Soft or Hard
Big Red and Kylo…one of each
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One of the biggest questions when choosing a Jeep doesn't involve color or Rubicon or Sahara: but rather, do you want a softtop or a hardtop? Originally, I was leaning toward a hardtop. Living in the northeast, a hardtop seems like a really good idea. With cold weather, snow and potential ice, the logical thought was that this might be easier with a hardtop.
So for about a week, I kept track of all of my concerns on both sides of the debate. I asked my friends (some of which are Jeep owners) what they thought. It really pulled into two camps: Hardtop is logic in solid form and Soft was an idea of freedom. Logic really plays a big part in buying a car. Most of the time you ask the logic questions: Gas Mileage? Maintenance costs? Number of passengers? But, when you are buying a Jeep, some of the main-stream logic goes out the window. This is a performance offroad vehicle. Some things are more important than others. While doing my research, I kept asking the one question to the hardtop Jeep owners: When was the last time you took your top off? Every time the answer was clear, either it hasn't even happened or it was a really long time ago. This, coupled with the fact that I didn't really have space to store the hardtop OR have an extra person to help take it off...it was clear that a softtop was the right choice. I know me: I can talk myself out of just about anything. I would NEVER fully take a hard top off. I would take out the freedom panels. But never the entire top. I wanted a Jeep for so many reasons but at the top of the list was that the top had to come off (pun intended).
I am completely surprised at how great having the top on actually is. The softtop of the 2017 Wrangler Unlimited is really quiet. I mean if you are driving beside a large truck, noisy motorcycle or car, then you will definitely hear that. But, road noise, not really.
I can put my top completely down or up in less than 10 minutes. I actually enjoy the process. I have a routine. I like the routine of it. I work my way around the Jeep starting at the driver's side door. The process is as follows:
Moving the visor out of the way
Unlatching the latch for the roof
Roll down the window
Roll down the back window
Roll down the passenger back window
Roll down the passenger window
Moving the passenger visor out of the way
Unlatching the latch for the roof
Fold back the sunrider making the Jeep W (nice S folds in the top)
Walk around and fix the folds on the drivers side
Unzip and remove the driver's rear window and carefully lay it in the back (outside layer down)
Roll up the back window
Unzip and remove the passneger's rear window and carefully lay it in the back (outside layer up)
Undo the quarter posts and lay them inside
Undo the latch to put the top back
Walk around and undo the driver's side latch
Slowly push the top back carefully to keep the fold clean
Secure the frame with the provided velcro straps
I will take the top down any chance I get.
Which side of the aisle do you stand on? Soft or hard? Let us know.