Jeep Wrangler It isn’t often you think, as you drive up the M6 towards Windermere in the wind and rain, that it’s perfect weather for a 4x4 launch, but in this case, with the promise of plenty of green-lanes to drive, it was.
The Jeep Wrangler needs no introduction, especially if you’re reading The Mud Life, but now in its fifth generation it’s had quite an overhaul, and although everything about it is new, you have to applaud Jeep for keeping its instantly recognisable and iconic silhouette. Unlike anything from the current Land Rover stable, you aren’t gonna mistake it for anything else! So what’s new? Wow, where do I begin? Well, the elephant in the room is a good start, and that’s the price. Starting at £44,865 for the 2 door base model, it’s a chunk more that the outgoing model, and by some margin. I fear that it’s priced out of the market for most
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4x4 enthusiasts and primarily aimed at households with a hefty disposable income.
For the UK market the Wrangler gets 2 new engines, a 2.2ltr turbo diesel and the 2.0ltr turbocharged petrol, both are Euro 6/D compliant and linked to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The former delivers 200 horsepower and returns around 29mpg whilst the latter delivers 272 horsepower and returns around 26mpg. Both feature Stop Start technology. Depending on which model you choose there’s two fourwheel drive systems are available: Command-Trac, on the Sahara and Overland trim level, and Rock-Trac, standard on Rubicon trim. The Rubicon, as you can imagine, has a few more goodies, like Tru-Lock electric front and rear-axle lockers, Trac-Lok limited slip differential and electronic front anti-roll bar
