No one really uses KBB except to scam consumers. Try Edmunds.
On to the Jeep. Reliable as a two dollar watch. You will get to know and love your dealers service dept during warranty period (I hope they have good coffee and donuts), and you will finance your mechanics kids braces afterwards.
The Escape is far more reliable, altho not as good off road.
Are we allowed to talk about that in front of Poysyn before she gets a Jeep?
About the same, though they did not list the Sport, 4dr, 4WD, 4-spd automatic. (Kelley did.)
I disagree. Nearing a quarter-million miles, my XJ Cherokee Sport has been very reliable. Everyone I’ve talked to, before I bought it and since, says the engines are bullet proof. One problem with the 4.0 l is that the exhaust manifold tends to crack. This has not caused any problems, other than a little soot at the tailpipe due to the richer mixture.
I think that would depend on the year of manufacture. My 2007 is over 65,000 miles. Aside from blowing a couple of tires on an obstacle way the hell back in the bush down an abandoned trail (grumble grumble grumble), the worst problem that I have had was a burnt out filament on a tail light a few weeks ago. A couple of bucks and two minutes with a screw driver fixed that.
I have a 1997 Jeep Wrangler. I bought it 5 years ago. 6 cylinder with 5-speed. Soft-top. It now has 100k miles.
At first it was a lot of fun to drive. But then I began to hate it. It’s very loud, to the point that I wear ear plugs when driving it. It’s very bouncy and uncomfortable. It’s not very stable at high speeds. Gas mileage sucks. Rain has soaked the passenger-side floorboard to the point that it’s rusting through (not sure where it’s coming from). Visibility sucks. There’s hardly any trunk room. Getting in/out of the back seat is a major PITA. Taking the top down is a PITA. And I’ve already had to replace the clutch, u-joints, drive shaft, alternator, and soft-top.
I’m going to sell it ASAP. Anyone wanna buy it?
CR Predicted reliability is next to worse, ie below average. Jeep overall ranked among the worst.
All of “My Jeep lasted……’ is anecdotal.
I had an '89 Wrangler that was enormously fun, and an enormous PITA. It was loud; cold in the winter and hot in the summer. I loved it and hated it. It ran really well though even though I didn’t take care of it.
I eventually traded it in toward a brand-new 1998 Jeep Cherokee. I drove that Cherokee 202,000 miles and just a few months ago gave it to my niece who has started driving (I bought a 2010 Ford Escape).
So in terms of reliablity I’m a big fan of Jeeps, and Wranglers are fun but not always very practical.
As I say, it depends on the model year.
For example, let’s look at the 2012 Wrangler(the one with the re-designed motor), the 2013 Wrangler, the 2012 Escape, and the re-designed 2013 Escape. There are no recalls in Canada (where Poysyn lives) for the Jeeps of either year, but there is a recall for the airbag on the 2012 right hand drive postal version in the USA resulting in failure to deploy. There are no recalls for the 2012 Escape, but the 2013 Escape has recalls for the carpet interfereing with use of the pedals, a fuel line splitting inside the engine compartment resulting in flamable gasoline on the hot engine, and the cylinder head freeze plug poping off resulting in flamable glycol on the hot engine. What does that say to me? Go with the redesigned Wrangler rather than the redesigned Escape.
Thanks to everyone for their responses! I have enjoyed reading all of them (especially the really honest ones) and it lines up in a lot of ways with what I was thinking - not necessarily the most economical vehicle, but fun.
I especially liked Muffin’s choice of photo since my co-worker just asked me “What are they like in the winter?” being in Winnipeg, this is a pretty major question, so I appreciated the extra info about how they handle on winter-y, icy, snowy roads.
My Escape (2005) is a good vehicle (even though it’s front wheel drive only). It’s a good time to buy something that’s fun for me 
Winter driving: I owned two of my Wranglers while living in Alaska, so can speak to that. Wranglers have a short wheelbase, so you have to be cautious about any sudden braking or you’ll find yourself corkscrewing down the road. I had studded tires on one of them for a brief time, but it made the handling worse. I don’t know if Wranglers still come with Goodyear Wrangler tires, but they’re really great winter tires, especially on ice. If not, a set of Blizzaks would do you. I never had a problem in winter, but I always err on the side of caution. If it gets really cold, the heater may have trouble keeping up, as there is very little insulation between you and the outdoors.
I’m a little worried about that - we do get some REALLY cold temps here…more research! 
My 98 TJ has no problems heating the interior. Much better than my 2010 Miata.
