The two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon exists for a very specific reason: to have a lot of fun off-roading on terrain few other standard 4WDs are able to tackle.
Along with vehicles such as Suzuki’s Jimny and Toyota’s LandCruiser 70 Series, the short-wheelbase Rubicon exists within a thin market niche within a niche. This is a purpose-built hard-core body-on-frame 4WD with very few, if any, concessions to comfort, safety or even common sense.
But there big news is that it’s been updated: less power, more torque with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine replacing the beloved V6 petrol, a damage- and scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass windscreen, a 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system, Nappa leather seats and a forward-facing Trailcam.
So, is this new-engined shorty Rubicon in updated form your ticket to dirty fun?
Read on.
Massive $25,000 price cut for 4x4 ute! Jeep Gladiator prices slashed before facelifted version of alternative Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Mitsubishi Triton rival arrives
Jeep Cherokee replacement coming within a year: CEO leaves little doubt when hinting at incoming "mainstream" mid-size SUV to rival Toyota RAV4 and GWM Haval H6
Major brand's cheap new EV locked in: 2027 Jeep Renegade electric car to undercut the MG4, BYD, Dolphin and GWM Ora
Jeep Wrangler 2024: Rubicon (4X4) 2 Door
| Engine Type | Inline 4, 2.0L |
|---|---|
| Fuel Type | |
| Fuel Efficiency | 9.9L/100km (combined) |
| Seating | 4 |
| Price From | $82,950 |
| Safety Rating |
|
Price and features – Does it represent good value for the price? What features does it come with? 7/10
The two-door four-seat Jeep Wrangler is only available in top-spec Rubicon guise. It has a list price of $82,950, excluding on-road costs. This Jeep has no real direct competitor and while its price-tag seems high for a vehicle with such a limited focus, this is a specialised and well-equipped off-roader with a legion of fans who believe it's worth it.
Standard features now include, as per the update, a 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system, Nappa leather seats, a forward-facing Trailcam, Gorilla Glass windscreen, 17-inch alloy wheels, and more.
Exterior paint choices include Bright White (standard) or Black, Granite Crystal, Sarge, Firecracker Red, Hydro Blue, Silver Zynith, High Velocity, Earl, Anvil, Tuscadero – all options. Premium paint is $1490.
Design – Is there anything interesting about its design? 7/10
The two-door Rubicon is 4334mm long (with a 2459mm wheelbase), 1894mm wide and 1879mm high.
The classic look has, for better or worse, remained essentially the same as it has for decades – blocky, straight up and down with big wheel arches … distinctive – but some minor tweaks have been introduced into the design mix this time.
The brand’s seven-slot grille now has metallic-look trim around each slot and bigger mesh inserts, marginally softer lines about the exterior here and there, and the cabin has a more modern feel to it than previous examples did.
Speaking of the cabin, the Wrangler Rubicon has low-key stylish trim boosted by Nappa leather and red stitching and its distinctive roll-over cage and removable roof.
The Rubicon has a striking appearance – like it or loathe it – and while few other new standard 4WDs grab the attention of everyone, this Jeep does just that.
Practicality – How practical is its space and tech inside? 7/10
The Rubicon interior has always received well-deserved praise for its durability and suitability for adventure and the outdoors life.
But while it is designed to cop dirt, mud, sand and the general messiness of an action-packed life, the two-door four-seat Rubicon’s interior remains a snug – almost too snug – space. The bulkiness of the roll cage and pillars encroaches on headroom and elsewhere the short-wheelbase Rubicon’s limited physical dimensions impact shoulder, leg, knee and foot room but not to a diabolical degree, especially if you’re a Hobbit like me.
On the plus side though, everything that should feel solid does (like the grab handles), and all dials, knobs and switches are easy to quickly locate and operate while traversing all types of terrain.
Jeep has always applied to the Rubicon quietly clever ideas, such as tensioned net pockets on the doors and in the seat-backs, and deep small-storage spaces with textured, grippy bases.
Upfront there are USB ports – a USB-A and a USB-C upfront, and two USB-A and two USB-C ports in the second row ports – as well as a 230V outlet upfront and in the rear, directional air vents, and cup holders in the centre console.
In terms of packability, this short-wheelbase Rubicon comes up, well, short. There’s not a lot of room inside for people, as mentioned earlier, so throwing extra gear into this Jeep’s cabin is a big ask.
