2019 Jeep Wrangler Reviews

Three of the best factory-prepped 4WDs in Australia go head to head in the bush, on sand, through water and up some very steep hills

The new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon is arguably one of the best factory-prepped off-roaders on the market. It's a real 4WD with a proud hard-core heritage, and the assumption is that the new version, the JL, is a very capable terrain tourer, straight out of the showroom.

Sure, it's built for the toughest of tough conditions, but can Jeep's Wrangler cut it as a family hauler? We put it to the weekend test to find out.

The Jeep Wrangler is a very capable 4WD with real bush credibility, there's no disputing that, but just how much does something like the line-up's mid-range variant, the 2019 Overland, rest on the laurels of the brand's 'Trail Rated' heritage?

The rugged Rubicon continues as the top trim level of the new JL Wrangler line-up, with the now four-door only model sitting $1000 above the equivalent Overland at $63,950.The Rubicon scores hardcore off-road gear like BF Goodrich mud terrain tyres, shorter 77.2:1low range gearing, front and rear diff locks with stronger axles and a swaybar disconnect system and chunky mud-terrain tyres. It also comes with a winch-ready steel front bumper not seen on the early-build examples pictured here.The Rubicon reverts to cloth seats, but comes with Rubicon bonnet, sturdy rock slider sidesteps, specific 17-inch alloys, black hardtop and wheelarches but retains the Overland’s AEB, bind-spot monitoring, active cruise control, Nine-speaker audio, LED lights, 230V inverter, bigger multimedia screen with sat nav, but adds off-road pages.The Rubicon is the only trim level to offer the option of the new 450Nm 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine. List pricing for the V6 petrol version is $63,950, but the diesel adds a full $5000 to cost $68,950.Official combined fuel consumption is listed at 7.5L/100km for the diesel, and 10.3L/100km for the petrol. These figures are aided by a new eight-speed automatic transmission and the addition of a stop-start system.

The Overland continues as the mid-range trim level of the new JL Wrangler line-up, with the two-door model sitting $9500 above the equivalent Sport S at $58,450.The Overland is also available as a four-door for $4500 extra at $62,950 and sits $9500 above the equivalent Sport S and $1000 below the equivalent Rubicon.For JL Wrangler, the Overland standard features list brings details like leather seats, colour-coded removable hardtop and wheelarches, 18-inch wheels, active cruise control, LED lights all round, proximity keys, nine-speaker Alpine audio, a bigger 8.4-inch multimedia screen with built-in sat nav, a 230V inverter in the back of the centre console and front parking sensors.The Overland also comes with AEB and blind-spot monitoring straight out of the box.Like all JL Wranglers bar the diesel version of the top-spec Rubicon, the Overland comes with a revised version of the JK’s 3.6-litre petrol V6 engine which produces the same 209kW/347Nm as before, but the two-door’s official combined fuel consumption figure is now 9.6L/100km (9.7L/100km four-door) thanks to weight savings, a new eight-speed automatic transmission and the addition of a stop-start system.

The Sport S is the new entry trim level to the new JL Wrangler line-up, with list pricing now $9,960 more expensive than the old Sport strarting price at $48,950.The JL Wrangler is an all-new design and comes with plenty of new features, so it arguably represents similar value to the JK.The Sport S is available in either two or four-door bodystyles, with the four-door costing $4500 more at $53,450.The Sport S standard feature list includes cloth seats and a soft roof with plastic windows, but does have a leather steering wheel, carpet on the floor and alloy wheels, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for the first time, albeit in the smaller 7.0-inch multimedia screen. It’s also got auto headlights and rear parking sensors.Note that the Sport S won’t get AEB and blind-spot monitoring until closer to the end of 2019.  Like all JL Wranglers bar the diesel version of the top-spec Rubicon, the Sport S comes with a revised version of the JK’s 3.6-litre petrol V6 engine which produces the same 209kW/347Nm as before, but the two-door’s official combined fuel consumption figure is now 9.6L/100km (9.7L/100km four-door) thanks to weight savings, a new eight-speed automatic transmission and the addition of a stop-start system.

A fast-setting sun, the temperature poised to plunge from 10 degrees, zero phone reception, we were halfway up the remote west coast of Tasmania at least an hour away from our destination and there was a Jeep Wrangler bogged up to the axles halting us in our tracks.If we were in a LandCruiser, Patrol or Defender, this would signal an opportunity to score some brand brownie points by saving the day with a snatch strap. But given this was our first taste of the new JL Wrangler on Australian soil and we were among almost a dozen other Wranglers queued up behind the bogged lead car, you’d forgive our hosting Jeep executives for feeling a tad nervous at this point. This sort of thing seldom happens on media events thanks to impeccable planning of every possible contingency.But reality couldn’t have been more contrary, with smiles all round as snatch straps, Maxtrax and a shovel were mobilised and all hands hit the deck to get us out of there.This is the thrill of off-roading and Jeeping at its very core, adhering to the popular mantra that you’re not going properly off-road until you get stuck.It probably sounds mad to 95 per cent of the car-buying public, but the anxiety of apparent failure followed by the elation of extrication can be one hell of a buzz.The longer this recovery takes, the greater the thrill, and this one took the best part of an hour, in professional hands, so we’d been pretty damn stuck.Given the new Wrangler had proven itself as arguably the most capable off-road vehicle straight out of the box at it’s international launch on the infamous Rubicon Trail in the US last year, we should also take pride in the fact that it took Aussie soil to halt it.But how does it go on Aussie bitumen, in local spec? Read on.

It's taken 11 years for Jeep to put together the new Wrangler. Does it live up to the badge?