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If you thought Jeep's Wrangler was strictly for Californian rock hoppers and D-list boy band members, think again. Jonathan Crouch puts it to the test in 'JL'-series generation Rubicon guise.
Ten Second Review
The Jeep Wrangler is an icon that has managed to remain loyal to its roots while adapting to the changing spirit of the times. If you think that it's strictly for Californian rock hoppers and D-list boy band members, then think again. The revised version of this current 'JL'-series fourth generation model is the most credible Wrangler yet, especially in this top 'Rubicon' form, offering a PHEV option and justifying what Jeep sees as its position as the only true off-road company in the market.
Background
The Jeep Wrangler is one of the most iconic serious SUVs on the planet and has never been a car to shy away from even the toughest SUV conditions. Like those this 'JL'-series model was launched into at the end of 2018. By then, the European market had decided what a fashionable SUV should be like and it wasn't anything remotely resembling this. But the Wrangler's always gone its own way and for the few who want something more authentic, its appeal remains very much unique.
The 'JL' design offers better off road angles, more ground clearance and a tighter turning circle than any Wrangler before it. But at the same time, today's Wrangler needed to offer slightly wider appeal. For that, brand owners Stellantis knew that a completely fresh generation of powertrains would be required. And areas like ride quality, refinement and day-to-day usability would need to be completely re-evaluated. As they have been with this 'JL'-series car, here usefully improved. It's a Wrangler - but perhaps not quite as you know it. Let's take a closer look at the wheel of the most focused 'Rubicon' version.
Driving Experience
Previous Wranglers never had to be very good on road. As long as they didn't shake your fillings out on the way to your surf shack, all would be forgiven once you set a tyre on the rough stuff. But Marlboro men are in short supply these days and to keep this car in customers, Jeep had to appeal beyond those who might use their cars as weekend mountain playthings. Without diluting what makes a Wrangler a Wrangler. No small task. How successful you'll perceive the designers' efforts to have been depends whether you've experienced previous versions of this Jeep.
If you haven't, then you're likely to find the wind noise, the rumbly demeanour and the vague steering all pretty crude. Still, those coming to this car from an older Wrangler though will find this 'JL'-series model a vast improvement. The revised steering's much better and the revised five-link suspension means that potholes no longer feel like craters. There's only one engine on offer in our market, a 2.0-litre I-4 turbo petrol unit with 272hp and 400Nm of torque, mated to 8-speed auto transmission.
As you'd expect, this Jeep is still brilliant off road, with its super aggressive approach and departure angles. The Wrangler Rubicon gets even better kitted out than the base 'Sahara' model is for the rough stuff, with a 'Rock-Trac' set-up that gives you a Dana 44 full-float solid rear axle, Tru-Lock electric front and rear-axle lockers, a Trac-Lok limited-slip differential and an electronic front sway-bar disconnect system. Plus an 'Off-Road+' ('OR+') mode that provides unique powertrain and chassis tuning. Specifically tailored for high range 'sand' performance and low range 'rock' activity, OR+ adjusts the ABS, ESC, accelerator pedal, traction control and transmission calibrations. 'Sand mode' is enabled when 'OR+' is activated while in 4H gear and 'Rock mode' is enabled when 'OR+' is activated while in 4Low.
What about Wrangler tarmac capability? Well on road manners feel safe and predictable, if a little slow-witted, but there are decent levels of grip and, on broken or rutted surfaces, the handling is no longer stymied by a bouncy ride.
Design and Build
The Wrangler format is iconic: a simple boxy body dropped onto an old-style ladder-frame chassis with a folding screen, detachable doors and a removable roof. You don't mess with that. Or with the familiar frontage, which offers up the usual circular headlights and familiar seven-slot grille.
Look more closely though and you'll find that a few things have changed, as the designers have sought to subtly evolve the look for this fourth generation 'JL'-series model. There are now black textured slots in the iconic seven-slot front grille and redesigned alloy wheels. Plus a new 'stealth' antenna has been built into the front windscreen (the old conventional one tended to snag on stuff when going through the bush).
Quite a lot though, hasn't changed at all. The trapezoidal wheel arches, the external door hinges and the rubber bonnet catches are all present and correct, so the Wrangler still looks properly butch. As before, there are various 'open air freedom' roof options, which include hard tops (black or body-coloured), a manual 'Sunrider' flip-top, a one-touch powered top and half doors. There's even a fold-down windscreen for off-road purists. All Wranglers come as standard with a three-piece Modular Hard Top with lift-off front panels. The rear section must be removed with a socket set.