When all four seats are in use, rear cargo space – listed as 365L – is really limited to only copping a few bags for an overnight trip.
Access to the rear is via a side-hinged tailgate, which opens from left to right, and it has a full-sized spare mounted to it.
Under the bonnet – What are the key stats for its engine and transmission? 7/10
As mentioned earlier, the V6 Pentastar petrol engine has been dropped and replaced by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine – producing 200kW (9kW less than the V6) at 3000-4500rpm and 400Nm (53Nm more than the V6) at 3000-4500rpm – and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The new combination is a quietly effective teaming; smooth, lively, and punchy, with plenty of torque on tap.
Befitting its rock-crawling status, the Rubicon has a full complement of off-roading mechanicals and driver-assist tech, including on-demand four-wheel drive (with high- and low-range gearing), live axles front and rear, as well as front and rear locking differentials, and a swaybar disconnect.
Driving – What's it like to drive? 7/10
The two-door Rubicon is rather ordinary to drive on sealed surfaces, but it isn’t anywhere near as diabolical as some people would have you believe.
This is a purpose-built off-roader with a wide wheel track and low centre of gravity, so it feels solid on bitumen and dirt in equal measure.
However, you do have to drive it with full focus and give yourself time to get used to some if its more quirky aspects if you aren’t already familiar with them. There is plenty of play in the steering, lots of on-road floatiness and body roll, and this Rubicon – tipping the scales at 1977kg tare weight (listed) and measuring 4334mm long (with a 2459mm wheelbase), 1894mm wide and 1879mm high – can be an unpredictable unit.
You need to micro-manage this shorty 4WD at all times. It’s like driving a go-kart, but more fun and – bonus – it’s street legal.
If you’re steering it, this short-wheelbase Rubicon demands your constant attention – but that’s a fun characteristic I appreciate and that it shares with only a few other vehicles such as the Suzuki Jimny and Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series.
However, as fun as it is, this kind of fully engaged driving experience – requiring laser-focus concentration to keep a vehicle on target – asks a lot of the driver and does become tiring (nay, exhausting) after long stints on the road or off of it.
Beyond that though, this Rubicon, with a track-tight turning circle of 10m, is a nicely manoeuvrable vehicle around town (for swift turnarounds and easy parking) in the suburbs and even along overgrown bush tracks – but more about that soon.
Wrangler fans who have bemoaned the loss of the Pentastar V6 needn’t have worried. The new four-cylinder engine delivers a gutsy punch of acceleration when needed and is nicely matched to the eight-speed auto. It’s also smoother, more refined and less noisy than before.
The solid-axle Rubicon has a suspension set-up – including coil springs at every corner – that soaks up most bumps in the road, and that makes for impressive levels of driver and passenger comfort.
This little purpose-built rock-crawler is solidly built and it can get noisy when you’re inside of it as it rumbles along a road or track – no surprise because it does have a boxy body, big wing mirrors and chunky mud-terrain tyres. Part of the experience, part of the fun, I reckon.
So, how does it go off-road? Bloody well, as usual.
The Rubicon is a genuine 4WD with a dual-range transfer case, a ladder chassis, solid axles, well-established 4WD heritage and its boosted by driver-assist tech. It’s immediately more at home taking on low-speed 4WDing than it is negotiating suburban traffic, shopping centre car parks or city streets.
I’ve driven Rubicons in pretty much every kind of challenging off-road situation – sand, steep rain-slick rocky hills, deep mud holes, swollen water crossings – and they’ve never disappointed.
These Jeeps are some of the few modern-day 4WDs engineered with an off-road focus that offers few concessions to anything other than dirt-track fun – the only vehicles in the same realm are the aforementioned Jimny, 70 Series, and even the likes of the Ford Ranger Raptor and Ineos Grenadier.
Steering in the chopped Rubicon retains a nice weight and feel to it during 4WDing, staying precise as needed, offering the driver a great sense of sustained control through even severe terrain.
Its planted stance gives the Rubicon a distinct composure and its suspension – with a coil spring at each corner – helped it to take the sting out of every dirt-road corrugation on the way to my unofficial 4WD testing and proving ground.
As mentioned earlier, anyone worried about the V6 being dropped should calm down. The new engine is a lively and punchy unit – even livelier than the V6 – and offers up ample smoothly-delivered torque across a wide spread of revs, ideal for high- and low-range 4WDing.
