My situation is identical.
In fact, I was leaning towards a Ford Explorer (the "practical" choice) and had just test-drove an Eddie Bauer model at my local dealership when that little voice told me "what the hell, just go LOOK at the Wrangler 4DR and see what you think".
A half-hour later and I shifted into "well, you have no wife to nag you and no kids to lug around, so if not now, when?" mode.
An hour after that and I was driving home in my 2009 Red Rock Crystal Sahara.
This was January 15th.

 

It's practical because I didn't have to put on my hipwaders to cross this body of water!!

 

widewing hit it on the head! I live 39 miles out of town, if something happens to me or my wife I know the jeep will get us OUT....the last hill on our gravel road is steep enough that our neighbors' rear engined Beetle wouldn't climb it when the road iced and snowed out. My other neighbors Dodge pickup wouldn't get out of his driveway. The Jeep came out when pushing snow at the level of the front bumper. My Jeep is not used as a playtoy- it might be a lifesaver at one time or another. Don't get me wrong, weekend trips to the mountains or beach are great but my families main purpose in this choice was freedom of MOVEMENT- no matter the conditions....

 

John made the sensible choice and contributed to his 401k instead of buying a home he could not afford.
John made the practical choice and contributed to his 401k instead of buying a home he could not afford.

Hmmmmm.

The fireplace was a practical addition. (likely to be of real value)
The fireplace was a sensible addition. (likely to be of real value)

Hmmmmmm.

Pizza was a practical choice to feed John's 10 guests.
Pizza was a sensible choice to feed John's 10 guests.


Guess I am missing something?

Maybe point out a PRACTICAL choice that is not at all SENSIBLE.

Come on. It is neither practical nor sensible to buy a Wrangler if you aren't going to be going off road. Same as a convertible is an unpractical vehicle if you don't like the top down.

So is a UniMog practical? It does everything you say is needed to be practical, it travels at speed, stops, holds passengers and cargo and does so relatively safely. For that matter, so does a greyhound bus.

No offense my friend, but if a U-HAUL trailer can traverse the terrain - you DO NOT NEED a Wrangler to do it. I am not trying to be an ass, but you simply do not need a dedicated off road vehicle to traverse something a trailer with 4" of clearance and no suspension to speak of can manage.

The ride is great for a Wrangler. But for an '07 plus vehicle, it is far from good. Throw in price point, and it is very loud and very rough. It doesn't have to be speculation, any review will tell you that and any test drive can confirm.

 

Riding trails is not the only thing that makes a Wrangler more practical for a car, but only for the people who need it. And for anyone who does live in the country, there are more practical choices. Including say the Grand Cherokee that has more clearance than the Wrangler (look it up), more torque to the wheels by a massive percentage, rides much better, is much safer, is much quieter, and on and on.

I don't hate the Wrangler at all guys, I love it. But "being practical" is not and hopefully never will be what sells this vehicle. This is a niche vehicle. Practicality was NEVER the intent of Chrysler. The day that FIAT decides to make this a "practical" choice is the day that the Wrangler will die.

 

In a way yes. A miata would be a very impractical choice if you needed to tow a fifth wheel. But this thread was specifically questioning "was the Wrangler meant to be a family vehicle?" - see OP

And to answer that original question is a very clear no - the Wrangler is one of the more impractical family vehicles imaginable. A 2 door coupe would be more impractical, but just a bit. The Wrangler is not a vehicle that was designed to be a challenger to the minivan or most SUVs or crossovers. Its classification as one of the most dangerous vehicles on the road, poor fuel economy, rough ride, loud noise level, etc - is going to obviously disqualify it. It will work for a family, but it is certainly not a first choice, second choice, etc.

While the 4 door is larger than any Wrangler has been, it is not big. It is a midsized SUV. It has less interior space than just about all SUVs, crossovers and minivans. The ride is rougher, and just ask IIHS - all the others are safer. This is NOT a good choice for a family "just because". Not by a long shot.

A family can use the 4 door easier than any Wrangler before - but that does not mean Chrysler intended it to be practical. For a group of people that whine about how the Wrangler comes with carpet standard, I am confused beyond belief at this desire to call the wrangler practical. You want on one side for the vehicle to come stripped to nothing but pure dedicated off road function, but on the other to call it an "all around practical choice" apparently marketed as one of the most practical vehicles on the lot.

