But here is something that is not often considered with the Wrangler: It can do just fine on the road. I should know, having recently put more than 500 miles on a Wrangler — not one of them on anything other than pavement.
This isn’t to suggest that small or midsized car-based sport-utility vehicles will be threatened by Wranglers lurking on every corner. It’s just that if you do want a rig that can handle all conditions, this is a viable option. To do so, though, you will want the Wrangler Unlimited, the four-door version that debuted in 2007. Ground clearance is a grand 10.1 inches but the Wrangler has been extended by 20.6 inches. Not only does this back seat now hold three people, but the cargo space is increased to 46.4 cubic feet, which is great for the outdoorsy folks who gravitate toward Jeeps.
Wrangler Unlimited comes in Sport, Sahara and Rubicon trims. The first two trims can actually be had with rear-wheel drive, although the Unlimited Sahara that we drove came with the Command-Trac Shift-on-the-Fly 4WD System.
All Wranglers have a 3.8-liter V-6 engine. The Unlimited powerplant gets 205 horsepower. It’s sluggish off the line but does well enough when underway and the torque is a decent 240 lbs.-ft.
Jeep Wranglers start at $21,165. Four-door model prices begin at $23,410. Our Unlimited Sahara started at $28,905 and was loaded with $8,000 worth of options. The most readily noticeable of these were also the ones that gave our tester a special panache. One would be the Freedom Top, a three-piece removable hard top that comes with a glass rear window. Even with the hard tops stored, there is a soft-top in place that is functionally quicker to maneuver than in the past. The other stylish option was the Chrome Edition Group that included chrome tubular side steps, chrome fuel filter door, chrome taillamp guards and chrome exhaust tip.
In addition to the open air feeling in the Wrangler, the fun can be extended by removing the passenger doors (even those with power windows) and folding down the windshield (don’t try that on the highway).
Potential drawbacks to the Wrangler Unlimited are the absence of standard side airbags (our tester came with optional seat-mounted side airbags) and EPA gas mileage ratings of 15 mpg city and 19 mpg highway. The upside? Look at all the places you can go in the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.
David Mikesell is a free-lance automotive reviewer based in Indianapolis. Read this review and others like it at DaytonDailyNews.com/Wheels.