The enduring Jeep Wrangler Rubicon has elevated itself to cult classic status

We’ve previously described the Jeep Wrangler as admirable albeit ‘butch’ (when we drove the 80th Anniversary Wrangler in 2021) but would like to mildly revise that slightly pejorative verdict. For, despite its long and storied history, its military origins and subsequent association with war, trauma and violence, today’s Wrangler is a strangely friendly machine.

We’re not talking about Jeep’s other products, which includes the Compass and the Avenger (both of which are far more conventional in appearance and intention). Like other retro-infused contemporary designs (Morgan’s sports cars spring to mind, naturally), there’s an element of wilful stubbornness at play, from both company and customers.

Yet unlike the naked aggression on display across most of the SUV marketplace, the Wrangler’s classic seven-slot grille, round headlights, prominent wheelarches and exposed door hinges are now a symbol of a friendlier, less monumental and overtly slick approach. When one considers that the Jeep is practically the only car on the market with a heritage that can be traced back to an actual weapon of war, it’s even more remarkable (we’ll count the Mercedes G-Class in this select but slightly notorious group).

Jeep Wrangler Rubicon: as good an off-roader as any production car on the market

What is it that makes the Wrangler so accommodating? Europe doesn’t get the full range of Wrangler machines available to the American market and the UK only gets one, the car shown here. Available in two specs, Sahara and Rubicon, it has a modest 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an automatic gearbox. For dedicated off-roading, there’s a two-speed transfer case, an additional gearbox that sends power to all four wheels when required, with chunky mud-terrain tyres fitted as standard.

So far, so over the top. Climbing up into the Jeep’s high-riding cockpit, you get the full benefit of the SUV experience, looking over hedgerows, through bends and above the traffic ahead. For 2024, Jeep has upgraded the Wrangler’s interior equipment, throwing in a huge amount of gear to make it feel as contemporary as possible. These include Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, driver warning systems, a 12.3-inch touchscreen, power seats, and a dedicated Jeep app that keeps track of fuel efficiency and remote unlocking, amongst other things.

All this innovation can’t hide the Wrangler’s innately unorthodox driving position and scale, nor the vaguely agricultural way in which the throaty 272hp engine and large tyres propel and steer you down a regular road. It’s not remotely as rough as an old-school Land-Rover, but it is a world apart from the cossetted, car-like ambience of a modern SUV.

That’s very much a good thing, for not only does it add character for the driver, but it sets this car apart from the herd. You get nods and waves from other Wrangler drivers, mostly because you’re in a really rather select club, unlike the huge number of conventional SUV owners, all of whom seem to have an innate understanding of the hierarchy implied by their various models and specifications. 

Also, unlike the smooth, seamless flanks of contemporary Range Rovers, and even the new Defender, the Wrangler’s chunky panels would probably be improved by a dent or two. The Rubicon rides slightly higher than the Sahara model and has options such as a removable roof and doors. You can even fold the windscreen flat, should you so desire.

The interior might be full of tech, but it’s also full of reassuring buttons, dials and grab handles; no flush-fitting door handles here. Doors shut with a metallic thunk, rather than the hiss and click of a soft-closing mechanism, and there are little Jeep Easter eggs scattered around the interior for the eagle-eyed. Design elements like the contoured floor mats might seem a little twee in less competent hands, but with the Wrangler these touches don’t feel forced or inauthentic.

Whilst the rest of the Jeep range is part of the Stellantis blob of platform and tech-sharing, the Wrangler stands alone, high off the ground and defiantly old school in outlook. The Rubicon model is named for the famous 4x4 trail in the Sierra Nevada, still used by Jeep as a proving ground. As a result, the Wrangler is as good an off-roader as any production car on the market, a classic machine that has no need to cloak its raw ability in a sleek and glamorous shell. 

Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, from £63,125, Jeep.co.uk, @Jeep_UK