Jeep Wrangler review

The interior was given a more drastic update than the ‘same as the old boss’ exterior when this version of the Wrangler came online in 2017. The old Wrangler’s sea of grey plastics gave way to a set-up that’s somehow more modern and more retro-utilitarian at the same time. But the levers you tug to operate low range or even the gear selector still feel chunky and military-esque. Clever.

Skip ahead to 2024 and Jeep has moved the game on again (slightly), upping the touchscreen from an 8.4 to a 12.3-inch unit that’s (as before) compatible with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The system works. That’s it, that’s the end of the sentence. The menu layout is reassuringly simple and when you desperately need to know your tilt angle, or tyre pressures, or oil temperature, the info is but a finger press away. Shoutout also to the rearview camera.

And other crucial stuff - y’know, climate control, windscreen demister, that sort of thing - is sensibly fiddled with on the dash. We used to think the cabin was clean and uncluttered, but in the era of the omnitouchscreen Jeep’s design is looking properly old school now. As it should in a car like this.

There’s a nine-speaker stereo with a yoof-friendly subwoofer (for a total of nine speakers, maths fans), and yet Jeep touts the Alpine head unit’s ability to amplify 12 channels. Yup. Us neither. What does make more sense is the active noise cancellation on offer, like those Bose headphones your co-worker uses when he’s done listening to you talk about your love life.

And of course, if you want the interior to become the outside world, the soft-top has a detachable roof and even removable doors. Though if you do so, you no longer have door mirrors, Jeep reasoning you won't be looking behind you if you're doing the beach buggy routine.

Jeep wouldn't let us unbolt the doors when we borrowed a Wrangler, which probably says more about their belief in TopGear.com’s spanner ability than the build quality of the car (which feels jolly solid).

What’s boot space like?

We knew you’d ask that. Jeep claims 533 litres of space behind the second row of seats, rising to 2,050 with the rears felled. Enough to carry a fleet of sheep dogs up to the top of a moor, we’d say.