While Consumer Reports is largely useless and I would never buy or not buy a car based on anything they say, much less their “predicted reliability” of a model with a completely new engine and drivetrain, it not unreasonable to suggest that you might have more problems with a Wrangler than a typical commuter car. It’s a fairly specialized vehicle with a lot of fairly specialized design features you won’t find on a regular car. If you don’t need these features you’re better off with something else. In particular I really don’t think it’s a very good vehicle for winter if you’re just driving on the highway, in addition to the soft top comfort issues, having live axles both front and rear very much compromises the suspension’s ability to deal with bumps and road imperfections, something you really need on winter roads that may have uneven ice and snow on them.
Unless you are doing serious off-roading every day to work with your child in tow there are better vehicles for your needs. How about a Jeep Patriot? they are quite cheap and are car based with independent suspension and yet can still be had with a low range transfer case if that’s the kind of thing you want, the low range does kill fuel economy rather severely bit it will still be better than a Wrangler.
Wranglers are fairly well known for having pretty serious heaters. Mine is like a blast furnace within a minute or two from a cold start.
Mine handled like a shopping cart on the highway and had the aerodynamics of a crouton. I still miss it.
2007 model – shirtsleeves and slippers at -40 on the highway. The heater is a baby blast furnace, the blower is powerful, and the vents are well positioned. As far as insulation goes, it is not necessary at all with the hard top, but it is available after-market for the roof panels.
They come with the Wrangler SR-A, which is a typical all-season tire that you would find on commuter SUVs. It is not a winter tire. Unfortunately, in Canada the prohibition against the death penalty is a loophole that protects people who market all-season tires as being suitable for winter. I don’t think the SR-A will even be permitted for winter use in Quebec following 2014. It is also not an off-road tire or even a dirt road tire. Here’s the Fountain Tire rating: Dry Traction: 7, Wet Traction: 7, Snow Traction: 7, Offroad Traction: 7, Ride Comfort: 7, Quiet Ride: 7. In other words, meh. Something for folks who want to drive about town in a Jeep, but don’t actually use a Jeep for Jeeply things.
Other available tires include the Wrangler AT-S, which is suitable for back roads, but is only all-season and not a winter tire.
The Wrangler Silent Armor is a fantastic winter tire for both ice and snow, and a very good off-road tire. It has a layer of kevlar in it, so it is more durable than most tires. I have driven for years on Blizzaks in previous SUVs and think they are excellent, but I find the Wrangler Silent Armors the same for ice and better for snow. Surprisingly, the Silent Armor tires are not as loud as one would expect for snow tires. I leave mine on all year round, for the soft rubber is good on rocks, the deep and wide chanels are good with mud, and the soft rubber, lots of siping and deep and wide chanels are terrific in rain. Here’s the Fountain tire rating: Dry Traction: 9, Wet Traction: 9, Snow Traction: 10, Offroad Traction: 9, Quiet Ride: 8.
My neighbour uses the Wrangler Silent Armor Pro-Grade, which has an additional kevlar layer and a more durable tread compound. I was worried that the compound would not be as sticky, but when driving his vehicle, I can’t tell any difference, so next time I’ll go with the Pro-Grade.
I’m not impressed with the headlights on the 2007 and more recent Jeeps. There’s a lot to be said for replacing the OEM bulbs with Philips X-treme Power +80 bulbs. They do not draw any more juice than the OEMs, but they provide significantly more light, and more light directed to where you want it. They are not offensive to on-coming traffic, for the light is not scattered, and they are not in the blue colour range that dazzles but does not help us see (the daylight spectrum is preferable).
It depends on whether or not you’re buying a newer model or an older (pre-98) model. I apologize if you already stated that somewhere. The old ones were very efficient at heating up your knees, but not so good at getting the interior toasty at -20F. The newer ones have a normal vent system that does a far better job. I never had a problem with the Wrangler all-season tires in winter (mine were the AT version), and I drove on some extremely icy roads. They had enough “sticky” to them to be effective. Obviously, they’re not serious off-road tires nor true winter tires, but they worked fine for what I needed.
I miss my Jeeps. My wife decided they weren’t safe because of the side impact problem, so we ended up buying a Honda CR-V. More comfy, quieter, etc., but not nearly as much fun. Now I drive a Prius. 
This thread is really making me glad I have a Jeep! (Even if it isn’t the model under discussion.)
Pine Fresh Scent: I liked your comment. I’ve sent it to my old friend who has a Wrangler.