Driving Impressions

Few vehicles can match the Jeep Wrangler off road and certainly none in this price range. Driving a Wrangler every day on the road, however, requires some concessions. The tall tires and off-road suspension, which add capability in the backcountry, become a liability around town. This is particularly true of the Rubicon. The ride is harsh and choppy. On the plus side, however, is a torque-sensing limited-slip feature on the rear axle for better traction on the road. We sampled both the smooth-shifting four-speed automatic transmission and the well-geared five-speed manual, and both match up well to the power and torque curves of the inline six-cylinder engine that comes on most models. Jeep's inline-6 produces ample power in all conditions. It's rated at 190 horsepower and 235 pounds-feet of torque. The inline-6 gives up some fuel economy to the inline-4 around town, but gets 18 mpg on the highway vs. 20 mpg for the manual-shift four-cylinder. The Wrangler SE with the four-cylinder engine is an appealing vehicle. It does not offer much power and we wouldn't want to drive all the way across the U.S. in one, but we still like it. There's something poetic about its simplicity, right down to the skinny tires. The low-cut doors and soft top are cool. And the basic SE is more comfortable than the pre-2003 model. The low price is attractive, assuming you can resist adding a lot of options. The SE's 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is rated 147 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 165 pounds-feet of torque at 4000 rpm. That's 25 percent more horsepower and 18 percent more torque than the 2.5-liter four-cylinder that Jeep used through 2002. The new engine works well with the standard five-speed gearbox, a heavy-duty unit with a synchronized reverse gear and a single-rail shift system for good shift quality in cold weather. A four-speed automatic, all-new last year, is also available. Still, the SE does not offer thrilling acceleration. If you don't want a rear seat, don't mind the easy-to-clean vinyl upholstery, and don't feel the need for speed, then the SE is a good vehicle for fishing, hunting, exploring. Having one attached to the back of your motor home comes in handy when tooling around small towns in the American West. The Rubicon model offers the ultimate in off-road capability. The Rubicon is designed to reflect the original vision realized in 1940, when the Jeep was invented as the world's first lightweight, go-anywhere, four-wheel-drive utility vehicle. This specialty model was named for the Class 10 Rubicon Trail on the California-Nevada border, a location that has been part of Jeep's evaluation for all its vehicles. Jeep re-created sections of the famed Rubicon Trail at its proving grounds in Michigan to test the durability and capabilities of its newest offering. We've found the Wrangler Rubicon to perform flawlessly in the rough and rugged. It boasts a cadre of 4WD technology that includes a transfer case designed with a 4.0:1 low range (the low ratio in the standard transfer case is 2.72:1), which delivers more torque at the slow speeds required for off-road driving. Locking differentials, actuated when the driver presses a switch on the dash, prevent power from being directed away from the tires with the best grip. Dana Model 44 axles, considered by enthusiasts to be the cream of the crop, come standard on the Rubicon and are strong enough to handle all manner of off-road conditions. Boasting Big Foot stature in a mini footprint, the Rubicon wears aggressive Goodyear Wrangler 31-inch tires that help it achieve 10.2 inches of ground clearance on a short wheelbase (93.4 inches). That makes it a nimble vehicle in the backcountry. Added to that are laudable approach (45.1 degrees), departure (34.4 degrees), and ramp breakover (25.8 degrees) angles of all Wranglers. This means you can drive up, down and over steep grades, tall boulders and fallen logs with greater ea

Final Word

Jeep Wrangler is a classic symbol of summer cruising and off-road rambling. The Wrangler is the icon of the Jeep brand, and there are no direct competitors. As Jeep says, there's only one. Jeep calls the 2004 Wrangler Rubicon the ultimate off-road rig. The Rubicon is the long-awaited answer to enthusiasts' prayers, as capable as some modified rock-crawlers, but available right off the showroom floor. Other versions of the Wrangler are all still legitimate sport utility vehicles; in fact, these archetype SUV's may not easily take to the highway, but they will happily take drivers as far down the trail as they want to go.