Jeep Wrangler Review & Prices

The Wrangler is Jeep’s longest-standing model. It’s a big, tough 4x4 that’s most at home off-road, with iconic styling and lots of charm, but it’s noisy, uncomfortable around town and offers little practicality for its large size.

Seeing a Wrangler on the road is like finding an old Nokia 3310 at the back of your cupboard. It’s innately familiar, instantly recognisable and puts a massive smile on your face - plus you know it’s just about the toughest thing ever made.

But just like an old Nokia, there are far sleeker, easier to use and smarter alternatives on the scene. In the (shockingly expensive) Wrangler’s case, that list includes the similarly-priced Land Rover Defender and the more spacious Discovery, the more expensive Toyota Land Cruiser and even the much cheaper Subaru Forester. If an agricultural car is your vibe, however, the Ineos Grenadier is also available.

None, however, look anywhere near as cool as the Wrangler does with its upright body, enormous wheel arches, exposed tyres and iconic seven-slot grille. The Ineos Grenadier comes close, but it’s oddly generic for such a boxy, stand-out car.

Sure, the Wrangler’s boot-mounted spare wheel, externally-hinged doors and diving-board front bumper are inelegant, but who cares? It’s like a life-sized RC rock crawler, and the Jeep looks awesome as a result.

An added bonus? You can have a Wrangler with a full-length retractable sunroof, a pair of (manually) removable targa tops or even an entirely removable soft top - winners on a summer day.

Step inside and, on the surface, the cabin looks like the right blend of retro and modern. Once you start poking and prodding, however, you’ll soon realise that the Wrangler’s interior lags behind its alternatives for refinement. It doesn’t feel cheap, but you’d hope for a slicker infotainment system, fewer scratchy plastics and more comfortable seats for a car of this price.

As a result of this old school look, the widescreen 12.3-inch infotainment display in our test car looked a bit out of place in the Wrangler’s cabin, and annoyingly it wouldn’t dim at night; blindingly bright against the all-black dashboard, while the driver’s display wasn’t bright enough in direct sunlight.

Unfortunately, its old-fashioned shape means you get old-fashioned interior space - as in, there isn’t very much. Even up front, you sit far closer to your passenger than you’d expect from an SUV with such a large footprint, while the close windscreen, tight footwell and shallow windows mean the Jeep feels very cosy inside.

Back-seat passengers don’t have a much better time, with little under-thigh support, a lack of storage and the car’s heavily-clad crash-structure all contributing to a sparse, yet hemmed-in sensation. The 548-litre boot is well-sized on paper, but the aforementioned safety cage gets in the way of bulky items, as does the subwoofer. Pop the targa tops in their dedicated carrier bag and they’ll take up the entire boot floor area, too.

The split-opening tailgate sounds great, a la Range Rover and BMW X5, but you can’t flip-up the Wrangler’s glass without swinging the side-hinged lower boot out first, which is impractical in tight parking spaces.

Speaking of which, the Wrangler really isn’t great around town. That’s nothing to do with the engine, however, because the 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol unit makes for surprisingly peppy progress at low speeds. It feels a bit diesel-like, taking a moment for the enormous turbocharger to kick in, but the eight-speed automatic gearbox is quick and does a good job of keeping you in the engine’s power range.

We averaged 18.6mpg during our time with the Jeep, which is poor in the grand scheme, but to be expected from a heavy off-roader.

It’s the rest of the Jeep’s manners in the city which leave a lot to be desired. You may sit high up, but the tall, flat bonnet, shallow windows and knowledge that the wheel arches protrude far from the bodywork rob you of any confidence on tight streets. The turning circle is poor, as is the rear-view camera, and you get bounced around on rough roads by the unsophisticated suspension.

Things get worse on the motorway, because driving the Wrangler at high speeds is akin to sitting in a shed while a hurricane blows past. The wind noise in our targa model was prodigious, and the road noise from the huge tyres is very noticeable. Country lanes are best taken at a sedate pace, with noticeable body lean and the vague steering making it a tricky car to place on a tight road.

Point the Wrangler’s bluff front end at a green lane or an off-road course, however, and you’re in for an absolute treat. With good mud tyres fitted, the Wrangler will conquer almost any terrain in our marsh-like countryside, hanging on at ridiculous angles and bucking over crests which would be impossible for most other cars to conquer.

The one-star Euro NCAP safety rating is appalling, to be honest, so if you’re after a big, tough SUV to keep your loved ones safe - look elsewhere. It’s worth noting that the result has since expired, too, though with tests getting stricter over the years it’s unlikely to improve if retested today

Jeep offered a five-year, 75,000-mile warranty on the Wrangler - so late models will still be within the coverage period. The Toyota Land Cruiser, however, leads the way among alternatives with a 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty, provided you maintain annual servicing.

For all of its flaws, the Wrangler is one of the most charming cars on the road. For a refreshingly analogue, go-anywhere driving experience, check out the latest Jeep Wrangler deals on Carwow, as well as Wrangler lease offers and used Wranglers for sale. Other used Jeep models are available, and Carwow can also help you sell your car when the time comes.

Sadly the Wrangler isn’t available to order anymore, but there are stock examples floating around at Jeep dealers. Be prepared for a shock though, because with a starting price of £63,500, the Wrangler was a pricey proposition at the end of its UK run.

The Sahara is the more road-biased trim level, with 18-inch alloy wheels, body-colour wheel arch extensions, non-locking front differential and a gearbox transfer case which allows for motorway cruising at a relatively low RPM.

For the off-road enthusiasts among you, the Rubicon model is the more hard-core version to consider. Smaller 17-inch wheels for larger, knobblier tyres, locking differentials at both ends, a higher-ratio transfer case for easier rock-crawling, hill-climbing and descent control make up the mechanical differences. The black plastic wheel arches are less susceptible to scratches from branches and brambles along our countryside routes, too.

Both versions come equipped with the 12.3-inch infotainment system, 7.0-inch driver display, active cruise control, heated front seats and steering wheel, Alpine sound system, as well as keyless entry-and-go.