I like and use all features except for Brake Assist - because in traffic when gaps between cars are tight, I *know* when there's enough room for me to get through a tight gap and I don't want Brake Assist to impede my progress. Sometimes Brake Assist is actually a safety hazard (!) because the traffic gap exists for a split second, and braking would put me in harm's way. Go figure, a safety
feature actually being a
hazard. Traffic can be bad in the SF Bay Area, but for those in more rural areas Brake Assist would probably be fine. For me, I've disabled it.
ACC: Adaptive Cruise Control. I love this feature. On long road trips on the open road it is great and there's no need for regular cruise control. Ever. In tight traffic I rarely use it, but either way, tight traffic or no, I would use ACC before choosing the regular CC. As for hypermiling behind a semi, I'll have to give that a try.
When interstate traffic comes to a full stop, ACC slows my rig down all the way to a full stop, then automatically turns off after a second or so. ACC works great except on cloverleaf on/off ramps where the radius of curvature is small. Other than that ACC is a great feature once I learned what it does, what its limitations are, and when it does not function (tight radius, e.g.). I had to learn how to trust ACC, but now will never look back.
HDC: Hill Descent Control. Great great feature. Takes all the stress and work out of crawling down a steep slippery trail. Just use the shift paddles to adjust my speed, and gravity and HDC's brakes on the individual wheels and tranny gear lock do all the work. All I have to do is steer and paddle-shift. If you haven't tried HDC I strongly suggest you do when next out on the trails in 4-Lo. Find a muddy, slick, steep downhill, and try that run twice, HDC Off, then HDC On. You will see, it is a WORLD of a difference.
Heated & Vented Front Seats: love this feature, especially SWMBO sitting in the passenger seat.
Heated Steering Wheel: it's not that cold where I live so it's rarely used. Sometimes on chilly mornings it's cold enough to use, and I appreciate it. I haven't yet been on a road trip through the Sierras in winter, but I'm sure I would use this. On a side note, my motorcycle has heated seats and grips, and I do like and use them. I've ridden through snow storms, it can get cold. And on a bike, once you get cold, you stay cold while riding. There aren't many ways to generate heat while riding, other than doing squats. I could have done without the Heated Steering Wheel.
Sun Roof: love it.
20" wheels or 18" wheels? The Jeep salesman let me choose what I wanted. This was the toughest choice for me. I like the styling of the 20s, but also wanted the taller tires on the 18s for off-road capability. In the end I went with 20s because of the look, I really like this 5-spoke design. I can mount slightly taller tires and be okay off road. In the year since I bought my rig I've second-guessed myself a few times about this, but in the end I'm happy with the 20s. And I can't wait for the Forteras to wear out!
Quadra-Lift: I do occasional 4-wheeling and QL is good enough for what it does. It gives me a decent amount of extra clearance when needed, and yet my rig does not have a full-time lift kit so I can take my honey out to a nice dinner and we still look classy in our JGC without looking too country or too hick. At the push of a button, I get extra clearance. The ride is a little rough in ORA-II. I practice at Hollister Hills SVRA when I can, it's 90 minutes from home, and at the Obstacle Course there are two obstacles I remember from last year's 4X4 Safety Clinic: Frame Twister, and Stair Stepper.
Some videos (not my rig - these videos are cross posted to my Hollister Hills thread):
"Frame Twister"
(2 minutes, red Wrangler; annoying music, just mute it)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZX7sX6oWobA
(5 minutes; older, lifted Grand Cherokee on "Frame Twister")
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UnRcycPUZ0c
"Stair Stepper"
(30 seconds, '92 Explorer on "Stair Stepper")
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C5Om5Tx37KI
To be able to do this on my stock JGC with /50 series street tires, in a rig that's able to take my babe out for a night on the town, or to drive comfortably across the country putting in 800+ mile days, is just great. Quadra-Lift gives me that extra capability.
I'll be back to Hollister Hills for another clinic next month and will get pictures and videos of my rig doing this. Anyone want to join? See here:
http://www.jeepgarage.org/f42/hollister-hills-esprit-de-four-safety-clinic-85549.html
But by far the best option on the JGC is the 3.0 CRD (EcoDiesel) engine. 420 foot-pounds of torque, it just pulls and pulls. I've towed a couple of cars up and over the Santa Cruz Mountains on Hwy 17 and the rig just pulls effortlessly. To have 600-700 mile range on a tankful is great, and I've posted these fuel economy figures before, but I'll say again that these are great numbers:
> 45 MPG @ 55 MPH
> 34 MPG @ 65 MPH
> 28 MPG @ 75 MPH
> 25 MPG @ 85 MPH
(Posted here on 19 Feb 2015:
http://www.jeepgarage.org/f222/eco-diesel-mileage-78917-4.html#post1150323)
Amazing fuel economy, in such a capable, versatile rig.
When buying I test drove the Touareg TDI; Porsche Cayenne diesel; BMW X5, X3 and X1; and some Land Rovers. And years ago I test drove the Touareg TDI V-10 but that's no longer available in California. In the end we got the Jeep and we've been very happy, minor bugs (P20EE) and all. I'd buy the JGC CRD again, in a heartbeat. But, without Brake Assist.
Apologies for the long post.