The new Jeep Wrangler is not only one of the chunkiest vehicles you can buy but also the only genuine five-seat convertible on the Irish market!
Okay, when I say convertible I mean it in the broadest sense, as in converting it to let the sun in takes a while and can’t be done at the push of a button. You will need to read the manual and be a bit mechanically minded to tackle the job but boy oh boy it’s worth it.
The chunky long wheelbase Wrangler can not only lose its top but a lot more besides. The iconic Jeep can shed its top panels, 4 doors and even the windscreen as it folds down! What you’re left with is a pure toy that you have to love.
My earliest memory of the Jeep Wrangler was from the hit comedy show ‘Mork and Mindy’ where it featured in the title sequence as Mindy’s transport. The show launched the career of the very talented Robin Williams who literally burst on our screens with his rainbow braces and the new greeting of ‘Na-Nu Na-Nu’. Ah the good old days and guess what they’re here again, as the driving experience is very retro.
Driving a Wrangler will break your heart if you expect it to be as easy to live with.
The Jeep is huge and requires a fair bit of work to get it around the place. It has impeccable off road credentials and vastly improved on-road manners, but car-like its not. The power plant is a 2.8 litre diesel that with encouragement can move the beast along but sadly without much vigour. While it is a vastly better car than the old Wrangler the new vehicle is not exactly precise in the handling stakes and similar to a Land Rover Defender. Wrangler is as thirsty as a 70s Ford Capri and the driving position puts you very close to the steering wheel airbag, not to mention the dashboard, which is really just part of the bulkhead. Behind the wheel I feel more like a trucker than a car driver!
The five-seat Jeep is a hoot however and versatile. The rear door has a glass section that pops up with lower part of the tailgate opening like a door with the handle on the passenger side. It makes sense when you consider the rear glass and boot lid as such can be removed completely. Integrated in the chassis design is a roll cage that features speakers for the rear passengers. If you do venture off road you have the added protection of the roll over cage and when door-less you will still be able to blast out the sounds from the CD stereo.
On the road Wrangler is stiff and hard on the spine. Its large tyres, despite having a high profile do not help cushion the overly firm ride.
After a week driving on every road imaginable in Ireland and over 1400km I need something more comfortable on my back and easier at the pumps.
Wrangler is silly but fun, I just wish I lived in the Rockies!
