It was a special week to try a special Wrangler. Just in case you did not know, the Wrangler is the closest to the original Jeep style, and looks more like one of the old military-style jeeps, except this one has four doors and is probably designed more for the weekend get-away into the outback. Serious off-roaders can get a lot more, but this one is great. The Jeep brand has so many other models available, and all of them are off-road capable.
The test model was a 2010 Wrangler, Unlimited Rubicon 4x4. Instead of a dark Army green, it was a beautiful deep Red Rock Crystal Pearl exterior with a Dark Slate Gray interior. The Jeep Wrangler is classified as a mid-size SUV for category purposes. It featured a Dual Top group with a Freedom Panel Hard Top, which meant it was equipped with a 3-piece modular hard top. The hard top provided more of a secure and enclosed feeling, including additional sound muffling which was great for highway driving. The hard top is not quite like a regular hard top on a vehicle and not even like one of those fancy convertible tops that folds into the trunk area. But it was really nice to have and for the $1600 extra, is probably worth the cost. A special feature is that a single panel can be removed over the passenger or the driver.
All the expected Jeep features are there, such as the seven vertical bars in the grill, which is a Jeep trademark, and round (not square) headlights. The vertical slanted windshield is definitely a throwback to earlier days, although it prevents mounting a detector unit with those small suction cups. The detector unit mounting bracket is designed for slanted windshields. The windshield folds flat – another throwback feature, which is something most true Jeep enthusiasts will never give up.
The four door model offers a lot more flexibility, especially if you have a family or more than one friend to ride with you. The extra length gives the ride a bit more stability and a more comfortable ride. The 2-door model, which I have tested in the past, provides a bit more control in severe rock-climbing territory.
The cargo area is surprisingly large, and can accommodate several deer from a backwoods hunting trip as well as most suitcases and overnight bags for road trips. The canvas cover top makes it a little difficult to access the rear area due to having to unzip and roll the rear access. The modular hard top worked great for rear cargo area access. There was a heavy clear rear window that simply could be raised up when the rear door was opened. The rear door is hinged to the passenger side, which is handy for the driver in making quick loading and unloading of small items.
For off road driving, the transfer case offers really low gearing and the locking differentials work well. For both of these, there is no need to hop out and manual adjust anything as in the old days. It only requires a push of a button, a twist of a knob, or a pull of a lever. Off-road is where the Rubicon really shines. This is for serious enthusiasts to take the Wrangler up and down 45-degree grades, ford streams two feet or more, and climb over rocks the size of small cars.
A downside is the sense that the vehicle is always struggling to maintain speed above 20 mph. The constant feeling is that the engine is working so hard that gas mileage is always struggling. Actually, gas mileage was not as bad as had been anticipated. The Wrangler Rubicon is EPA rated at 15 city and 19 highway. During the week, I used the Jeep as a true Jeep, even shifting into four-low in some serious sand and taking it off-road often. Even so, the average mileage for the entire week hit 18.9 mpg.
The base MSRP is $32,050, but the test model included the modular hard top, a towing package, an upgraded media system with navigation, and a few more items. Bottom sticker price on the test model was $38,655.
The Wrangler is the image of the original Jeep icon from World War II that most of us have in our memory banks. This test model happened to have four doors and a removable hardtop, along with a nifty paint job, but all the tow hooks, ground clearance, and off-road capability is still there. Die-hards are not disappointed in this model. Remove the top, fold down the windshield, remove the doors, and take it out to the backcountry. It really is fun.
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