JEEP Wrangler Facelift Review

Shh… the Wrangler is known as a fearless vehicle and we don’t want to ruin that reputation, so let’s keep between ourselves the fact that the car was a bit scared of this chapter. How could it not be, since it doesn’t even have independent front suspension and you have to screw the hardtop in yourself after you take it off?

Yes, it all starts with the suspension, which jiggles all the time if the road is not perfect and especially if, in this kind of conditions, you go past 100 km/h (62 mph). The aforementioned speed is also the mark at which the wind noise starts to become stronger - another drawback.

And the interior space doesn’t help much either, as not even the front passengers benefit from a hefty amount of space. The space in the back is not that small actually, but the access is extremely difficult.

However, the cabin does have a cozy feeling, as your get the sensation of protection with the rollbar above you, but most of the credit for this goes to the somfy seats, which proved to be good long trip friends during our test drive. The high sidewall of the tires also help cope with some of the bumps, so if the road is good and you don’t abuse the pedal on the right, you might even feel a bit spoiled.

The Wrangler has also been gifted with a climate control system, a premium audio system, a multifunctional steering wheel covered in leather, with the material also being used for the seats (these are also heated) and all these feature do make up some of the point lost above.

Last time we drove the Wrangler, a few years ago, it was burning oil via a 2.8-liter diesel that came from Fiat and delivered 177 hp and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. The powerplant has been upgraded meanwhile, so now your right foot gets to enjoy 200 hp and a peak torque of 460 Nm (339 lb-ft). On paper, the difference might not seem that important, but in the real world you do feel it, especially in the lover area of the rev band. The engine now also gets a start-stop system, but not once did this send the powerplant to sleep during our test drive.

Further down the power line, we find a six-speed manual gearbox, just like did back then. The sifts are precise, but the travel between the gears is long. However, the overall shifting process is pleasant and you get the impression of controlling a solid piece of machinery.

As the hp and torque travel further, we find an all-wheel drive system that’s rock solid, using heavy-duty front and rear axles. See that smaller lever next to the gear shifter? That controls the system and has four modes which dramatically alter the vehicle’s response, as well as its reliability, if the system is used in an improper way.

It all starts with 2H, which is used when driving on dry tarmac and means that only the rear axle, is receiving power. If the road gets very, very wet or snowy, or if you step off the road, you can use 4H. Now you’ve got permanent all-wheel drive, but make sure not to use this mode when driving on dry asphalt, as the car doesn’t come with an open differential, which means that you’ll put a lot of stress on the tires, as well as on the gearing itself.

When things get really dirty, you can use the low gear assembly and you do so by selecting 4L. You also have an “N” position, which is destined to be used when greater torque is needed for towing (this also gives you permanent four-wheel drive).

The latest model year upgrade saw the Wrangler receiving features that it previously only dreamed about, so our test car treated us with heated leather seats, larger power mirrors, an automatic climate control system with two areas, as well as a multifunctional steering wheel covered in leather. We also received a premium audio system, but we didn’ get the all-important navigation system.

The Wrangler has also learned a few tricks in terms of safety systems, as the car comes with ABS, electronic stability control, electronic traction control, rollover mitigation. There are also areas that leave things to be desired and will only be fixed by turning to the aftermarket offer, such as the headlights, which are good friends of dim light.

We didn’t get to enjoy these, but if you plan on using this car the way it’s meant to be used, we’d also recommend you to dip into the list of optional extras and go for the lockable front and rear Dana axles, as well as for the disengageable front anti-roll bar. We tested both during our past drive in the Wrangler and we can tell you that both do wonders off-road.

Since we didn’t get to play with these, our favorite toy, besides the all-wheel drive system, of course, was the removable hard top, which, once we put in in a shed, allowed us to enjoy unique feelings. It doesn’t take too long to get it off or on, but you do need two people if you want to remove it all, not just the two targa roof-like panels above the driver and the front passenger.

The Jeep Wrangler has come a long way in terms of safety, especially if we think that it started out in life as a military machine, but it still doesn’t manage to offer an excellent package as far as this chapter is concerned.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety couldn’t be bothered by the Wrangler’s ruggedness, so they had to slam the car against their official barriers after it received its latest major makeover back in 2007.

In the frontal impact crash test, the Wrangler received a Good overall rating, the highest one. To be more specific, the car got a Good rating for the chest, leg/foot and dummy kinematics parts of the test, while for the the head/neck one it received an Acceptable rating.

As far as the side impact test is concerned, things didn’t go as well, mainly due to the fact that the side airbags are optional in most markets and the car didn’t offer too much protection for the driver without them. In addition to that, the driver’s door opened during the crash test. Thus, the vehicle received a Poor overall rating. However, if the side airbags are present and the occupants are wearing their seatbelts, so they won’t be ejected through the open door, the vehicle mixed Good with Marginal ratings.

On the road, the Wrangler is a car that can really challenge you, if you decided to drive it fast. You see, the vehicle will be kept in rear-wheel drive mode most of the time and if we mix this with its suspension setup, high center of gravity and no-feedback steering, we end up with a car that is extremely difficult to control when the speedo needle becomes playful.

So, despite the modern additions, the Wrangler still feels like an off-road machine that can make some compromises for traveling on the road.

We tried to take the Wrangler everywhere during our test drive. It all had to start with a shopping trip through the crowded city, as we needed supplies for the trip. Next, we had to use the highway to get far, far away from the city. Then, we removed the asphalt from under its wheels and placed it on the walls, as we played with the car in an abandoned industrial area that simulates modern warfare.

Subsequently, we we laughed in the navigation system’s face (we didn’t get one, so we had to) and chose the most difficult route to the sea, one that passed through some rocky mountains. We managed to get to the beach, which tried really hard to pose a challenge to the car it had mistaken for the Willis that had been in the war. And our adventure went on without the top at times, but we’re not here to talk about stripping, so let’s move on and tell you if and how the Wrangler can cater to your diverse transportation needs.

The car offers impressive off-road abilities and while this is obvious even to somebody that possesses a kindergarden diploma, the Wrangler manages to make you feel safe and pleasant while it tackles axle-breaking terrain.

But the biggest asset of this car has to be the removable soft-top. The feeling you get when driving an off-roader like this topless, whether it’s in the city or through the muddy hills, is priceless and the torque of the diesel engine also allows you to enjoy a bit of longitudinal sensations, while offering decent efficiency.

This car then is excellent, but only if you use it as a toy. As an all-round vehicle, it’s not really a good choice. The live axles mean that you’ll be jumping in your seat most of the times and the poor visibility and lack of parking sensors make urban driving a task, not a pleasure.

When you do get out of the city, the wind noise becomes a partner, so the open road isn’t a proper terrain either. The Wrangler dares to keep its off-roading nature when many others become crossovers and we respect it for that, but we can’t pay EUR40,805 or $49,400 just for respect. In fact, it doesn’t even expect us to do that, as this Jeep is not for the mainstream buyers. But for those that can use it, the Wrangler is far more rewarding than your average SUV.

So this is a car that keeps you alive, it constantly pinches you – we really enjoyed a high speed drive ON the road, with the body of the car oscillating due to the bumpy ride and the wind noise patting us on the back as we kept eating mile after mile of open road. It all felt like the positive emotions you get when you go running in the weekend, but you can’t jog to work and back, so you have to use this car for certain purposes only in order to enjoy it.