In my locale (and maybe yours), the Jeep Wrangler is a common sight. Just recently there were six of them at the grocery store.
At the gym, three more (all parked together). In most of Canada, you can hardly glance around on the roads without seeing one.
If you think the Jeep Wrangler is everywhere, that’s because it is. This is a trendy machine that’s instantly recognizable, makes a ton of sense for plenty of Canadians, and whose popularity has only grown in the recent past.
The factory in Toledo, Ohio, that builds the Wrangler is a busy place. They can barely build these things fast enough. The latest-generation Wrangler (nicknamed the JL) is now on the scene.
This is the newest version of the trendy 4x4 sales superstar and it’s designed to give you access to heaps of real-world off-road capability, great ride quality on rough roads and room to spare if you opt for the four-door Unlimited model, like the subject of this story.
Go with the Unlimited and you get a stretch wheelbase, four doors, a proper cargo hold and room for your people and pets and things or, in my case, even a 77-inch Ikea counter top.
But Wrangler isn’t for everyone. It’s built like a truck, not a car, and that means that many a less-expensive soft-roader cute-ute is more comfortable, better handling, roomier and easier on fuel.
Also, the Wrangler is loud — by 105 km/h, it’s getting downright noisy on board thanks in no small part to the aerodynamics.
Have you ever dry-swallowed an adult multi-vitamin? That’s about how easily the Wrangler moves through the air.
So, you pick the Wrangler if you’re OK with the trade-offs and the wind noise, the sometimes-heavy fuel use, and the higher relative price tag in exchange for a lot more capability, the instantly-recognizable styling, and the fact that that it feels tough and durable on really nasty roads — not like you’re going to break something.
Few machines for the money feel this tough and durable. Even potholes that cause you to apologize out loud to your machine fail to cause a sensation of flimsiness. In many parts of Canada, that helps to sell them.
Plus, Wrangler can tow things. Tackle trails. Climb stuff. Also, it’s a convertible, with all-wheel drive (OK, technically it’s 4x4 but you get the idea) and that means the fun weekend family vehicle you’ve probably longed for comes built right in.
And, I guess, that makes the price a little more digestible. Once upon a time, Wrangler was a cheap and cheerful off-roader. Today, it knows its own fame and the price has grown to match. My four-door Sahara tester with automatic transmission and a generous options list came in at the better part of $57,000. You read that right.
Pricey? You bet. And they’ll sell every single one they can build.
Of course, the pricing reflects numerous improvements for this latest-generation machine. The JL Wrangler rides better, steers better, looks better, has a much nicer interior that now really hits the mark, and comes with some great new features and technologies.
Steering feels more calibrated and dialled in. You’re doing less work on the highway to keep it centred between the lines, the ratio and effort feel better matched to the suspension and it all just feels more tuned. Now, Wrangler steers like a big car, not an old pickup.
The ride remains pure Jeep: tough, durable, stiff and jiggly and truck-like. But now, there’s more softness dialled in around the edges, the suspension feels more honed and the result is a more forgiving and compliant take on the signature tough and rugged Wrangler ride. It’s more comfortable and less jolting, more of the time.
The new cabin is a knockout. No other cabin looks like this — it’s packed with little design Easter eggs, plenty of detailing and depth and sculpting and (mostly) luxurious materials. Now, Wrangler’s cabin comes off as more upscale and richer than its predecessor. Most will be satisfied with just about everything they look at or touch in here, as it should be for the hefty asking price.
Don’t miss the auxiliary switch panel pre-installed for your accessory light bar or winch, or the Wrangler’s best-in-the-business touch-screen central interface —which has great graphics, logical operation and is extremely responsive. Even the instrument cluster is beautiful, with analogue dials set against a vivid digital display. There’s a fiery-hot heated steering wheel and heated seats and all controls are all easily worked, even with gloves on.
Tug the shifter to toggle two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive auto, 4-Hi or 4-LO, to taste. Whatever amount of traction you need is available with a yank or shove. The shifter for the eight-speed automatic sits next to the 4x4 shifter, and having two levers in front of you is positively bad-ass. There’s a six-speed manual available if you like (and it’ll save you a few bucks).
If you’re coming into this latest Wrangler from an older unit, you’ll feel right at home with the space, entry and exit, and driving position. You climb up to board, sit very upright, enjoy a commanding forward view, and there’s room for two adults up front, and their things, no problem. Lots of storage is available nearby; I had room for a big camera in the centre console bin and there’s a handy slot in the dash that’s perfect for a small phone or wallet.
Rear seats are fine for average-sized adults, easy-peasy for the kids, and the roof bar inside seems to sit further away from my forehead than in past models, making it feel roomier. The cargo hold is tall and square, though reduced somewhat by the subwoofer, wheel wells and that roof bar. Still plenty of room, but more so if you pack your gear up vertically.
The 285-horsepower V6 is most impressive when driven gently — the revs and noise and vibration all stay to bare minimum levels here and there’s more than enough get up and go when required. I wouldn’t advise high-speed use of this machine given the height and handling, though it does fire along something fierce when opened up for a quick pass.
After a week, I enjoyed two things the most.
First, the ride quality: Simply, even on worst-case-scenario roads, there’s no smashing or rattling from the suspension, which stays smoothly firm and never feels like it’s disintegrating beneath you like cheap patio furniture. Wrangler feels like it’s built for rough surfaces and, largely, that’s because it is.
Most impressive though? The headlights. My tester ran an optional set of LED headlights that are a must-have $900 option. Tick that box on your order sheet and you’ve got a clean, bright and far-reaching set of headlamps with performance I usually expect in big-dollar luxury sedans. These lights perform magnificently in all situations, and the peripheral lighting cast into tree lines and culverts beside the road is among the best I’ve ever seen.
Biggest gripe? Though Wrangler is more comfy than ever, it’s still a little too stiff and plenty too noisy to make a really comfortable family road-trip hauler. If you’re not going off-roading and if you’re after a quiet and relaxing place to unwind with your people on the open road, you’ve got better options.
The latest Wrangler isn’t a machine for every shopper (or budget) but, if like droves of the car-buying public, you’re about to shell over big bucks on a new Wrangler, you can expect to feel, in no uncertain terms, like you’re getting your money’s worth.
If you’re after something a little purer and more modest, the two-door Wrangler Sport opens the bidding at $34,000.
The specs
- Model: 2019 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Unlimited
- Engine: 3.6-litre V6, 285 horsepower
- Drivetrain: 4x4
- Transmission: 8-speed automatic
- Features: Blind-spot monitoring, heated leather seats, remote start, automatic lights, full driver computer, push-button ignition, full multimedia connectivity, backup camera, LED lighting system, remote start, heated steering wheel
- As tested: $56,500 (approx.)