When you switch to 4L and drop the revs, it’s easy to squeeze the most out of this new engine. Considered driving is necessary as is slow and steady throttle, but that's easily achieved in this Rubicon and it was never overworked even when the terrain became very challenging.
This Jeep has a well-calibrated off-road traction control system but if you need even more terrain-grabbing magic, it has front and rear diff locks, and a front sway-bar disconnect system, which helps to unlock even more articulation, and let those tyres stretch to the ground for all-important traction.
The Rubicon also has Selec-Speed Control (an adjustable low-speed cruise control for 4WDing that can be set between 1.0-8.0km/h), and Off-Road+, which adjusts throttle and traction control, among other systems, to best suit the terrain.
What’s also handy about the Rubicon is that, via the off-road pages on the multimedia screen, you can monitor your 4x4 system, as well as vehicle steering angle, pitch and roll, and the status of the diff locks and the swaybar disconnect system.
The two-door Rubicon has a listed 257mm of ground clearance and 760mm wading depth. While I didn’t experience any water crossings that deep this time, I did do plenty of driving on coastal sand, just inland from a beach, and there were deep rutted sections, so I saw clear evidence of its running clearance.
When it comes to approach, departure and ramp-over angles, the higher the number the better and the short-wheelbase Rubicon checks out with listed measurements of 44, 37, 27.8 degrees respectively, and this small 4WD climbs up and over even steep rocky hills with sharp crests, without ever being in danger of scraping the earth with its front, under-carriage or its back end.
The Rubicon rides on BFGoodrich Mud-Terrain KM2 (255/75R17) tyres – real muddies – and those are strapped to 17-inch alloys. These are good tyres and the 17-inch set-up is good for off-roading.
The shorty Rubicon is not a big vehicle and so its Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM, 2404kg) and Gross Combined Mass (GCM, 3751kg) are not massive figures.
It’s not renowned as a towing platform of note but it pays to know that its tongue download is 150kg, towing capacity is 750kg (unbraked) and 1497kg (braked).
Efficiency – What is its fuel consumption? What is its driving range? 7/10
The Wrangler Rubicon has listed fuel consumption of 9.9L/100km on a combined cycle.
On this test I recorded 10.8L/100km between fills, but I did a chunk of low-range 4WDing and the new 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine was never working hard.
The two-door Rubicon has a 66-litre fuel tank so, going by my on-test fuel figures, you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 610km from a full tank.
Warranty & Safety Rating
Safety – What safety equipment is fitted? What is its safety rating? 7/10
The Jeep Wrangler range has a three-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2019.
The rating is not up to scratch in this day and age, but the Rubicon does have onboard a full suite of safety gear including six airbags (two dual-front, two side, two side curtain), as well as auto emergency braking (city and inter-urban) blind spot warning, adaptive cruise control and front and rear parking sensors.
Ownership – What warranty is offered? What are its service intervals? What are its running costs? 6/10
The Wrangler is covered by Jeep's five-year/100,000km warranty – that’s sub-standard compared to the baseline five year/unlimited km warranty.
Service intervals are recommended every 12 months and 12,000km with capped-price servicing set at $399 a pop.
If you have your Rubicon serviced at a Jeep outlet then lifetime roadside assistance is on the cards.
Verdict
The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is a hardcore purpose-built 4WD with very few concessions to comfort, safety and common sense.
And that’s a good thing, especially in an increasingly cosseted world.
The two-door short-wheelbase Rubicon is a near-perfect off-road machine: short low-range gearing, mud terrain tyres, front and rear diff locks, and swaybar-disconnect, all combine to make the Rubicon a ready-to-go 4WD weapon.
If you’re shaking your head in disappointment at the Rubicon’s unpredictable on-road manners, lack of refinement and three-star ANCAP safety rating, then you’re missing the point entirely: it’s truckloads of fun.
But the reasons it’s so much fun are also the reasons some people might not like to live with the short-wheelbase Rubicon day to day: it’s a dialled-in driving experience that’s equal parts engaging and exhausting.
It mightn’t make much sense – if any at all – as a daily driver, but if you’re after pure real-world 4WD capability and truckloads of fun then you can’t ignore the two-door version of the Rubicon.
Pricing Guides
Range and Specs
| Vehicle | Specs | Price* |
|---|---|---|
| Rubicon (4X4) 2 Door | 3.6L, 8 SPEED AUTOMATIC | $83,950 |
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Comments