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Automotive Lifestyle
DRIVEN: Gussied Up Jeep Still Trail Ready
The modern Wrangler with all its features and trim is a far cry from the old original workhorse, but it still climbs like a mountain goat.
Though it's grown bigger, heavier and loaded with features, the 2013 Jeep Wrangler retains its legendary prowess on rocky trails. (Photo: Bob Golfen)
One day, I looked out the front door and saw that my neighbor across the street had deposited a pile of old Jeep CJ parts in the driveway. Despite its disreputable and disassembled state, the little Jeep was instantly identifiable because of its emblematic boxy body.
He and some buddies work on it nearly every weekend, eventually taking the driveline from one rusted-out Jeep, the frame from another and the body from yet another to pull it all together. The last I saw of it, the Jeep was standing on its own four wheels, and the engine would start.
This is a good driveway project because of the vintage Jeep’s bone simplicity, the most basic of components pieced together in the most straightforward manner to create a rugged workhorse with zero frills. Its World War II military lineage is most apparent, though now the only warfare that it would see would be against the rocky trails of the Arizona desert.
On the other end of the scale, the spanking new 2012 Jeep Wrangler Sahara that I had parked in my driveway was downright plush. The relationship to the project across the street was obvious, but the Wrangler showed in no uncertain terms just how very different today’s Jeep is from its simple ancestor.
Though still the same basic shape, the body is now much bigger and brawnier-looking. Instead of spartan seats and a plain metal dash, the Wrangler’s interior is as padded and well-furnished as that of any sedan or SUV.
Air-conditioning, automatic transmission, remote-control locks and starting, power windows, power side mirrors, cruise control and a seven-speaker Infinity audio system were some of the amenities, bringing the expectations of today’s drivers to this stalwart of off-road utility vehicles.
So instead of an occasional plaything for off-road jaunts, the new not-so-basic Jeep becomes a full-fledged automobile designed to be used every day on city streets and freeways, its still-formidable off-road capability becoming more or less secondary to its image and all-around usability.
Really, not that many people are going to take their $30,000 Wrangler Sahara on trails any more rugged than a graded dirt road or snowy driveway. But that’s OK since the Jeep is a sporty vehicle that’s fun to drive and be seen driving, whatever you choose to do with it.
I did have the opportunity to take the test Jeep on one of my favorite nasty, rocky, hilly trails north of Phoenix, and as usual with any Jeep Wrangler, it was a piece of cake. With the powerful 3.6-liter Chrysler V6 that’s become standard on Wrangler this year, as well as Jeep’s legendary four-wheel-drive system, it felt unstoppable as it rolled easily over significant boulders and climbed out of daunting chasms while it coddled its two occupants with a relatively well-managed ride.
Compare that with the notoriously rugged buckboard chassis of the vintage Jeeps. Instead of violently bouncing around, we relaxed in the cushy leather seats and listened to satellite radio on the superb stereo. Electronic enhancements such as hill-descent control made the going even easier.
The only major intrusion by the outside world was a flat tire from a sharp rock, and that wasn’t so bad since I convinced my son that it was his duty to fix it.
The 285-horsepower V6 is a smooth-running unit with plenty of torque, which is a lot different from the tiny four-banger in my neighbor’s project Jeep. You can still get Wrangler with manual transmission, though now it’s a slick-shifting six-speed.
The new V6 is a huge improvement over the puny, noisy V6 in previous Wranglers, and it shows best on the highway where it runs with power to spare. It’s also a lot quieter at speed, not that you’d notice since the Wrangler is otherwise a cacophony of wind and tire roar.
Fuel mileage is pretty paltry, at 17 city and a disappointing 21 on the highway, the EPA estimates. The poor showing in highway mileage can be attributed to the boxy, flat-windshield bulk of the Wrangler that gives it the aerodynamics of a cinder block. At least now the engine can cope with all that wind resistance without struggling.
He and some buddies work on it nearly every weekend, eventually taking the driveline from one rusted-out Jeep, the frame from another and the body from yet another to pull it all together. The last I saw of it, the Jeep was standing on its own four wheels, and the engine would start.
This is a good driveway project because of the vintage Jeep’s bone simplicity, the most basic of components pieced together in the most straightforward manner to create a rugged workhorse with zero frills. Its World War II military lineage is most apparent, though now the only warfare that it would see would be against the rocky trails of the Arizona desert.
On the other end of the scale, the spanking new 2012 Jeep Wrangler Sahara that I had parked in my driveway was downright plush. The relationship to the project across the street was obvious, but the Wrangler showed in no uncertain terms just how very different today’s Jeep is from its simple ancestor.
Though still the same basic shape, the body is now much bigger and brawnier-looking. Instead of spartan seats and a plain metal dash, the Wrangler’s interior is as padded and well-furnished as that of any sedan or SUV.
Air-conditioning, automatic transmission, remote-control locks and starting, power windows, power side mirrors, cruise control and a seven-speaker Infinity audio system were some of the amenities, bringing the expectations of today’s drivers to this stalwart of off-road utility vehicles.
So instead of an occasional plaything for off-road jaunts, the new not-so-basic Jeep becomes a full-fledged automobile designed to be used every day on city streets and freeways, its still-formidable off-road capability becoming more or less secondary to its image and all-around usability.
Really, not that many people are going to take their $30,000 Wrangler Sahara on trails any more rugged than a graded dirt road or snowy driveway. But that’s OK since the Jeep is a sporty vehicle that’s fun to drive and be seen driving, whatever you choose to do with it.
I did have the opportunity to take the test Jeep on one of my favorite nasty, rocky, hilly trails north of Phoenix, and as usual with any Jeep Wrangler, it was a piece of cake. With the powerful 3.6-liter Chrysler V6 that’s become standard on Wrangler this year, as well as Jeep’s legendary four-wheel-drive system, it felt unstoppable as it rolled easily over significant boulders and climbed out of daunting chasms while it coddled its two occupants with a relatively well-managed ride.
Compare that with the notoriously rugged buckboard chassis of the vintage Jeeps. Instead of violently bouncing around, we relaxed in the cushy leather seats and listened to satellite radio on the superb stereo. Electronic enhancements such as hill-descent control made the going even easier.
The only major intrusion by the outside world was a flat tire from a sharp rock, and that wasn’t so bad since I convinced my son that it was his duty to fix it.
The 285-horsepower V6 is a smooth-running unit with plenty of torque, which is a lot different from the tiny four-banger in my neighbor’s project Jeep. You can still get Wrangler with manual transmission, though now it’s a slick-shifting six-speed.
The new V6 is a huge improvement over the puny, noisy V6 in previous Wranglers, and it shows best on the highway where it runs with power to spare. It’s also a lot quieter at speed, not that you’d notice since the Wrangler is otherwise a cacophony of wind and tire roar.
Fuel mileage is pretty paltry, at 17 city and a disappointing 21 on the highway, the EPA estimates. The poor showing in highway mileage can be attributed to the boxy, flat-windshield bulk of the Wrangler that gives it the aerodynamics of a cinder block. At least now the engine can cope with all that wind resistance without struggling.
Goodwood Festival Of Speed
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