Price: NIS 449,000
Competitors: Ford Bronco, Land Cruiser, Ineos Grenadier
Loved: Excellent off-road capability, timeless design, improvements in the cabin, countless upgrade options
Disliked: Price, comfort, and road refinement. The cabin isn't luxurious
Rating: 8/10
The meticulous fuss over changing the Jeep's front grille might seem petty, bordering on bizarre, but in America, it's a big deal. Every change in the design of the national icon must be considered and careful, so as not to upset the brand's fans. The village elders still remember the YJ model that replaced the classic CJ7 in 1986; customers loudly protested the square headlights, and as a result, the next model returned to the round, more human-looking headlights.
As a lesson from that event, Jeep designers are very conservative when it comes to seemingly minor design details, as well as important components like the ladder frame and live axles. Because of this, the Wrangler's facelift is very minimal, and only the sharp-eyed will notice the external changes. Inside the cabin, more significant changes were made. Revised mechanics, engines, suspensions, axles? Forget about it. These are traditional features that no one dares to upgrade.
Design: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," the Americans say, and that's how they approached the design of the Wrangler. The facelift is reflected in a redesigned front grille. Instead of 7 air vents separated by vertical metal bars, the new grille stretches across the entire front, with the seven slots represented by prominent plastic strips in the air intake. The aesthetic change is minor, but the Americans explain that it increases the grille area and improves engine cooling.
The front grille is the only visible change. The test vehicle looks very rugged because it was loaded with a long list of accessories totaling NIS 41,750. The most important addition is a front metal bumper + winch + underbody protection. This is a worthy package costing NIS 16,300, alongside other accessories that are not all necessary: snorkel, coffee tray and metal shelf above the trunk, tow hook, dashcam, unnecessary headlight guards. Regardless of the facelift, I really love the iconic design of the Wrangler. It conveys functional toughness, faithfully preserving the classic DNA that was born in World War II. Even today, you can remove the roof and doors, but it's a feature that very few Jeep enthusiasts actually use.
Cabin: The cabin also remains, more or less, as it was: cramped and quite spartan. The standout change is a 12.3-inch multimedia screen replacing the previous 7.0-inch one. The new screen is beautifully integrated into the dashboard, which received new leather trim (instead of exposed metal). In the higher-end models, the sound system was upgraded to Alpine with 8 speakers + subwoofer, which manage to overcome wind and tire noise during intercity driving. The Wrangler is spacious enough for four beefy passengers, with plenty of cargo space. The rear metal shelf is very useful but costs NIS 3,030. There are few storage compartments, most of them quite small.
To our great delight, the physical controls remained in place. There are large dials for operating the air conditioner and sound, waterproof in case it starts raining while you're traveling without the roof. There's Apple CarPlay, but for Android Auto, you'll need a charging cable. A major novelty is the electric seat adjustment for the front seats; the hum of the electric motor replaces the need to pull a primitive canvas strap to adjust the backrest angle. The test vehicle had leather upholstery, but I personally prefer the fabric upholstery of the 'Sport' model.
The test vehicle boasts a new and higher safety spec than before: autonomous emergency braking (only when driving forward), adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, road sign recognition, and pedestrian detection. There's no active lane-keeping, just an annoying Mobileye alert, which isn't suitable for a vehicle that costs close to NIS 500,000. There are also 6 airbags. This upgrade came after the current generation received a poor 1 out of 5 rating in the European crash test, accompanied by a promise of improvements in passive safety. We eagerly await the test results of the updated version.
Engine Performance, Fuel Consumption: Worldwide, the Wrangler is offered with a range of engines: a 3.6-liter petrol or a mighty V8, diesel, or plug-in hybrid. In Israel, the importer offers only the 2.0-liter turbo petrol engine, with Italian roots (the Gladiator pickup comes with a 3.6-liter 6-cylinder naturally aspirated engine). The 2.0-liter engine has sparked considerable opposition among large engine enthusiasts, with concerns that the 4-cylinder engine wouldn't handle the rigors of off-road driving.
But the truth is, the European engine performs quite well - it delivers 270 hp and 40.8 kgm, giving the Wrangler entirely respectable performance: 7.6 seconds from 0 to 100, which is much more than needed for such a vehicle. It's hard for me to fall in love with the high-revving sound of the engine during hard acceleration; it sounds more like a muscular supermini than a Jeep ready to climb mountains. But it turns out to be a worthy engine, achieving 7.5-10.0 km/liter, depending on the driving pace. Considering the Wrangler's brick-like aerodynamics, that's a very reasonable figure; certainly compared to the Ford Bronco. Parallel imports of Wranglers are ongoing in Israel, offering a wider selection of petrol and plug-in hybrid engines.
