jeep Wrangler JK w/manual transmission
- 2004-2006 Jeep Wrangler TJ (LJ) Unlimited w/manual transmission
- 1997-2006 Jeep Wrangler TJ 4.0L w / manual transmission
Other than that Top Ten list of Wranglers, I’d probably recommend driving another vehicle on a long trip. It can be done with the YJ, but you’re not going to be as comfortable, and your organs may not be exactly where they were when you started the trip.
I have driven the length and width of California in many Jeeps – my newest daily driver is a 2019 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk – and there are many, many miles under my butt. My last daily driver was a 2012 Wrangler JK with a 2.5″ lift, 37″ tires running 3:73 gears through a mostly stock Dana 44 rear with a trussed/gusseted Dana 30 up front with chrome moly axles and an Ram 1500 brake booster.
If you have any questions about Jeeps, feel free to ask; they don’t call me Rubicon Shawn the California Jeep Guy for nothin’!