If there are real icons in the car world, the Jeep Wrangler is one of them. Fears about this new generation, that it might misrepresent the capabilities or authenticity of a saga that spans time until World War II, were totally unfounded.
What Jeep has done is absolutely remarkable — managed to bring the Wrangler to our days, from a mechanical, technological and even… civility point of view, without losing any of its character, purpose or authenticity.
Authenticity…, a word I came back to frequently during my time with the Wrangler is a rare attribute in cars these days. In an “infested” world of SUVs, trying to be 247 things at once, without doing any of them particularly well, the Wrangler stays true to its essence.
And with such a narrow focus, we know it will generate compromises in other areas, but honestly, we don't want to know — we simply accept it for what it is. Except, as I mentioned, Jeep has done a remarkable job in the evolution of its icon. Although it's not a small car, the tested Wrangler Sahara — Unlimited five-door bodywork and a little more street oriented — could very well serve as a single family car or as a day-to-day car.
If on the outside it maintains the (truly) iconic lines, even if optimized — effectively, a “brick” a little more aerodynamic —, inside we can almost talk about a revolution . Entering Climbing into the interior of the Wrangler Sahara, we find a robust interior that is considerably more appealing than its predecessor.
The quality of the materials is not a benchmark, but neither does it compromise, with the Jeep designers managing to integrate "things" like the infotainment system or the partially digital dashboard into a cohesive and harmonious whole, without major complications, in a way assertive, without losing the quasi-working tool aspect.
Sturdy, eye-catching interior — Uconnect infotainment system with 8.4" touchscreen is responsive and very easy to use.
Despite the vast exterior dimensions (4.88 m long by 1.89 m wide), the available space turns out not to be as vast as it might seem at first glance . The Wrangler's unique features — frame spars and crossmembers, large wheels, the architecture and all the mechanical apparatus (driveshafts, differentials) — turn out to be somewhat intrusive. However, there is still space. The rear occupants will have no problem fitting in, and the 548 l of luggage compartment is enough to carry all the necessary paraphernalia for a week in the middle of nowhere.
The separate tailgate opening — rear window opens upwards, door opens to the side — is different and necessary, but it doesn't make it any more practical.
However, its versatility of use — not only are its off-road capabilities vast, the doors can also be left at home, the roof is divided into three parts, all of which are detachable and even the windshield folds — turns out to be strongly limited by fixed metallic bulkhead separating the luggage compartment from the passenger compartment — what is that doing there?
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Welcome to Portugal — to guarantee some fiscal slack and a cheaper price, that partition ensures that the five-door Wrangler is considered a… pick-up. Governors, was it not time to review all this legislative anachronism?
flee to the hills
Truth be told, at the time of this test, temperatures were closer to brrrrr, so there was not much desire to explore the convertible part of the Jeep Wrangler Sahara, but there was already plenty to entertain me.
As I mentioned before, in this passing of testimony between the JK and JL generations, perhaps most surprising was how civilized and usable the Wrangler became without losing any of its essence. . We go in an elevated driving position that we quickly get used to, with a tending to dominate view over other vehicles. It's easy to see from the inside out, and despite the generous external dimensions it's not difficult to position the car on the road and even in the tightest maneuvers we're provided with a fairly contained turning radius, considering the 3.0 m wheelbase.
Off-road: the numbers that matter
Even being the long variant, the Wrangler is able to handle (almost) all sorts of obstacles. Angle of attack is 35.4º; output is 30.7º; ventral is 20º. Ground clearance is 242mm and the ford pass is 760mm — numbers well above the typical SUV. For those who want more, there's the Rubicon version, which adds, among others, electronic locking of the front and rear differentials.
Stringers and crossmembers, two rigid axles and a recirculating ball steering are not the ideal ingredients for a sharp or even comfortable ride on asphalt, but so far the Wrangler has surprised on the positive side.
Irregularities are effectively suppressed and even with excessive body swaying on occasion, it allows for faster rhythms to be maintained without major drama. Motorway is not the ideal setting for the Wrangler, but it doesn't overcommit — aerodynamic and rolling noises are present — but a secondary road and more moderate paces can make many kilometers effortless.
Where the Wrangler Sahara shines is obviously off-road . We feel invincible behind the wheel. It may not have the Rubicon's front and rear differential locks, but we have reducers, pronounced angles of attack and departure, and high ground clearance, which turn many of the obstacles into an amusement park.
The Sahara's tires, which are more friendly to the asphalt, unlike those of the Rubicon, end up being the weakest link — when following a track with deep ruts, full of water, barely getting stuck in the mud. Reducers, some accelerator and the Wrangler Sahara there went ahead… at an angle of almost 45º in relation to the axis of the track, with a lot of mud flying — I got away with it… one more coin, one more turn…
In Unlimited (5 doors) we just have to be careful with the ventral angle, lower than the three-door Wrangler, with shorter wheelbase. Even so, with some care, we managed to climb obstacles that we would never consider in a large SUV in our square, even because of the mega-wheels with low-profile tires they are equipped with — on the Wrangler Sahara the wheels are 18″, but with a lot of rubber to wrap them.
the ideal pair
On these exploratory courses, whether on or off the road, the 200hp 2.2 CRD and the eight-speed automatic transmission proved to be excellent companions — they seem to have been purposely made for the Wrangler. The 2.2 CRD has enough power and strength to move more than 2100 kg of weight with alacrity and the automatic transmission, originally from ZF, continues to be one of the best in the industry today.
The rims are 18" but we have a lot of tire around them.
All in all, the gearbox engine set has a pretty good refinement — it's not just the heart of an industrial machine — with a certain smoothness and sound containment throughout its operation, which contributes positively to the entire driving experience and to the regular coexistence with the Wrangler Sahara.
The surprise came from the consumption side. At moderate speeds — between 70 km/h and 90 km/h — over secondary roads, consumption was less than 8.0 l/100 km ; in urban traffic they rose to eight highs, nine lows, and only off-road have I seen them rise above the double digits (10-11 l/100 km). Very good indeed, considering its design and mass — better than the little Renegade and its little turbo mil…
Is the car right for me?
If you're one of those people who can't get through a weekend without getting dirt and mud on their shoes, the Jeep Wrangler will fit like a glove. The advantage is that the JL generation adds “civic” features that make it much more usable the rest of the time. Even in this version with more suitable tires for the asphalt, their innate off road abilities promise to take them further than most SUVs.
Still an acquired taste, but it's undeniable that it's also one of the last pure and hard, genuine and authentic off-road, occupying an almost unrivaled niche — a G-Class costs more than twice as much, leaving perhaps the Toyota Land Cruiser , also with an excellent reputation and capacity, but the equivalent version (five doors) exceeds 100 thousand euros(!).
The Jeep Wrangler Sahara is starting to look like a good value for money, but it's still not for everyone. The price starts at 67,500 euros, with the unit we tested adding 4750 euros in options. And of course, if you plan to travel far away using our freeway network, there's no way out — they pay for class 2.
A final note for your performance on the Euro NCAP tests, where did you get a simple star . We would like to say that the result was just the absence of some driver assistants so highly valued by Euro NCAP, but your performance in the frontal collision tests left us a little worried… Something to review as soon as possible, Jeep.