The cabin has been updated with a much larger 12.3-inch central Uconnect touchscreen (up from 8.4-inches before) and gains advanced features like an Alexa virtual assistant, wireless 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' and over-the-air updates. The instrument gauges remain defiantly analogue. As before, this interior is actually a lot more car-like than you expect it might be, with decently smart surfaces, a neat instrument panel, plenty of storage areas and an intuitive switchgear layout. There are heated, power mirrors and rearward visibility is aided by large rear windows.
Move to the back and there's a fold and tumble feature for the rear seat which virtually doubles the available cargo capacity, while the curved glass windscreen reduces drag and helps refinement.
Market and Model
Pricing for this improved Rubicon model starts at £63,000, around £2,000 more than the base 'Sahara' version. You can now only get the 4-Door body shape and the conventional 2.0-litre GME petrol turbo unit.
For true Wrangler aficionados, only this ultimate 'Rubicon' level of trim will do. It gets the more serious 'Rock-Trac' 4WD system, which uses a tougher low range gear ratio, heavy duty front and rear axles and 'Tru-Lok' electric front and rear axle lockers to tackle really extreme off road trails. Also helping a Wrangler Rubicon in dealing with this type of terrain are the 32-inch BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain tyres and an electronic front sway-bar disconnect system to provide additional wheel travel when conditions call for it.
As for options, well we think the key thing to decide here is how you want your Wrangler's roof to be. Some might find the three lift-out panels of the standard 'Freedom Top' to be rather fiddly and cumbersome, which is why Jeep offers some other choices that replace the detachable panels with various forms of fabric hood.
For the 4-Door body shape, you can have what the company calls a 'Black Sunrider Soft Top' that slots in behind the two removable 'Freedom Top' panels (these available either in black or body colour). The 'Sunrider' hood folds back manually like the roof on a Mazda MX-5. Or, even better, you can have it specified in 'Sky One-Touch Power Top' form, with electrical operation.
Cost of Ownership
What's the 'greenest' car you can buy? A Toyota Prius? A Nissan LEAF? Or perhaps a Jeep Wrangler? On what's called a 'dust-to-dust' calculation of a car's environmental impact, from its creation to its ultimate destruction, you'd probably be shocked to learn that it's the Jeep, according to figures released by CNW Research in America. Think about it and it makes sense. The proportion of energy and CO2 used to make a car is much higher than the amount it consumes in its life. And Wranglers, after all, are designed simply, don't cost much to make, are easy to scrap and go on for ever. Small cars, EVs and hybrids are just the opposite.
You'll need to remember all that because the fuel economy figures aren't exactly stellar, even if you compare them to larger but similarly priced SUV rivals. The conventional un-electrified 2.0-litre petrol unit in use here combines a Twin Scroll turbocharger, a C-EGR system, central direct injection and the independent liquid cooling intake of air, throttle body and turbo, all in a bid to reduce consumption. Plus of course there's an engine stop/start system. The combined cycle fuel figure for a 4-door Rubicon version is 22mpg and up to 242g/km of CO2.
What else? Well like all Jeeps, this one comes with the benefits of the 'Jeep Wave' loyalty programme. This gives you three years of complimentary servicing and roadside assistance. Across the range, garage visits, by the way, are required every year or every 9,000 miles, whichever comes first. Wrangler owners also get a dedicated Jeep Customer Care service where a team of expertly trained agents will be available 24/7 to answer any questions about your journey
What else might you need to know? Well the CO2 figures quoted and the high purchase for the conventional petrol version will see the few company Wrangler users paying a hefty 37% Benefit-in-Kind tax and a £310 Luxury Car Vehicle Excise Duty supplement, which means a total road tax outlay of £450 in the first six years of ownership. At least residual values should be strong. Industry experts CAP HPI reckon that after the standard three year/60,000 mile period, a Wrangler 4-Door 2.0-litre petrol variant would still be worth 41% of its original purchase price.
Summary
You've still got to be serious about hard core off-road driving to consider a Jeep Wrangler - but not quite as serious as you had to be before. This improved 'JL'-series model offers considerable improvements in refinement, quality and technology. Which allows it to make a decent fist of providing versatile family transport for the user who doesn't mind making a few sacrifices at the altar of comfort, ride and handling. It's got a style all of its own, but its heart and soul remain on the Rubicon Trail rather than on the Kings Road. Thank goodness for that.
Of course, it'd be a terrible choice if your SUV will have a heavy diet of on-road work - but that's like criticising a supercar for having a small boot. Horses need to be matched with courses and if, just occasionally, those will take you to the back of beyond, you'll be glad you chose a Wrangler for the trip. If previous generation versions of this Jeep weren't for you, you probably still won't like this one. No problem: the market's stacked with compromised alternatives. But if you've always wanted an excuse to choose one of these, this facelifted 'JL'-series model's extra polish and new-found sophistication provides it. It's now a vastly more capable all-rounder. But it's still very much a Wrangler. And that's all that really matters.