Comfort and Road Handling: The Wrangler has components that greatly assist in off-road conditions but hinder road handling and ride comfort: ladder frame, two live axles, 33-inch off-road tires - these don't allow the Rubicon to be a refined and stable road vehicle. In the current version, acoustic insulation has been improved, but you still have to raise your voice during intercity driving. The vehicle can cruise at highway speeds, but it doesn't sit comfortably in its lane, requiring frequent steering corrections. The long-travel suspension allows for significant body lean in fast corners, and under hard braking, it dives forward. It turns out that maintaining off-road capabilities prevents the Wrangler from being a refined road vehicle. But the truth is, it's worth sacrificing some road comfort if you know where you're headed - the Rubicon is a fantastic machine for fast trail driving, rock crawling, or climbing the occasional peak.
Off-Road: Everything we've written so far was just a prelude to the highlight of the Wrangler Rubicon - extremely high off-road capabilities. The ladder frame and live axles become your best friends, as do the off-road tires sized 285/70R17. These tires are resistant to sidewall pinching, provide excellent grip, and can be deflated by 10-15 PSI without fear of damage. I look with satisfaction at the abundance of mechanical levers protruding from the central console: a real lever to operate the transfer case, which includes all the necessary options, a handbrake perfectly suited for off-road work. The gear lever remains classic in operation, short and thick - all this exudes the scent of professional off-road driving, with minimal chance of electrical failures that would prevent you, for example, from engaging 'low' when approaching a challenging obstacle.
Electric switches operate two differential locks, a third allows disconnecting the stabilizer bar to improve the front suspension's travel. There's no doubt this is a true off-road vehicle, one of the toughest around. After lowering the tire pressure to 25 PSI, the Wrangler was quick and comfortable, smugly devouring technical rutted trails, and it's also a skilled dune fox. The off-road champion is the 'Rubicon,' but it's important to know that even the basic 'Sport' Wrangler has excellent off-road capabilities, better than most of the urban SUVs still with us. There's also a short 3-door Wrangler, but with the official importer, it only comes in 'Rubicon' trim, costing NIS 400,000. There's no significant saving here.
Bottom Line: The Jeep Wrangler is an old-school off-road vehicle that refuses to change, maintaining its place at the top of off-road vehicles. Despite the fierce competition posed by its arch-rival, the Ford Bronco, the Wrangler is sold in much larger numbers in America: in the first half of 2024, about 77,000 Wranglers were sold in the U.S., while Ford sold only about 50,000 Broncos. If we add a few thousand Gladiators to that, we can conclude that the American public continues to be in love with the iconic Jeep, despite Ford overcoming production difficulties and issues that accompanied the Bronco's birth.
In Israel, however, the ratio is reversed: since the beginning of the year, 276 Broncos hit the roads compared to 198 Wranglers and 17 Gladiators. Perhaps the facelift will change the ratio.
In the high price range of NIS 400,000-450,000, the Jeep Wrangler is a very expensive vehicle, especially considering its level of finish and road refinement. The Wrangler is not just another urban SUV you can fall in love with for its looks and drive around city streets. It's rugged and noisy, with ride comfort below today's standards. As a road vehicle, it can't compete with crossovers that cost half as much, but for those who truly want to explore off-road and take advantage of this iconic off-road machine, the Wrangler is an excellent choice. It's durable, reliable, free of false pretenses, and can be upgraded in any direction you choose. The facelift added bonus points to the interior of this American icon, and just for that, we applaud it.
Technical Specifications: Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Engine: Turbocharged 4-cylinder gasoline, 1,995 cc
Maximum power (HP): 270/5,250
Maximum torque (kg-m): 40.8/3,000
Transmission, drivetrain: 8-speed transmission, rear-wheel drive, 4X4 for road and off-road, low-range gear
Off-Road:
Ground clearance (cm): 27.4
Approach/Departure angles (degrees): 43.9 / 37
Off-road aids: Electronic traction control, front and rear differential lock, disconnecting stabilizer bar
Dimensions:
Length (meters): 4.755
Width (meters): 1.877
Height (meters): 1.90
Wheelbase (meters): 3.01
Trunk volume (liters): 897
Tires: 285/70R17
Curb weight (kg): 2,088
Performance (manufacturer):
0-100 km/h (seconds): 7.6
Top speed (km/h): 159
Fuel consumption, manufacturer (km/l): 10.2
Fuel consumption, intercity test (km/l): 7.5-11.0
Warranty:
3 years or 100,000 km
Image processing: Dudi Moskowitz