What is it?
By quite widely held consensus, this is the most capable and uncompromising mass-produced, dual-purpose off-roader in the world.
In fact, the Jeep Wrangler, now four generations old by that name and stretching its roots back even further, to the seminal Willys MB of 1941, probably has a stronger claim to that status than any other SUV. And the latest version has just arrived on the UK's byways, back lanes and B-roads.
It should probably be number one on your shortlist if you want a car for the very roughest, toughest sort of off-roading – the sort that depends on a ladder frame chassis, a short wheelbase, short overhangs, rigid axle suspension, knobbly tyres, permanent, differential-lockable four-wheel drive, low-range transfer gearing and disconnecting anti-roll bars.
We’re talking about the sort of driving that tends to happen at a pace slower than walking, mind you, under the direction of guides and by the medium of a very particular system of nods, gestures and signals. The sort that puts cars like the Wrangler in places where you’d think quite carefully about trying to go on foot without at least a rucksack full of mountaineering equipment: at the top of slippery rockfaces, wading through two-and-a-half feet of water or climbing a 60deg slope.
The number of customers who need a car capable of that kind of thing must be low, but there’s a surprisingly large body of people who want one, and plenty of them have now been depending on Wranglers for decades. But Jeep's owners, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, clearly no longer feels that it can rely exclusively on that committed band of devotees to deliver the future it wants for this model.
We say that because there's a sprinkling of extra practicality, habitability and comfort about certain versions of the new Wrangler, should you decide that the abilities of the ultra-tough Rubicon version won’t be best suited to your daily commute.
The Overland is the derivative to which Jeep is looking specifically to broaden the reach of its 4x4 icon. It comes on relatively road-friendly hybrid off-road tyre, has a hard-top roof and features heated leather seats and most of the creature comforts and safety features that you’d expect in a modern SUV. And, since the Wrangler has also been available with four doors since the introduction of the previous JK iteration, it’s comparable with a medium-sized SUV in terms of everyday practicaility, too.
Jeep offers the Wrangler Overland with the choice of a 268bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol or 197bhp 2.1-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel engine in the UK, with the six-cylinder petrol model being reserved for other markets. It was the diesel in which we had our first taste of the car, on and off the road, in the UK.
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What alternatives ?
The only recent vehicle designed to do the same job is the new Suzuki Jimmy. Oh wait, I could buy almost three of them for the price of this. And probably end up being more reliable . There is only two reasons to buy, looks and image. That's fine, if it floats your boat. But, let's not pretend there is any other rational reason for doing so.
Old But not yet Dead wrote:
The Jimny is certainly cut from the same cloth, but you'd perhaps need to see them both side by side to see the differences.
The Jimny is considerably smaller, and inside, the Wrangler is quite a bit nicer. And in terms of usable capability, the Wrangler will outperform the Jimny in many key metrics in this market. Towing Capacity to name one, the Jimny can only tow 1300KG, the Wrangler nearly doubles this. Wrangler can be had as a 5 door, not just a 3 door and has a much higher luggage capacity. Don't get me wrong, they are for the same crowd. If you can't afford a Wrangler, a Jimny might be your next best bet at the moment. If you don't need to tow, or need much interior space, again the Jimny is a great shout.
But your original comments are a bit narrow minded.
Hugely overpriced in UK
I’d been so looking forward to this JL coming to the UK market..............until I learned the price! Easily £10k overpriced. I had a new TJ Wrangler back in 1997, when it listed at just over half the price of a BMW 528i. How times have changed. Sorry Jeep, but I can’t see you growing sales this side of the pond.
TheDriver wrote:
Your right alot has changed...
November 1997 GBP USD exchange rate: £1 = $1.70
Since then.... Brexit.....
November 2018 GBP USD Exchange rate: £1 = $1.28
Shame our currency is worthless these days
Yet does the USD/GBP exchange
Yet does the USD/GBP exchange rate account for a current situation where a new BMW 530i SE starts at approx £43k in this country, thus roughly on a par with a Wrangler? Obviously the BMW is better value now compared to 20 odd years ago, but Jeep pricing has become ridiculous. Import tariffs for US products have long inflated prices in the UK, but I still feel Jeep are now too ambitious with their pricing strategy.
When Autocar calls the
When Autocar calls the Wrangler an "SUV" - you lose all sense of credibility.
If you want to go mall shopping - this vehicle is not for you. But as a true off-roader, there is no real competitor to the Wrangler - until the Defender comes along. So stop whining and take your spot of tea somewhere else....