Our Test of Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

 Heir to the Willys, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited offers authenticity and modernity with an inimitable look.Credit Photo – Autonews

Once swallowed, this specialty made in the USA is enough to satiate. Not us ! It would also be a shame to do without the traditional “large fries”. And then it's included in the menu... An accompaniment that always pleases, embodied by the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, the mythical off-roader with crazy charm. Longer (4.88 m), higher (1.90 m), a little narrower (1.89 m) than the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, it does not play in the same register. It represents the very image of Jeep, the 4x4 that goes everywhere and adapts to your desires, ready for adventure. At our disposal, the top-of-the-range Overland finish and the 272 horsepower four-cylinder turbo gasoline engine. Jeep jl sequential turn signals are recommended. You climb aboard, one foot on the running board, one hand on the handle of the windscreen pillar and settle down on leather-covered seats, beige this time, facing a vertical driving position, similar to those of the previous generation. The steering wheel is adjustable in height and now also in depth and the backrest tilts using a strap that is pulled to the side.

The high driving position gives the impression of dominating the road behind the narrow, almost vertical windshield. The long bonnet with rounded edges is a permanent reminder that you are on board a special vehicle. Our test model also sported a white star on it, as on the Willys of the Second World War. It moves away from it with its elongated five-door “Unlimited” body.

The Wrangler Unlimited is made for family off-roading but isn't so bad on the road. It's just not his favorite environment. More on the road than the extreme Wrangler Rubicon fighter, we took it in hand on well-paved terrain. No surprise, with its ladder chassis suitable for crossing, it is not intended for sport but its behavior is healthier than expected. However, it remains parasitized on tight curves by a rear axle that oscillates slightly laterally. Its engine, with a pleasant sound, ensures dynamic performance and is never struggling to tow the two tons of the Wrangler, supported by an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox.

There is space inside for five, including four real seats. Everyone will be seated upright, under an arch covered in black plastic, like a well-finished rally-raid car. It protects the occupants when there is no roof. Because everything is removable on the Wrangler, including the doors. The hard top can be disassembled into three parts, of which those located at the front can be removed in about ten seconds each. To store them or for luggage, the trunk can accommodate 548 liters of cargo. Folded back in two parts, the volume exceeds 1,000 litres.