I'm looking at getting a Jeep for the first time as a family car as we have a 2 year old.

We obviously have concerns on safety and would definitely get the supplementary airbags.

My question is this I have had a 08' F150 FX4 in the past the suspension seemed pretty stiff and with a possible lower center of gravity. My thoughts are after test driving one last night and changing a lane at 70 felt very wobbly almost caught my stomach. How do these react under a emergency situation of jerking the jeep sharply say if a deer runs out or car etc... at that rate of speed? Are they prone to flipping or going sideways looking for someone with exp. especially with the Electronic Roll Mitigation, VSC etc...

Thanks guys and looking forward to becoming an owner soon.

Please move if in the inappropriate area-

Stephen

 

You asked for it...

My 2010 2-door is the worst handling, worst braking (and accelerating) vehicle I have ever owned. I expect the 2011 Unlimited to be only marginally better.
The suspension is very soft, rebound damping is too weak, and my rear tires locked up during the first emergency stop I had. The tires don't help safety much, especially the non-siped Mud Terrains. It's not even four wheel drive (on the road). On top of that, the roof is made of plastic or even cloth.

Jeep does have Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Electronic Roll Mitigation (ERM). They have airbags, but a friend of mine had a Chrysler in an accident and the airbags never deployed.

If you are really concerned with your safety and that of you occupants, buy a Volvo. No, really. I'm not kidding.
If you think life is an adventure, welcome to the Jeep world.

 

It’s not so bad when you get used to it and learn its limits. You should ask the dealer if you could spend a little time in one. Going from an STI to a Jeep is a big difference in on the road performance. You can't be among the most capable off-road production vehicles ever and expect it to drive like an FJ haha jk but seriously, just spend a little time in it or check out the Grand Cherokee. Its still a Jeep. You just can’t take the top off.

 

I have driven many SUVs and many trucks and the JK is one of the best handling medium to large size vehicles I have driven.

However even if other people disagree that it doesn't handle that well, having a Jeep (compared to a car) it is still going to be much better in any collision. I enjoyed reading a review of smart cars one time where they said "it has a 5 star crash test rating, but this is against vehicles of it's same class. if you have a collision in a large 3-star vehicle compared to the smart car, the large 3-star vehicle will still protect you much better."

Plus, speaking from experience with hitting deer, most of the time you do not have time to react. Not only that but even if you do, I was always taught that that last thing you should do in an emergency situation on the highway is swerve. High-speed swerving can make you lose control of your vehicle (large or small) very easily and hit a tree rather than a deer at 70 mph. The nice thing of the Jeep is that even if you hit a deer and have to get it repaired, it will never come through the windshield. I have personally known people who drive hondas and other small vehicles that have had deer come through their windshield on the highway because they couldn't avoid it and their short vehicle scooped the deer up and it came through the windshield. Personally I would rather repair the bumper and radiator of a Jeep after not swerving around a deer rather than the possibility that it comes through the windshield in the majority of cases where the collision happens so fast that you cannot react.

But good luck no matter what you decide!

 

I bought a Jeep partly to have more room for the kids and it's great. However, after years of driving only sports/sporty cars it definitely handles like crap on road, because it's not designed for that. It's also definitely not the safest thing out there if that's your priority. The freaking doors come off for chrissake.

Like others said, if you're looking for a fun car with fanstastic off raod capability and some practicality, a Jeep is perfect. If your number one priority is safety for the munchkins, there are better options out there. Have fun!