King Off The Road

JEEP’S WRANGLER HAS EVOLVED INTO A MORE USERFRIENDLY AND EFFICIENT VEHICLE, WITHOUT COMPROMISING ITS KING-OFF-THEROAD STATUS.

- Matt Raudonikis

IT HAS been a long time coming, but Jeep’s JL Wrangler has finally arrived in Australia more than a year after it launched in the United States. The new Wrangler comes in a six-model line-up set to appeal to a wider range of buyers for the traditional off-road vehicle. Notably in the range, only one variant is available as a two-door short wheelbase,only one of them is available with a diesel engine option, and none of them are offered with a manual gearbox.

All of the international specification Wranglers are fitted with the ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission and the most common engine is the latest incarnation of Jeep’s Pentastar 3.6-litre V6 petrol mill. That’s not a bad thing as the engine makes a healthy 209kW and 347Nm. The eight-speed TorqueFlite, as FCA brands like to call it, adds refinement and fuel economy to the new Wrangler, which otherwise will feel very familiar to anyone who has spent time with the previous JK model.

The Wrangler takes its DNA from the original Jeeps of WWII and, as the JK was the most successful civilian Jeep since those days, the seven-slot-grille brand hasn’t deviated too far from the proven formula. The JL remains a body-on-frame vehicle with live axles front and rear, an old-school, almost agricultural body design and construction with a strong focus on off-road performance. In fact, with the new JL the Wrangler retains its title as the most off-road-capable new vehicle to drive straight off the showroom floor. While others might say their kitted-up 4x4s will better the Jeep in the rough, there’s probably two to three times more aftermarket off-road kit available for the popular Jeep to take the JL to a whole next level of ability.