2018 Wrangler Unlimited does it all
Latest version of the iconic off-roader adds new-found refinement on the pavement
Over the years, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited has earned an iconic status for its go-anywhere ability. This year, it’s all new, the significance of which should not be overlooked — it now has better utility, flexibility and it’s no longer a massive compromise. In the past, the off-road focus made the on-road experience rather jarring. That is no longer the case. Sure, it looks similar to the outgoing ride, but the updated styling and use of LED lighting puts a modern spin on things.
The new Unlimited is longer, wider and it now rides on a stretched wheelbase — at 3,008-millimetres in length, it’s up 61 mm, which means more back-seat legroom and a bump in the cargo capacity. It’s now rated at 890 litres with the 60/60-split/folding seats up and 2,005L with them flat. The floor does rise slightly toward the front seats, but it is fully functional and has the needed tie-downs along with a small underfloor storage bin.
Folding the windshield forward, removing the Freedom panels and rear roof section, along with the new aluminum doors is easier than ever before, making the transition from hardtop wagon to openair buggy a simple proposition — it comes with the tools required and fewer attachments to wrangle. The beauty is there’s still a full roll cage left when devoid of the body bits.
The only sacrifice to the ability to remove much of the body is a little more wind noise at highway speeds and the power-window switch placement — they sit in the centre stack and somewhat out of the way.
Inside, the Sahara arrives nicely attired, but it does need some options to round out its plusher side. The tester arrived with the Cold Weather group ($895), which adds a heated steering wheel and front seats, leather buckets ($995), and the Uconnect 4C infotainment system ($1,395), with navigation and a solid Alpine sound system. The beauty of the last option is the ease of use. It is the most intuitive infotainment system on the market, doing anything from pairing a phone or punching in a destination to accessing Apple Car- Play or Android Auto makes it the model of simplicity.
As for the driver’s lot, it still has a sit-up-and-beg driving position, which is best when off-road, but the on-road sightlines are now better, and blindspot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert along with a reverse sensing system is now offered in the Safety-Tec group ($845). Frankly, it should be standard.
One of the biggest improvements is the on-road ride quality. Gone is the jarring suspension in favour of a setup that smooths the way without introducing unwanted body roll. It’s also more responsive and sharper to the feel. No, it’s not sports-car-like, but it has much better stability and on-road civility, which, after a week, proved to be most welcome.
For the diehard off-roader, the better suspension and larger footprint does not hurt the backwoods ability — the approach, departure and breakover angles, as well as the ground clearance, are all slightly better. This lot, when combined with the tight turning circle, means the agility is as good as before, and this in spite of the longer wheelbase. It all makes for a better off-road experience. For those that care, the Wrangler Unlimited is Trail Rated, meaning it passes the traction, ground clearance, offroad articulation, maneuverability and water-fording tests from the Nevada Automotive Test Center (NATC). The water fording is rated at a maximum of 762 mm.
The one thing that carries over is the 3.6-litre V6 engine. It’s rated at 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. It now works with a new eightspeed automatic transmission ($1,595) — a six-speed manual is standard. The broader ratio range makes much better use of the engine’s power than the old five-speed auto. As such, the launch is crisper, and the mid-range stronger, which brings an athletic run to 100 kilometres an hour of 7.2 seconds, and it has an easy highway demeanour. The automatic is quick to shift when left to its own devices, and it has a manual mode, which will likely only be used when off-road.
The intriguing option is the 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder with Jeep’s eTorque system. It pumps out 270 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft of torque. It is down slightly in hp, but the torque is stronger and shows up much earlier, which means better usable power. It also promises better fuel economy — the test rig’s V6 returned an average of 13.3 litres per 100 kilometres, which is pretty thirsty. All Unlimited models arrive with Jeep’s Command-Trac 4x4 system. The smart money will pick the Selec-Trac ($795), system. It moves things from part-time to full-time and offers two-wheel drive, four-wheel Auto, fourwheel Lock and four-low with a 2.72:1 crawl ratio. The Auto setting sees the system switch between two- and four-wheel drive as needed, and it does so seamlessly. There’s also a neutral position, which allows the Unlimited to be flat-towed behind another vehicle.
The outgoing Wrangler Unlimited was all about compromise. Its awesome off-road ability meant suffering when driving on road. That, as noted, is no longer the case. In both disciplines it is now significantly better with much more refinement regardless of the terrain.