Jeep Wrangler: Goes where no other SUV can

The Jeep Wrangler is a vehicle which can go anywhere without blinking an eye-lid, writes Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com

We all know Jeep in India means an off-road vehicle but the real Jeep is only going to set foot on Indian roads next year.

Chrysler owned Jeep brand makes off-road vehicles which in their earlier days were used by the military in India, being licensed to Mahindra for local production.

Now the real Jeep is coming and we get behind the wheel of the real off-roader, the 2-door Wrangler.

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The Jeep Wrangler has tremendous presence on the roads and the vehicle looks striking. Although the 2-door model isn't very big in terms of length, it is quite wide and the retro styling is attractive in many ways.

Wide wheel arches and the boxy design instantly evokes muscularity. This is a car which people take a liking to in a jiffy and the exclusivity factor does help since Jeep doesn't have an official presence in India just yet.

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Climb inside the cabin and the all black cabin will instantly impress you with the quality.

Yes, the Wrangler is Jeep's take on the original Willy's but on the interior front, it's very modern. The dashboard is very flat and the doors have exposed hinges.

This is because you can remove the doors and the roof of the Jeep Wrangler and truly enjoy an open Jeep experience, neat.

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The dashboard plastic is a bit hard but the Jeep is quite comfortable with the seats offering good support.

There is good space at the front but getting inside the rear bench is a challenge in itself.

The rear seat offers poor legroom and underthigh support although there is good headroom and a large glass area to prevent claustrophobia. That said, the Jeep Wrangler is best used as a 2-seater.

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There are quite a few storage places inside the cabin and the Wrangler gets a load of equipment too including a nice sounding 6-speaker audio system, tyre pressure monitoring, steering mounted audio controls, etc.

The boot door opens in split format and the rear seat can be flipped forward to boost luggage space.

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Powering the Jeep Wrangler is a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine which produces 285 HP of power and 350 Nm of torque.

This engine is quite powerful enabling a 0-100 km/hr run in just 8.1 seconds, top speed is an impressive 195 km/hr.

The engine gives the Wrangler impressive performance, acceleration is quick and the motor is very sweet sounding post 4,000 RPM, till it's 6,500 RPM redline.

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However what isn't impressive is the 6-speed manual gearbox which doesn't shift smoothly at all.

The clutch is light though and the gearing is on the taller side with second gear getting you well past 100 km/hr.

This petrol unit isn't very frugal, after all it has to lug 1.7 tonne of metal. Thus a city mileage of 6-7 km/l is what the petrol powered Wrangler will return.

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The Wrangler isn't aerodynamic and it sits on a body on frame chassis which gives it impressive off-road capability.

This car can climb rocks and boulders without a hint of fear with the capability of treading on paths no other SUV of this price point dare think of. The flip side is the ride quality on tarmac, it is quite stiff.

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The Jeep isn't supposed to be a handling machine and it isn't. The steering lacks feedback, high speed stability isn't great and body roll is evident.

However the steering is good when you want to amble around unknown paths with absolutely no roads to be seen.

Braking performance is good but under hard braking the Wrangler does tend to leave its lane.

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The Jeep Wrangler is a vehicle for the enthusiast, it's not your daily driver. While it's not a terrific performer on the road, when you go off-road, it's simply unmatched.

To be brought in via the CBU route, the Wrangler will set one back by 25 big ones but that's small price to pay for those who have been craving for a real Jeep which can go anywhere.