What's the difference?
The first two things any new starter who arrives in the design department of Jeep’s headquarters in Ohio is told are, 1) The bathrooms are here and, 2) Don’t change the Wrangler.
Okay, I made that up, but it’s probably not far from the truth, because the Wrangler isn’t just iconic for Jeep, but iconic for the entire car world in a similar way to the Porsche 911 and the Ford Mustang.
The Jeep Wrangler is the equivalent of a Hollywood superstar - the Clint Eastwood of the car world - with its design that stretches all the way back to the iconic little off-roader purpose-built for the US Army in World War II.
So, how do you make changes without changing the recipe? Well, the Wrangler has been updated and we went to the Aussie launch to see what’s changed.
Before the 1980s, when air travel was expensive, the humble Australian family car had to be able to tow a big boat or caravan in order to take the brood on holidays across our vast, sunburnt land.
Many turned to oversized American barges, like the Dodge Phoenix and the Pontiac Parisienne. People loved their massive dimensions, huge interiors, endless torque and look-at-me status.
And guess what? They still do. And even the same carmakers remain today, thanks to Chrysler’s Ram 2500/3500 Heavy Duty (HD) – which grew out of Dodge – and General Motors’ Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD.
Now, the Ram HDs, which were also the first of the modern American remanufactured trucks in Australia back in 2015, have come in for an overhaul.
How do the latest 2500/3500 stack up? Keep reading.
The changes to this updated Jeep Wrangler are small but meaningful. The inclusion of airbags, the updated media screen, and a feisty engine which suits the plucky nature of this off-roader make it a better Wrangler than ever.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.
If you're a grey nomad with a massive caravan searching for something to do the big lap in, or a big boater seeking an effortless weekend getaway machine, then this sort of ute makes sense. The HD series shows just how much more muscle is available, for those who genuinely need it.
But if towing or hauling to the max isn’t your priority, then the far-more dynamic – and class-leading – Ram 1500 series does everything else with much-greater aplomb.
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.