Like a Scud missile aimed squarely at blowing open the “bro car” market, the 2013 Jeep Wrangler regains the crown of a car you’d actually want to high-five. OK, maybe that’s a little over the top, but even Stevie Wonder could see that the once-girly Jeep is now back to being a man’s Jeep like it was just ripped from a G.I. Joe box.
It has little to do with the Wrangler itself, mind you. The Jeep stalwart has managed to change at a pace that could only be described as “glacial.” And even that’s a slap in the face to the eons it took to shape the Rocky Mountains. Don’t take my word for it. Head of Jeep design, Mark Allen, likes to laugh when he says his job is to keep the Wrangler same from year to year. It’s funny because it’s true.
Ironically, what makes the 2013 Jeep Wrangler stand out from, say, the 1963 Jeep Wrangler is how much the basic form of the SUV really has changed. For starters, the Wrangler’s ho-hum 3.8-liter V6 was dumped last year in favor of a more efficient, more potent 3.6-liter V6 that positively shames the outgoing motor. Don’t feel bad if you own a pre-2012 Wrangler, I hear smelting values are climbing higher every day.
That’s due in part to the output from the new mill. The 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 produces 285 horsepower, which is what you need for an upright SUV that’s less aerodynamic than an M1 Abrams tank. It’s also due to the smarter transmission that channels the Wrangler’s newfound power. That 6-speed automatic transmission (yup, you can still get a manual too) replaces a nearly identically Neolithic 4-speed automatic from two years ago. Smelting doesn’t sound like such a bad idea now does it?
Of course, the Wrangler doesn’t make claims to be a cruiser or faster. In fact, it’s actually neither. But what Jeep does claim — and does so quite successfully — is to be the most capable SUV (sub-$100K of course) on the planet, which I have no doubt.
There are very few angles I can attack a stationary object in this four-door Wrangler Unlimited that don’t result in hitting all tire. I’m the guy in the Best Buy parking lot crawling over snow mounds in a Jeep, giggling at drivers who may or may not be giving me the stink eye right now. It’s paltry practice, especially considering all the hardcore routes Wranglers like this can traverse. They have no problem tackling the slick rock in Moab or the jiggly trails of the Rubicon. Hey, Jeep even liked those places so much they named editions of the Wrangler after them. Imagine that.
But that lineage is important. Each one of the Jeeps festooned with names of trails they’ll likely never see is immensely capable, and downright fun to drive. Although I’m not much for spending days in the sand and slick rock, it’s worth tipping a cap toward a purpose-built machine that starts at $22,195 for a base two-door Wrangler all the way up to $39,495 for a four-door Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. Our test model was a Wrangler Unlimited Sahara, nicely equipped, for $37,600.
For that kind of bespoke rock-crawling, hogging trailblazer, there are some sacrifices to be made. Although the Pentastar engine, and more forward gears were desperately needed to make gains in mpg, the fuel economy isn’t exactly stellar. In fact, it is exactly around 20. And forget about long highway jaunts. You’d be more comfortable riding on the roof. It would probably be quieter up there.
But for its small faults — and they are relatively small — the Wrangler offers a lot of upside. The 4,200 lb. car is surprisingly agile and well sorted for an SUV that looks like the box it was probably shipped in. Sitting atop the 18-inch tires our Sahara Unlimited tester was fitted with, the Wrangler is positively helpful around city corners and parking lots, and doesn’t feel at all as long as the 173-inch length would lead you to believe. I appreciated how normal it felt during day-to-day driving, and aside from a few small complaints, I’d feel comfortable in the Wrangler during all four seasons.
About those complaints: the optional UConnect phone system is divisive like Sarah Palin and even less helpful, if that’s possible. Yes, I know someone is calling, car. Will you please finish the 30-second announcement so I can speak to them on the phone? And if I’m forced to close the doors any harder, I’m likely to take them off altogether.
Maybe that’s the point. The new Wranglers are so butch that it practically threatens you if you don’t pop the doors off and shave the hood off when the mercury goes over 60. Maybe even 50. New for 2013 are quick-release mechanisms that make it even easier, you big sissy.
Be sure that you do too. Driving a Jeep around with no doors or roof is strangely terrifying but awesomely American at the same time.
High-five.
Aaron Cole is a syndicated auto columnist. He knows he’s wrong, he’d just rather hear it from you. Reach him at aaron.m.cole@gmail.com or @ColeMeetsCars