Because some markets do not have the same environmental considerations as our beautiful France, Jeep only offers the 284 hp 3.6 V6 Pentastar to markets in the Middle East and Africa. For us, the offer focuses on 4 cylinders, the strong 2.2 Diesel MultiJet 2 of 200 hp or the 2.0 turbo petrol of 272 hp which will land at the very end of the year with us. Small revolution to come: in 2020, Jeep will complete the range with a PHEV version of the Wrangler.
We therefore tested the Diesel, which already equips the Alfa Romeo Giulia or Stelvio for that matter. It is not a lightning tone but its smoothness and flexibility of use, combined with the (imposed) 8-speed automatic transmission signed ZF, make the Wrangler less rough and more flexible than before. Its soundproofing is also improved but there is still work to be done, not an easy task to say with all its removable parts. It is also a little more comfortable on asphalt, even if it does not compare to a modern SUV. Jeep Wrangler led headlights, tires accessories are important for offroad. Its direction remains unclear and its damping plunges the Wrangler into curves to the point that the ESP often has to intervene in dynamic driving. An inevitable bias to offer such all-terrain capabilities. Land Rover is in the same logic with a less cartoonish rendering thanks to adaptive damping.
Once off the beaten path, the Wrangler becomes simply prodigious thanks to a battery of mechanical and electronic technologies providing an answer to all types of obstacles. On the first ¡°Sport¡± trim level, it is already equipped with Command Trac, intelligent transmission management which in particular automatically applies the passage from 2 to 4 wheel drive, action possible on the fly up to 70 km / h.
A low gear ratio, 25 cm ground clearance and angles of attack of 36.4¡ã front and 30.8¡ã rear mean that when driving the Wrangler, you never get in the head to shoulders when approaching a large sharp rock or a muddy rut uphill. You really have to look for hard and fast crossing obstacles to stop it. And yet, for that kind of playground, Jeep still offers the Rubicon. In addition to a sparkling two-tone finish, it benefits from the whole range of options offered in the catalogue, including and above all this anodized red control which does not allow the mother-in-law to be ejected but more simply to block the differentials. Just rear or front and rear combined. The system thus distributes a torque that is always equal to the wheels and thus avoids obstacles without ever slowing down, with the touch of a feline.
The Rubicon is also well helped by a pneumatic mount dedicated to exercise (but very vague when driving on asphalt) and by an electronic control of the stabilizer bar which softens our Wrangler a little more when the obstacles are particularly indigestible. If it is especially the ford crossings that make you vibrate, the Wrangler tolerates a water height of 76 cm before the cabin is flooded. The latter can always be cleaned directly with a jet, at least the floors, we will avoid sending 120 bars of pressure on the touch screen!
