A little while ago, my wife came home with a parenting book called Let Them Be Eaten By Bears.
Seems a bit extreme, I thought to myself, but there are certainly days when. ...
However, the book wasn’t actually about feeding your children to bears as a method of instilling self-discipline (*sound of roaring and screaming* “Stop complaining! Builds character!”), but about the importance of getting outside. We live in a province that’s twice the size of California, and in particular at the doorstep of hundreds of kilometres of wonderful mountain trails.
The book was right – we should go outside more often. Yes, even if there are bears. And, happily, there’s always been one vehicle that’s embodied outdoorsy ruggedness, go-anywhere capability, and “stop complaining, this builds character!” ride quality.
It’s the Jeep Wrangler, and the new one is insanely popular in Canada right now. Even compared to normal family crossovers like the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4, it’s nipping at the heels of the soft-roaders in terms of sales volume, and easily one of the most important vehicles in the Fiat-Chrysler lineup. Supposedly, the Wrangler is more livable than ever, redesigned to be the kind of machine you can drive every day.
And yet the doors still come off. Let’s take a closer look to see if this new Wrangler can combine a bear-wrestling attitude with a more family-friendly approach. Spread some mayo on your kids and let’s hit the gravel.
Design
Jeep styling does not encourage thinking outside of the box. There’s no room here for curving bodywork, floating rooflines, or shimmering paintwork. A Wrangler is sorta like a boot: you can get it in some fun colours, but it’s here to work first.
Thus, this new one is updated in the sort of ways that the average person won’t be able to notice at all. Every panel is different, the grille and headlights are reworked, and there’s an LED lighting package that freshens up the rear of the truck, but it’ll all look the same to anyone other than a Jeep fan.
Which is all great. This Unlimited version is the four-door one, and it’ll make even the most videogame-addled kid look up from their iPad and exclaim “Cool!”
The Wrangler might be a simple shape, but it’s an honest one, and was likely fairly tricky to refresh while still staying true to the spirit of its predecessors.
Environment
Built to cope with all the mud you’ll be tracking in from the great outdoors, the Wrangler’s cabin has all the charm and refinement of a Rubbermaid storage bin. Or at least that’s how it appears on first blush.
In fact, this isn’t just an improvement over the garden-shed interior of most older Jeeps, it’s a perfectly livable cabin for everyday use. Chunky knobs for controlling the air-conditioning and radio are easy to find without glancing away from the road. The switch gear for the windows is centrally placed. Because it’s essentially a large box, there’s plenty of space.
The rear swallows car seats easily, and to fold the seats down is a simple two-lever performance. With everything folded, there’s plenty of space for gear, and even with them up, packing for a camping trip should be straightforward. You do have to close the rear hatch before shutting the tailgate, but it’s still easy to load.
Then there’s the infotainment, which the Jeep shares with most other FCA products. It’s bright, square, and simple, just like the rest of the car, with easy-to-navigate icons. Unlike some other FCA products, Jeep has real buttons for heated seats and steering wheel, rather than putting the controls into the screen interface, leaving the touchscreen a little less cluttered.
No, you won’t find a slick, car-like cockpit here, but it’s a place that looks good dirty. Which, as it happens, is true of the outside of the vehicle as well.
Performance
There are two engine options for the Wrangler this year, the stalwart 3.6-litre V-6, and a new 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder that’s a little more efficient. The turbo-four has plenty of torque, and is a great engine for a little extra oomph down low. However, the V-6 is the one you want to be relying on when you’re way out in the backcountry, as it’s simple and durable most of the time, and parts are cheap and plentiful when it’s not.
Here, the 3.6-litre V-6 makes 280 horsepower and 260 foot-pounds of torque, and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission (you can still get a Jeep with a six-speed manual). It’s more than enough power for the quick-shifting eight speed to dole out, and the Wrangler accelerates with surprising quickness.
On the highway, things are less good, as the brick-like aerodynamics start generating plenty of wind-noise, and the steering becomes a little fidgety. It’s not overly wearing, at least not for medium distances, but the Wrangler always lets you know just how fast you’re going.
Arguably, that’s a feature, not a flaw. Most of today’s cars are such near-perfect isolation chambers that you don’t really notice the difference between obeying a posted 90 kilometres per hour speed limit and wandering up to 120 km/h. The Wrangler keeps your mind on the task at hand.
As far as other urban duties go, the Unlimited has a slightly large turning circle, but is easy to park with its squared-off dimensions. The backup camera mounted behind the tire makes things even easier. While it’s a tall vehicle, it’s also short enough to tuck into underground parking downtown.
The ride, however, does get a little bumpy over speed bumps and broken pavement, and the steering is, as mentioned, a bit fidgety. It’s still a Jeep.
Overall though, it’s comfortable enough to live with Monday to Friday. And when the weekend arrives, several still-a-Jeep qualities of the Wrangler become even more fun. Hit the Sea-to-Sky corridor and start looking for forest service roads and you quickly realize that Jeep ownership is key to a fuller understanding of our province.
While the Rubicon’s the one you want for really gnarly exploration, the Sahara mid-grade trim has more than enough competency tucked away to get in and out of all kinds of trouble. The suspension that crashed over speed bumps swallows up washboard at-speed, then climbs over and through washout without a second thought. The four-wheel-drive system clambers up dusty slopes, and the Wrangler’s still just narrow enough to squeeze down trails that would pin-strip a pickup truck.
Get out into the wilderness, find a camping spot, and stake out your own piece of B.C. The Wrangler’s the kind of ticket to freedom that other cars promise to be.
Features
All this outdoorsy good-time fun is, however, not cheap. The Unlimited Sahara starts at $46,425, and quickly ramps up with options. Spending mid-$50K on a Jeep is the rule, rather than the exception, although there are less-expensive Sport options that offer most of the same rugged fun without the optional extras.
Fuel economy rates are not bad, considering the lack of aerodynamics, officially rated at 13.8 (litres/100 kilometres) in the city, and 10.1 on the highway. The faster you drive, the worse the highway figure gets, but the Wrangler encourages you to slow down a little so hitting economy targets should be possible.
Green light
Fun to drive; excellent off-road capability; very good resale.
Stop sign
Expensive with options; rides a little rough with wind-noise; lots of squeaks from removable top.
The checkered flag
All the fun of owning an outdoorsy Jeep, but with just enough polish for everyday use. A well-trained bear.
Competitor
Toyota 4Runner ($46,155): The other Tonka toy for the whole family is, of course, the Toyota 4Runner. An old design that still inspires a devoted fan base, the 4Runner is simple, boxy, and not particularly refined.
The Wrangler’s a little fresher, and has better technology onboard, plus you can remove the doors and fold the windshield down. Essentially, the 4Runner’s the one you want for its crazy-high resale and simplicity, and the Wrangler’s the one that’s just that little bit more capable off-road.
