Jeep Wrangler: 2019 Motor Trend SUV of the Year Finalist

WE LIKE Drives better, rides better, easier to take apart

WE DON’T LIKE Soggy V-6 torque, loud interior

“With the roof open and the wind in your hair, early Beatles playing on the radio, it takes you back to that golden childhood you never really had,” Kim Reynolds said, stepping out of the Jeep Wrangler Sahara. “It’s a bit like driving a classic car.”

The Wrangler generated a lot of philosophical thought among the judges. After all, how do you judge a vehicle that’s nothing like anything else on the market—an actual SUV in the purest (purist’s) sense?

“Icon is a much-abused term, but it’s difficult to describe the Jeep Wrangler any other way,” Angus MacKenzie said. “This is an SUV whose style is substance; the Wrangler looks the way it does because of what it does. The advancement in design is in the minutiae, the tiny details that make it more useable, more capable.”

Same goes for engineering excellence, which manifests in features like the detachable anti-roll bar on the Rubicon model or the removable side panels on the Sahara. “The genius of this Jeep is that it can be configured to suit the off-roading ambitions of neophyte and expert alike and deliver an experience that will reward them both,” MacKenzie said.

Even icons aren’t perfect, though. We found the V-6 engine coarse and underwhelming, particularly when paired with the long-geared manual transmission. Both the hardtop and softtop models couldn’t keep out road noise. And your friends will hate the Wrangler’s pinched second-row ingress and egress.

Mark Rechtin captured the dichotomy: “This is the ultimate retro-modern vehicle. No other legendary car does this, not the 911, not even the Mustang. The Wrangler retains all the original crudeness, noise, and ruggedness—just with updated technology and so much more capability and function and ease of use.”

READ ABOUT 2019 SUV OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS:

READ ABOUT 2019 CAR OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS:

2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4×4 Unlimited Sahara 4×4 Unlimited Rubicon 4×4
Base Price/As tested $39,540/$47,355 $39,890/$54,045 $43,040/$56,100
Power (SAE net) 285 hp @ 6,400 rpm 270 hp @ 5,250 rpm 270 hp @ 5,250 rpm
Torque (SAE net) 260 lb-ft @ 4,800 rpm 295 lb-ft @ 3,000 rpm 295 lb-ft @ 3,000 rpm
Accel, 0-60 mph 7.4 sec 8.1 sec 8.0 sec
Quarter-mile 15.8 sec @ 83.6 mph 16.3 sec @ 82.6 mph 16.2 sec @ 83.2 mph
Braking, 60-0 mph 150 ft 140 ft 145 ft
Lateral Acceleration 0.63 g (avg) 0.68 g (avg) 0.68 g (avg)
MT Figure Eight 31.3 sec @ 0.48 g (avg) 29.5 sec @ 0.56 g (avg) 29.9 sec @ 0.56 g (avg)
EPA City/Hwy/Comb 17/25/20 mpg 22/24/22 mpg 22/24/22 mpg
Vehicle Layout Front-engine, 4WD, 4-pass, 2-door SUV Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV Front-engine, 4WD, 5-pass, 4-door SUV
Engine/Transmission 3.6L DOHC 24-valve V-6 /6-speed manual 2.0L turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 /8-speed automatic 2.0L turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 /8-speed automatic
Curb Weight (F/R Dist) 4,355 lb (51/49%) 4,541 lb (51/49%) 4,755 lb (52/48%)
Wheelbase 96.8 in 118.4 in 118.4 in
Length x Width x Height 166.8 x 73.8 x 73.6 in 188.4 x 73.8 x 73.6 in 188.4 x 73.8 x 73.6 in
Energy Cons, City/Hwy 198/135 kW-hrs/100 miles 153/140 kW-hrs/100 miles 153/140 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 Emissions, Comb 0.98 lb/mile 0.85 lb/mile 0.85 lb/mile

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