Adventurous Wrangler

Jeep as an American brand has been around for decades and till today has been winning more converts, especially car freaks that belong to the youthful population with penchant for adventures off-road. This category of budding adolescents has found home in the Wrangler, which carries the tag of ruggedness that is synonymous with the Jeep brand till date.

The Jeep Wrangler is definitely not for everyone. It largely depends on your personality (and your sense of adventure) as to whether or not you should be the owner of one.

For example, a sports car enthusiast will not like the Wrangler. Those who prefer the luxury of a smooth ride or leather seats will be highly disappointed. Families with children will prefer the safety and security that other SUVs provide.

Great enthusiasm greeted the return of the legendary brand into Nigeria few years ago when it was unveiled to the local motoring journalists by Weststar Associates, the local dealership in Lagos. The Jeep Wrangler was indeed one of the admired models that dotted the busy Elegushi Private Beach in Lekki.

As expected of such event, it was not spared the ‘torture’ by the passionate motoring press who took time off to do some stunts with the Jeep Wrangler, Compass and Liberty siblings, following which kudos were given to the hand-made casual-looking but solidly built Wrangler; reminding one of the desert-warrior impression that has been the trademark of Jeep nameplate.

So, how does the new Wrangler feel on the road? The throttle pedal has a light feel, with good tip-in response, and it is also amazingly quiet inside, thanks in part to the large underhood engine cover and some extra NVH work that was carried out during the handsome 2011 interior redesign.

On the road, Wrangler’s seating position is good and the forward view that aligns flat on the front windscreen is excellent, nourished with the suspension tuning that manages to be comfortable without being staggering; a good thing in a high-riding vehicle with load of suspension travel.

The Rubicon in particular is the king of Jeep that includes Sport and Sahara trims, plus a multitude of special editions. The model is also available in a four-door model known as Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. For those with the inclination for shift-it-yourself driving, the entire Wrangler line can be had with a buyer’s choice of six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmissions. An eight-speed automatic gearbox is bound to arrive soon.

Off road, the Wrangler is as capable as ever. With electronic differential lock and transfer case in low range, the model I drove did not last long, but it displayed outstanding perfect balance and road grip courtesy of the springs that allowed for excellent articulation of the front and rear live axles. Not only that, the 3.6’s throttle map gave me precise control of the contact patches even when the right front and left rear tyres were the only tyres actually touching the ground!

All told, the new 2012 Jeep Wrangler is an impressive vehicle, an icon that’s as capable as ever but much easier to live with on a daily basis, thanks to the added refinement of the new engine and the 2011 interior upgrade.

In sum, those who view driving simply as a means of getting from one place to the next should look elsewhere, because the Wrangler is for those who seek adventure, those who have an interest in taking their vehicle places they’ve never gone before, and those who enjoy driving for no reason other than to be out in the great outdoors.

Some think of a Wrangler basically as a crude form of SUV. But the Wrangler is more about attitude and less about practicality than most other SUVs on the market. All in all, the Jeep brand has had its share of ups and downs through a more-than-70-year history, and not all of those have been on or off-road.

Mike Ochonma