Jeep’s new Wrangler is brawny, versatile

Dan Carney • E-mail

Sci-fi movies and cars don’t often share connections, but there’s a striking similarity between DreamWorks Animation’s Transformers — a movie that raked in $700 million worldwide in 2007 — and Chrysler’s Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.

The Unlimited has been a smash hit for Chrysler, with sales almost doubling last year, and like the Transformers movie’s heroic “Autobots” and evil “Decepticons,” which change from cars into robots and back again, the vehicle is an unexpectedly flexible gizmo that also morphs — though not as quickly or easily as these robotic visitors from Cybertron — between a macho, rock-busting Jeep and a sedate, secure, soccer mom-certified suburban family hauler.

The four-door Unlimited is still remarkably versatile, combining the comfort and security of a hard roof, the practicality of four doors and a generous cargo bay with the free-spirited capability of a Jeep 4x4, complete with removable roof and doors and a windshield that folds down flat on the hood. In this mode, all the Unlimited lacks is olive drab paint and a jerry can on the back to look like surplus equipment from the Battle of the Bulge.

This newfound practicality doesn’t make the Wrangler Unlimited an ideal family hauler — that title falls to minivans. And today’s crop of crossover utilities and the diminishing number of station wagons on the market are better than the Wrangler at shuttling kids and detritus from school, to appointments or to soccer practice.

But while the Wrangler isn’t as good at doing those things as car-based vehicles like the Saturn Vue or Mazda CX-9, it’s pretty comparable in comfort, practicality and efficiency to that family stalwart the 1990s-vintage Ford Explorer. And what’s really impressive about the Unlimited is that it provides an acceptable level of practicality in a machine that possesses the snowy weather capability of a Ski-Doo snowmobile.

Suburbanites will be better served by the full-time all-wheel-drive systems available on crossover SUVs, which provide sure-footed traction on rain-slicked streets. The Wrangler, in contrast, is a part-time 4x4, with four-wheel-drive hardware that not only excels off-road and in snow, but can really only be used in those situations. For families who live in the high Sierras, Vermont’s backcountry, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and other places with a seriously snowy climate, the Wrangler Unlimited is ideal.

Jeep There’s plenty of space in the way-back cargo area for Fido, lacrosse equipment or whatever other freight needs hauling.

The Jeep’s Command-Trac part-time four-wheel-drive system, Roc-Trac transfer case with low-range, Tru-Lok locking front and rear differentials and enormous, 32-inch B.F. Goodrich off-road tires stick the Wrangler to terra firma like duct tape on a home improvement project.

The scant few inches of snow on the road during my test was not only no challenge for the Jeep, it was almost too little to even use its part-time four-wheel-drive system. Past experience with such systems has shown that Jeeps churn confidently through bumper-deep powder.

Driving the Wrangler Unlimited on paved roads, the Jeep is clearly out of its element, but much less so than older model, two-door Wranglers. Gone is the punishingly rough ride, courtesy of a wheelbase stretched to a wedding limo-like 116 inches. Combined with a twice-as-stiff frame, more compliant suspension and accurate steering, the Unlimited is more comfortable to drive in daily life than competitors like the Hummer H3 and Toyota FJ Cruiser. The visibility out of the Jeep is also superior to its squashed-roof competitors, and that’s when its roof is on.

Longtime Jeep enthusiasts will not appreciate any of this, because every bit of the Wrangler’s new comfort and practicality comes at the expense of its off-road prowess. There is a reason why Wranglers have historically been so stubby — because small vehicles are easier to maneuver between rocks and trees than large vehicles.

The Wrangler Unlimited’s rangy wheelbase is so big that it’s hard to slot the vehicle into a supermarket parking space. The Jeep Grand Cherokee, though it’s 15 inches longer than the Wrangler Unlimited, turns in a diameter that is four feet smaller than the Unlimited’s 41-foot turning circle.

The Wrangler’s back seat is sufficiently spacious to be usable every day for families, though the kids might prefer that the seatback angle could be reclined a bit. And there’s plenty of space in the way-back cargo area for Fido, lacrosse equipment or whatever other freight needs hauling. The Unlimited has almost as much cargo space with the rear seats up as the H3 has with its rear seats folded down.

MORE FROM MOTORHEAD

MotorHead Section Front

Ford’s Flex brings high style to masses Dodge makes its own luck with the Journey Smart’s tiny proportions defy expectations Latest Matrix hatchback is roomy, flexible New GT-R bursts from virtual reality to reality Performance-oriented Acura TSX muscles in Sporty Astra brings European style stateside Green Highlander blazes hybrid trail Jeep’s new Wrangler is brawny, versatile New CTS is Cadillac of luxury sedans MotorHead Section Front   Add MotorHead headlines to your news reader: