It's a Jeep thing
4x4 Magazine
October, 2005
A strong Aussie dollar has seen the price of the soft-top Wrangler Sport tumble to $29,990; a year ago the Sport cost $35,990. The price reduction has seen Wrangler sales boom in 2005 and they are currently up 72 percent compared with last year.
It's been two years since we last tested the Jeep Wrangler and the recent introduction of a new six-speed gearbox gave us the perfect excuse to cruise around topless for a week.
Other than the new transmission, not much has changed with Wrangler - it still has the old 4.0 litre straight-six petrol engine that pumps out a modest 130kW of power and 305Nm of torque.
The new gearbox offers a lower ratio in first gear for better acceleration and a taller top gear for more relaxed highway touring. Although the shift is notchy, it's also precise and finding any one of the six forward ratios is never a problem.
Wrangler's throttle is very sensitive and as the vehicle bumps its way over road surface irregularities it can be difficult to maintain smooth progress. Although the coil springs front and rear are reasonably compliant, the short wheelbase of Wrangler accentuates bumps and potholes, resulting in fore/aft pitching.
You get plenty of standard gear for your $30k including airconditioning, front airbags, locking centre console(important in a soft-top), two 12V auxiliary outlets and a four-speaker CD sound system.
Our test vehicle was also fitted with a number of options including chrome grille, chrome front and rear mandrel-bent bumper bars and 15x7 polished alloy wheels. With all that chrome and bright red paint, there was no way we were going to lose the Wrangler in the office carpark.
Wrangler is a competent off-roader. It works well in soft sand thanks to a good power-to-weight ratio. Reasonable axle articulation and a decent limited-slip rear differential aid traction in slippery and undulating terrain and decent low-range reduction is good in steep country. Our main gripe is, again, the too-sensitive throttle. If you want more off-road capability, there's a huge range of aftermarket gear for the Wrangler.
It might not be the most practical 4x4 around, but it's a lot of fun.