There’s no doubt the iconic Jeep Wrangler looks cool, in a rugged kind of way, but not everyone appreciates its styling. For those who do, the latest version offers significant improvements in all areas, especially in the cabin design and how features like the folding screen and removable tops work. It’s expensive to buy and run, though; compare its efficiency and luxury with the average premium SUV from Europe, and it really trails. It’s not at the cutting edge when it comes to safety tech, either. But if you want an off-roader that’s virtually unstoppable over challenging terrain, the Wrangler clearly has what it takes.
In every direction, the new Wrangler is a little bigger than its predecessors, but not so much that you’d notice from the outside. It features a revised grille and bumper, slightly more overtly flared plastic wheelarches and more obviously ‘designed’ rear light units. The windscreen is noticeably raked this time around, in the quest for a bit more aero efficiency, but it’s still very upright compared with most other passenger vehicles on the road.
Climbing up into the car remains a bit of a stretch, but once inside the driving position is as upright as in Wranglers of old. However, the cabin ambience is much improved thanks to the use of soft-touch materials, and while the dashboard is still utilitarian, it now features a touchscreen with intuitive controls. The facia also has a very attractive retro feel, designed to evoke memories of the metal panel dashboards in early Jeeps.
It’s always been possible to remove a Wrangler’s doors and windscreen, but the new model makes it much easier. The windscreen folds after removing four bolts, and the doors unclip in a much simpler fashion.
You also get a choice of three types of roof. There’s a manual set-up with lift-out panels, an electric sliding option and a removable full hard-top.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
Jeep offers three sizes of touchscreen in the Wrangler, ranging from five to 8.4 inches. The two larger varieties include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto so you can hook up your smartphone.
Although Jeep is able to make a big noise about the improved road performance of the latest Wrangler, perhaps that’s more a comment on how unruly the last version was.
Get behind the wheel of the new one, and compared with pretty much anything else in the premium SUV sector, you’ll find the ride bouncy, the steering vague and the road and tyre noise intrusive. There’s no manual gearbox option, but the auto performs pretty well and helps to reduce the workload. The overall ride and handling of the Wrangler is much closer to one of the ‘lifestyle’ pick-up trucks. That’s good enough for many people, of course, and with the roof open on a sunny day the Jeep’s unsophisticated nature is all part of the fun. On a dark November morning on the school run it could easily feel like a chore.
Where the Wrangler excels is over rugged terrain, thanks to its low departure angles and high ground clearance. Indeed, in Rubicon trim with low-ratio gears, heavy-duty axles, locking differentials and various other off-road trinkets, it’s virtually unstoppable.
Engines, 0-60 acceleration and top speed
Engine options are limited to a 268bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol, or a 187bhp 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel that’s familiar elsewhere in the Fiat and Jeep line-up.
The diesel is actually pretty refined unless you really want to thrash it, when it takes on a bit of boom. Otherwise it idles relatively quietly and will whisk you to 62mph from rest in just 9.7 seconds, although maximum speed is only 99mph. If you opt for the petrol engine you’ll get off the mark even more quickly, with a 0-62mph time of around seven seconds.
The Wrangler’s rugged simplicity has always been a selling point for those wishing to take their vehicle off road, and the latest version isn’t really any more complex than its predecessor from a mechanical point of view. Additionally, the new car’s Fiat group diesel is already well proven across a variety of different models.
Crash safety is less of a known quantity because we’ve yet to see the Jeep undergo a Euro NCAP crash test. However, there isn’t the array of electronic safety equipment you’d expect to find on most SUVs in this price range these days. It seems a bit stingy that only four airbags are included, and you won’t find features such as automated brake assistance. Although a blind spot warning has made it onto the car, there isn’t much else to crow about.
Warranty
The Wrangler’s five-year/75,000-mile warranty is impressive, and eclipses the cover on offer from the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
Servicing
Three years’ servicing and five years’ breakdown cover are included as part of Jeep’s standard 5-3-5 Warranty and Service package.
Even in the four-door Wrangler, cabin and luggage space is a bit tight, but the two-door is 550mm shorter and has a smaller boot than a SEAT Mii city car.
The Wrangler is pretty high up so can be awkward to get in and out of, especially for those accessing the rear seats on the two-door model. The back doors on the four-door are relatively narrow, too, and there’s no seven-seat option.
Visibility out of the Wrangler is pretty good, with a commanding view and relatively slim windscreen pillars. The boxy design and bluff ends make the Jeep easy to place in confined spaces as well.
A big externally mounted spare wheel can make the tailgate heavy and unwieldy to open and close, and means you can’t raise the rear window of the hard-top without swinging the lower door out of the way.
Size
All Wranglers are 1,875mm wide and 1,868mm tall, but the two-door is a considerable 550mm shorter than the four-door, at 4,237mm. The Land Rover Discovery Sport is 4,599mm from nose to tail.
Leg room, head room & passenger space
There’s plenty of leg and shoulder room for passengers in the front seats of the Wrangler. The extended length of the four-door car means space in the back is acceptable, too, although the seats feel upright. In the two-door the rear seats are cramped, as well as awkward to get to
Boot
The Wrangler two-door has a boot capacity of just 197 litres with the back seats in place, but if you only have occasional rear passengers you can fold the seats forward to create a 587-litre load bay. The four-door fares a bit better with a 533-litre boot; this extends to 1,044 litres when the seats are folded down.
‘Tread lightly’ is one of the eco-focused watchwords of the off-road set, but the term was coined before CO2 overtook tearing up fragile landscapes as the environmentalists’ primary concern.
If you want a green 4x4 with genuine off-road ability and iconic character, your best bet is to wait for the new and diminutive Suzuki Jimny. In spite of the new downsized engine choices, the Wrangler remains something of a dinosaur, albeit a likeable one.
The 2.2-litre diesel is the most efficient option, but it only claims 35mpg and emits 200g/km of CO2. The Toyota Land Cruiser promises almost 40mpg, while the Land Rover Discovery Sport has official fuel returns of 57mpg.
As a result of these figures, company car users running the Wrangler will pay a hefty 37 per cent in Benefit-in-Kind tax based on an already high purchase price. Steep list prices also mean owners will have to stump up the £310 luxury car VED supplement, which means total road tax of £450 for the first six years.
Insurance groups
We don’t yet have insurance industry group ratings for the new Wrangler here in the UK, but the outgoing models range from Group 18 to 35.
Depreciation
The outgoing Jeep Wrangler has a very strong reputation for holding onto its value, which is a testament to the ageless appeal of the slowly evolving design. The 2018 model has all the old version’s intrinsic appeal and more, but whether the higher purchase prices will be sustained on the second-hand market remains to be seen.
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