Jeep Wrangler Unlimited [New]

Tweaking the formula of the Wrangler is a big task for Jeep. Andy Enright takes a look at the biggest revision this iconic car has ever received

Perhaps Jeep just didnt want to be rushed. Some 65 years after first developing the Willys GP, a model that developed through the CJ, YJ and TJ models to the Wrangler, Jeep has finally got around to making this 4x4 a four door. Existing owners may well be raising an eyebrow in bemusement, the old Wrangler barely having enough wheelbase for two doors, but this latest generation car, dubbed the JK within Jeep circles, has been supersized.

Or at least the long wheelbase Unlimited version were looking at here has been. For a £2,000 premium over the two-door version, you can now get a lot more Wrangler for your money. Theres a choice of either Sport or Sahara trim levels at prices starting from £19,995. Pay the £2,000 premium for the plusher version and you can also opt to pay extra for automatic transmission.

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Either way, youll get 174bhp 2.8-litre diesel power. Yes, diesel power: more of that later. When most car manufacturers enlarge the wheelbases of their models, they tend to add a few centimetres, just to give a little more rear knee room. This sort of tactic was never going to wash with the Wrangler, so Jeep swallowed hard and has grafted fully half a metre extra into between the front and rear wheels. If, like me, you expected the proportions to then look wrong, you might well be surprised.

You wont feel the need to order one finished in white paint with blue neons and a boomerang aerial on the back. In fact, it takes a second look to realise that this is the new car, so artfully have the changes been incorporated. And they were needed. After all, unless you used it as a toy to go rock hopping in, what was the point of the old Wrangler, especially in the UK? The ride was bouncy, the interior was incredibly crude and there wasnt much space for anything more than a couple of overnight bags.

All told, it was possibly the least practical 4x4 you could buy. Many of these shortcomings have been addressed in the latest model, the five-seater Wrangler Unlimited. Its a car that revels in its newfound relevance.

"The Wrangler Unlimited offers a good deal more practicality than before. It needed to"

As well as the 50cm stretch amidships, Jeep has also widened the body by 12.7cm so the interior is no longer quite so intimate. Theres room for three kids across the back, although its debatable whether three child seats or boosters would fit. The interior has been smartened up to the extent that its virtually unrecognisable from its predecessor.

That car had basic clocks, acres of black vinyl and the sort of rugged implacability that tempted you to clean the cabin with a jet wash. The latest car is a good deal more upmarket. All things are relative though. Judged by the absolute standards of its class, its still easy to find unfinished edges and some low rent plastics but at least you no longer feel youre piloting something that would pass muster as an exhibit in the Imperial War Museum.

The dashboard is simple but a good deal more modern with an attractive four-spoke steering wheel and big, simple to use controls for the stereo and the air conditioning. Power windows and locks are offered for the first time and a navigation system is even offered as an option. Theres even a 20-gigabyte hard drive with USB interface. Heaven only knows what George Patton would have made of that.

Some of the technology built into this Jeep is rather less indulgent. The ESP stability control system and roll mitigation system aim to keep your Wrangler Unlimited dirty side down. Beefier high-pressure monotube shocks and standard anti-lock brakes also help you avoid an incident in the first place. Offered with either a rather fiddly Sunrider soft top or the three-piece hard shell Freedom Top, the Wrangler Unlimited is the only four-door production soft top on sale in the UK.

It took a bit of thinking about but Jeeps claim appears to hold water. If you can think of another, let me know. Underneath the bodywork, there are even more extensive changes. The chassis has been comprehensively beefed up, with 100 per cent stiffer subframes for better off-road rigidity and superior on-road handling.

Engine-wise, the Wrangler unlimited comes only with 2.8-litre CRD diesel power: youll have to buy the two-door short wheelbase Wrangler if you want the 202bhp 3.8-litre V6 petrol unit. The 174bhp diesel is pretty desirable though. With 296 lb/ft of torque on offer, its not shy of muscle but its not the most refined engine at idle, the 3.

0-litre CRD engine that Jeep also have access to being far better in this regard. All Wranglers are fitted with a five-link straight axle suspension front and rear and a recirculating ball steering system, neither of which are the final word in sophistication. Perhaps its a sop to Jeep purists who are doubtless huffing into brown paper bags at the thought of MP3 connectivity and ESP. The Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited both retain removable full-framed doors and fold-down windscreen together with a removable hard top that provides more options for open-air driving.

The Freedom Top is a three-piece modular hardtop and features separate left- and right-front passenger roof panels that can be removed and stored in the vehicle, together with a rear section that can also be removed. Luggage space is massively improved as is everyday practicality thanks to a rear seat that now splits 60/40. But who will put the Wrangler Unlimited on their shortlist? Perhaps farmers looking for an alternative to a Land Rover Defender or urban trendies with kids to carry would consider it but its real niche within a niche stuff. Itll doubtless soak up a lot of punishment but even the smoothest riding version wont match something like a Land Rover Freelander for on-road refinement.

Youve got to be serious about hardcore off-road driving to consider a Jeep Wrangler. Dont let the Unlimiteds additional practicality veneer over this fact. Buy one for school run purposes and the novelty will wear thin very quickly. Its more urbane than any Wrangler before it but these things are relative.

This is a vehicle with its heart and soul on the Rubicon Trail. Staples Corner is not the natural environment.

FACTS AT A GLANCE

CAR: Jeep Wrangler Unlimited range
PRICES: £19,995-£22,075 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 13-14 [est]
CO2 EMISSIONS: [2.8 CRD] 240g/km [est]
PERFORMANCE: [3.8 V6] Max Speed 112mph / 0-60mph 9.7s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.8 CRD] (combined) 34mpg [est]
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin airbags, ABS, ESP, anti rollover mitigation
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width, 4379/1803mm