Does the four-cylinder suit this four-by-four?
Rubicon offers experience like no other SUV
Some vehicles come with a built-in fan club that you automatically join as soon as you roll off the lot. Think of it as a common thread between automotive outliers: groups of people different from the crowd but alike to each other in terms of their unusual choice of transportation, a gathering of individuals who were inclined to put their dollars down for reasons not necessarily listed on a window sticker or spec sheet.
Under this heading, one can find owners of the Mazda Miata, Harley-Davidson motorcycles and, of course, the Jeep Wrangler. It was the latter cohort that I spent a week impersonating under sunny Los Angeles skies behind the wheel of the two-door 2019 Wrangler Rubicon, the ne plus ultra edition of Jeep's unique off-roader.
With the top — and occasionally the windshield — down, I gratefully reciprocated the waves, nods and general enthusiasm from other Jeep owners, as well as total strangers who felt the need to approach me in parking lots or on the sidewalk to let me know just how cool my ride was.
I know, everyone. I know.
Yesterday meets today
Although completely redesigned the previous year, so much about the 2019 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon remains archaic. Up front, you'll find a sol- id axle to match the one at the rear, Dana 44 lockers that are paired with an ultra-low rock crawling gear set found in the vehicle's four-wheel drive system. Gigantic 33-inch rubber also makes knobby, momentary contact with the asphalt as you drive, contributing to the weaving-and-bobbing nature of the Rubicon's freeway cruise, and even with the soft top up it's a bit blustery inside the cabin in terms of noise.
Of course, there's also the matter of the Jeep's latest drivetrain: a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder that's good for 270 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. While it may come matched exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission (whereas the V6 can be had with a six-speed manual), it one-ups its larger sibling by a full 35 lb-ft of twist while promising 10.0 l/100 kms in combined driving — nearly 20 per cent better than the larger motor.
Turbo Jeep is the best Jeep
It may sound like sacrilege to prefer the tiny turbo four to the Wrangler's standard Pentastar V6, but I was regularly impressed with how well it surged forward through gaps in L.A. traffic, snail screaming, the eight-speed never letting me down or tripping itself up trying to find the correct gear. A fair portion of the unit's initial thrust is provided by another Wrangler first, a 22-horsepower electric motor that's married to the vehicle's 48-volt electrical system. It's only active for the faintest of half-seconds when getting on-throttle, and it's also tagged in as the starter for the automatic start/stop system, but it's a big part of why the four is less thirsty than the six despite being 0.3 seconds (6.5 in total) quicker to highway speeds.
Join the club
I'm perfectly willing to forgive the Wrangler its vices for the sole reason that it offers an experience completely unlike that of any other current SUV. I say this without even having taken the Rubicon out into the bush where it best displays its bona fides, because even around town the reactions to its bright red paint, open top and general adventure-friendly demeanour makes you the star of your own mini-movie about what exciting escapades might be right around the corner.
The verdict
Then there's the matter of price. While I wholeheartedly recommend the turbo, you'll pay $2,590 for the privilege of the more advanced motor and the eight-speed auto that goes with it (regardless of which trim level you select). This comes into play when considering that the sticker for the Rubicon I drove surpassed $55,000 (after an MSRP of $47,595).
If that might seem a bit too steep a joining fee, then don't worry — you can still get into Club Jeep for just over $30k in the form of the base Wrangler Sport, and bask in nearly the same level of camaraderie from almost every other owner you meet. And the ones who would look down on your from their jacked-up Rubicon tower? You wouldn't want to be their friend, anyway.