03/05/2007
By Mike Blake
Carlisle Events
In 1940, the U.S. military was seeking a “light reconnaissance vehicle” to replace the Army’s motorcycle and modified Ford Model-T vehicles. Willys-Overland (along with Ford and American Bantam) answered the call and developed a general purpose vehicle called the Quad.
General Purpose became G.P. and G.P. soon became known as Jeep. Sixty-seven years later, Jeep has created a vehicle that combines military ruggedness with off-road playfulness ... and it still has room for some comfort. It's a Jeep that looks like ... well ... a Jeep. It’s the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4x4.
The Unlimited is Jeep’s first four-door Wrangler. While some may see it as an SUV, it is a bona fide Jeep. It is an off-road truck that is brawny, rowdy and fun, without pretense. Even the Rubicon’s information manual has a military or back-packing look, as it comes, not in a vinyl or leather packet, but in a military green, canvas pouch … nice touch.
The word rubicon means: A limit that when passed or exceeded permits no return, and typically results in irrevocable commitment. After test driving the Rubicon in challenging elements, this Jeep lived up to its name and gave an irrevocable commitment to press on regardless of the obstacles.
The commitment I got from my test Rubicon was for it to cut through snow and ice on an “off-road trail” in Carlisle. It attacked the course like it was a hot knife cutting through butter. When a steep incline and oatmeal slush made the rear tires spin a bit, I threw it into low 4-wheel, revved the engine, and got this brawny beauty out of harm’s way in a heartbeat. The “Trail-Rated” Rubicon responded, thanks to some very good low-end torque and some awesome rubber. My test Rubicon wore LT 255/75 R17 BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain T/As that covered 17-inch wheels. The thick treads gripped the trail, the highway and the slush, and grabbed the dirt and mud with ease and determination.
I didn’t rock crawl her, but I suspect that the Rubicon could well handle boulders and flatten mountains as credibly as it smoothly carries passengers on in-town routes. The five-link solid-axle suspension configuration and stiffer frame than earlier incarnations make this one rugged vehicle that’s gentle for its inhabitants.
On the highway, the same excellent low-end torque that propels you over and through off-road challenges will get you from zero to 60 in about 10 seconds, and can do the quarter-mile in about 18.2, but there’s lots of hesitation and sluggishness at higher speeds. The Rubicon will get you out of any trouble you encounter off-road, but don’t look for it to help you out of difficulty with a burst of speed in passing range.
Inside, well, this is a Jeep … it is NOT a luxury vehicle, nor was it meant to be, so while you do have some advanced electronics and Sirius Satellite radio, you don’t have a lot of elbow room – particularly in the front passenger’s seating area.
There IS a spacious rear seating area, and two more doors, accomplished by stretching the wheelbase 20.6 inches.
Featuring a one-of-a-kind, four-door, open-air design, the Wrangler Unlimited has room for five adult passengers — also a Wrangler first — and the most cargo space ever offered in a Wrangler. And one more thing … the top comes off. Its "Freedom Top" is a three-piece-construction roof that can manually go from T-Top, to sunroof to full convertible, in seconds.
On the outside, the redesigned Wrangler offers a wider stance and greater ground clearance while keeping the trademark military grille.
Under the hood, you get a front-engine, 3.8-liter powerplant mated to a 4-speed transmission. The system thumps out 202 horses and you can use its 237 lbs.-ft. of torque to help the 4350-lb. Rubicon master those off-road predicaments. My test vehicle was EPA rated at 16mpg in the city and 19mpg on the highway, and my weeklong examination yielded an average of 17.3mpg including some severe off-road ordeals.
Base priced at $28,235, my Steel Blue Metallic Rubicon comes standard with such safety items as advanced multistage air bags, electronic stability program, 4-wheel disc anti-lock brakes, traction control, electronic roll mitigation, electronic front sway bar disconnect, Dan 44 heavy-duty front axle, electronic locking front and rear differentials, transfer case skid plate shield, fuel tank skid plate shield, theft deterrent system, speed control, two front tow hooks and one rear tow hook and variable intermittent windshield wipers.
Inside, you have durable upholstery, air conditioning, 368-watt-7-speaker Infinity sound system, sport bar with full padding and electronic information system.
Some of the option packages that raised the sticker price of my test Jeep to $33,505 include the 3-piece Freedom Top for $1585; power windows, doors and locks for $800; supplemental front seat side air bags for $490; and various other convenience, sound and comfort items for $2495.
The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon may have been spawned with military need in mind, but it has evolved into a pure fun vehicle for civilians who want a road ride as well as an off-road truck.
Visit www.carlisleevents.com for more on the automotive hobby.
MIKE BLAKE, former editor of KIT CAR magazine, joined Carlisle Events as senior automotive journalist in 2004. He's been a "car guy" since the 1960s and has been writing professionally for about 30 years.
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