Jeep Wrangler review

Off-road driving is an exercise in incredible ease and uncanny comfort, without ever feeling like you're anywhere near the Wrangler’s limits.

If you're looking for a challenge with your off-roading, look elsewhere, even if you leave your Jeep entirely as the factory intended. Because, if you make full use of the Wrangler’s arsenal, it'll basically drive itself through whatever obstacle you face.

Unless you’re a dedicated mud-plugger, it’s unlikely you’ll even reach the limits of the less gung-ho Sahara version, even though it does without the locking diffs and detachable front sway bar of the Rubicon. And, if nothing succeeds like excess, then the Rubicon is excessively successful off-road. The axles are stronger than the Sahara, the transfer case has deeper ratios (for slower off-road crawling; important for the properly hairy stuff) and there’s enough off-road kit as standard to traverse the moon.

So it’s impossible to get stuck?

Eventually, by really trying, we found a way to bog a Rubicon-spec Wrangler on a muddy hillside. After doing as little as locking the diffs, selecting second gear (and low range) and standing on the accelerator, we emerged, slinging chunks of national park every which way.

So, even if you’re an off-road numpty, the Rubicon-spec Wrangler will get you out of most jams without requiring much work beyond pressing buttons, pulling levers and stomping on the throttle.

Is it any good on road?

Let’s not kid ourselves: the Wrangler is a bit ponderous around corners, where its tall suspension and two-tonne mass give it a long-distance relationship with the perpendicular. But that’s fine. You wouldn’t expect to run as fast in wellies as you can in trainers, would you?

The best way to drive a Wrangler on the road is to dial everything back, allowing the tall-sidewall tyres to soak up the vagaries of the bitumen and just mooch along. To that end it’s actually supremely comfortable: in either spec the tyres make potholes feel like mere ripples in the fabric of the universe. There's a bit of road noise sure, but nothing like the aural assault off-roaders have delivered in the past. And above a certain speed you won’t hear it over the wind noise anyway. Set up for low drag this is not.

At 3.24 turns from lock to lock, the steering quite plainly isn’t set up for life on the road. But compared to something like the Grenadier, the Wrangler is infinitely more friendly and useable on tarmac. You could drive this every day and not go spare.

Which engine should I go for?

Funny. As we explained in the Overview, there is only one engine now; a 2.0-litre 4cyl petrol with 268bhp and 295lb ft. Europe gets a hybrid with e-range, but not us. Hmm. And the 2.2-litre turbo diesel is no more. Diesel’s pariah status has even reached the wilderness.

To be honest, we don’t miss it. The sensible petrol is more than adequate, and torque - especially when multiplied through the low-range ’box - means it’s still entirely possible to let the Wrangler idle up the side of a mountain, unhindered by grip limits, or steepness, or both.

Meanwhile it’s perky enough that it won’t get swamped on an A-road and the eight-speed auto goes about its business diligently and without fuss.

Officially Jeep claims 27.2mpg from the Sahara and 24.8mpg from the Rubicon. Ha! Think mid-to-high teens if you’re green laning, and a bit more in normal driving. Thank your lucky stars that the 81-litre fuel tank will extend the time between (eye-watering) trips to the pumps.

What, no V8?

You’re thinking of the USA’s Rubicon 392, which gets all of the tech, all of the toys, and a casual 476bhp and 470lb ft from a 6.4-litre Hemi V8. Oh, and it’ll go 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds. Over anything.

It's a muscle car on balloon tyres, a barely sanitised monster truck. Blipping the V8 rocks the car on its shocks and unburnt fuel drips from the quad exhausts like a leaky bar tap. Far too much power for the chassis, but to try a 392 is to love it, and spoil yourself for life. After this, no other Jeep will do. You might have to emigrate because of it.