 

OK, let's beak that down... which meaning of 'practical' fits best (and you can do this with whatever dictionary you want, but I pulled up google define 'cause it's easy):

* concerned with actual use or practice; "he is a very practical person"; "the idea had no practical application"; "a practical knowledge of Japanese"; "woodworking is a practical art"
* hardheaded: guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory; "a hardheaded appraisal of our position"; "a hard-nosed labor leader"; "completely practical in his approach to business"; "not ideology but pragmatic politics"
* virtual(a): being actually such in almost every respect; "a practical failure"; "the once elegant temple lay in virtual ruin"
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* Pragmatism is a philosophical movement that includes those who claim that an ideology or proposition is true if it works satisfactorily, that the meaning of a proposition is to be found in the practical consequences of accepting it, and that unpractical ideas are to be rejected. ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Practical

* that part of an exam or series of exams in which the candidate has to demonstrate their practical ability; Based on practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis; Being likely to be effective and applicable to a real situation; able to be put to use; Of a person, having skills or ...
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/practical

* practically - almost; nearly; "practically the first thing I saw when I got off the train"; "he was practically the only guest at the party"; "there was practically no garden at all"
* practically - much: (degree adverb used before a noun phrase) for all practical purposes but not completely; "much the same thing happened every time"; "practically everything in Hinduism is the manifestation of a god"
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* practicality - concerned with actual use rather than theoretical possibilities
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* practicality - The state of being practical or feasible
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/practicality

* practically - In practice, in effect. Not necessarily officially the case but what actually occurs; almost, not completely
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/practically

* The laboratory component for many science courses. For example, when a student registers for a chemistry class, they must select a lecture, practical and tutorial. See lecture, tutorial.
discover.utoronto.ca/student-life/Glossary.htm

* A practical is a learning opportunity that involves a brief presentation by the lecturer or tutor, followed by students participating in various exercises or experiments. Practicals provide opportunities for interaction and discussion.
www.unisa.edu.au/enrolonline/terminology.asp

* Adjective used to describe properties or scenery which have to work as in real life when used; eg a practical ceiling light must actually light up when switched on by an actor. Abbreviates to prac.
http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/...ry/glossps.htm

* a light on stage which is part of the set, but which must function during the course of the production, eg a desk lamp or a standard lamp. ...
business.virgin.net/tom.baldwin/gloss-p.html

* useful, based on past performance, as in: She is interested in the practical applications of your idea.
www.business-words.com/dictionary/P_2.html

Now take that definition, whichever one you think fits, and compare it against all the definitions of 'sensible' you care to look at. Do they mean the same thing?

Exactly.

Or you are caught up in arguing your position.

It is practical to use the word 'practical' in your example sentences (pragmatically, it works satisfactorily), but it is not sensible (showing reason or sound judgment).


They can be, sure. The problem with buses is that most people are unable to drive them well and parking for large vehicles is genuinely scarce, especially at workplaces and the like. Add the social issues (many people need to have vehicles that are presentable at work) and the fact that they won't go through drive-thrus and the chance of practicality drops for many.

I considered a 'mog before getting the JK. I decided it wasn't a sensible choice.

What an interesting point of view. So..., to paraphrase, you believe that the fact that you do not need an ________ to do something means an __________ is not practical.

You do not need a computer to write, so computers are not practical.

You do not need a digital camera to take pictures, so digital cameras are not practical.

Interesting, but I'll stick with more conventional usages. Practical means "able to do jobs in the real world". I had a job that needed doing. It did it. That means practical. Doesn't matter if something else could do it too.

The point was that I had real work to do... a 3000+ mile round trip drive with a trailer for most of it, and off-roading (real off roading in the Mojave desert) in the middle, and for me that's my real world. The JKU can do it/it's practical. A Prius can't do it/it isn't practical.

Simple enough concept.

The question you need to answer before those points are at all relevant is, "what job that 'him' needs doing is dependent on meeting your '07 plus' ride and noise standards?"

Without that, you are just talking comfort and convenience, not practicality.

 

I don't think anybody thinks you hate the wrangler.

I don't share your aversion to practicality. It seems like you are going to extreme/illogical lengths to claim the wrangler isn't practical/designed to be practical when it clearly is.

As for "more practical" ... they already make right hand drive US wranglers for delivery/frequent in/out uses and that hasn't hurt you. What do you fear?

Fiat could easily make the wrangler better ... bring us the diesel model for example ... but would that really change its practicality (exept for those who need longer range or to standardize on a single fuel)? Would it hurt you somehow?

Seems like you are really twisting (abusing the language, etc.) to support a position that is contrary to fact.

 

My Jeep was practical today at least. All streets were flooded from last nights rain storm. Cars stalled everywhere. No problem for the Jeep.

 

It took me 15 years to pull the trigger and buy my first Jeep. I really did not "need" it, . . . but I "wanted" one for a long time. It's not practical for me,
but my wife drives it all over the place. I ended up with her 4-Runner as my DD vehicle. Now . . . on weekends, we both are in the Jeep and love it. We don't hit very many mud holes, and tear up the Mall's.

Magnum306