Under the colossal hood of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Moab we tested this week is a powerful 2.8-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that delivers 200CV and 460Nm of torque to the rear wheels through a five-speed automatic gearbox. A six-speed manual gearbox is available, although in this case the torque is 50Nm lower. This is the only engine available in Spain.
By conception the Wrangler is a car that we already know that it will not be the quintessential router. It is something that we have also been able to verify in this test and the truth is that things are not as bad as one imagines them in the mind. Remember that the chassis is made of stringers and two rigid axles are used, of course it is not a Grand Cherokee.
Rudimentary in the field of tourism
Turning the ignition key brings the 2.8-liter CRD engine to life with a sound that we certainly expected. It is a purebred diesel, one of those that they sound almost like a commercial vehicle. Despite everything from the inside it is not so noisy it does not transmit vibrations to the interior. Probably in the manual versions, with a long gear lever, this one is a bit more of a dancer. We released the handbrake and put the lever in D to go out for miles. The activation of the latter is somewhat hard, but it moves easily. Since we will hardly move it, it is not a major problem.
Speaking of the gearbox, I consider that the management is somewhat slow and it goes up gears very soon, perhaps too much. It sounds crazy, but I miss some paddles on the steering wheel. The Wrangler does not retain much, because it is used to going in high gears to consume less, so on long slopes we will have to make a lot of use of the brake or use the sequential handling of the lever, the problem is that it is a bit out of hand and It is not comfortable to handle it regularly.
We cover the first few kilometers with pause so as not to miss the exit that will take us to our destination. We circulate with the rattle of the diesel engine in the background, that this beastly car even has its charm, hey. We go relaxed, but we see that before fast maneuvers that require acceleration the Wrangler comes out with everything and is very solvent. In fact, it completes the 0-100 in 11,1 seconds, a very good figure given the 2.200 kilos of weight of the model and its anti-aerodynamic design like no other.
We face a highway trip and find the first surprise. It's better insulated than I thought. We have to take into account that the Wrangler is an all-terrain "cabrio", since the roof and the doors are removed with a simple screwdriver. This obviously makes everything louder. Yes, it is true that we will travel more comfortably at 100 than at 120, although this does not mean that at 120 it is a piece of junk. On long trips we will miss a footrest for driver and some more adjustments in the seats (lumbar especially) that are made of hard padding.
The Wrangler surprised me again in terms of highway stability. Despite its high inertia due to its weight, making somewhat quick direction changes will not give us the feeling that we are going to get on two wheels. The suspension doesn't filter out small bumps in the terrain as well as a Land Cruiser-style touring or SUV, and if there are a few more in a row the Wrangler gets a little bouncy, on the other side of the coin, on broken roads. rural or large city speed bumps we don't even need to stop.
On roads the Jeep Wrangler is not quite there. Is big and its rudimentary chassis does not help to make it dynamic (nor does he intend to). In addition, we find ourselves with a very reduced ball recirculation direction in which we turn and then we see what the wheels do. To give roundabouts you have to walk like a drifter.
If we get into the city we will see that we are going with a huge and somewhat clumsy car. We have to drive 4.75 meters long, 1,87 wide and 1,8 high. The positive aspect is that we are located very high up and it allows us to have a good vision of what is happening around us. Interesting detail: in towns like the ones I visited in Jaén, the largest usually has priority. That was always me. Parking can be difficult as we don't see well where the car ends, especially in front, with a large overhang that we do not see where it ends. Apart from this, you have to find a hole where it fits. Some parking sensors or cameras would come in handy. I know, I'm very delicate, they call me a sybarite.
Unbeatable on the field
Suspensions have long travels
But good that we are a Wrangler, and what we are interested in is staining it. Unfortunately in August and with temperatures of 40 degrees there is no mud, which is always more fun. We will see that outside of the black everything that makes the road uncomfortable, coarse or impractical becomes our best ally.
The suspension filters the irregularities in a way that does not result in very sudden movements in the interior. In addition, due to the different handles passengers can go well prepared to launch. We can go over uneven terrain at speeds where in other cars we would end up getting hit from all sides.
When facing unevenness we will see that the capabilities of the Wrangler are really good. He has excellent approach and departure angles of 37,8 and 31,7 degrees respectively. The Unlimited versions, having a longer wheelbase, have a worse ventral angle (20º) than the short ones (24,5º), and it is possible that on some sides we can rub against the belly.
We can always improve motor skills with 4×4 traction. This can only be used in situations of poor adherence, since does not have center differential. That is, we cannot use the Wrangler as if it were a permanent 4×4, we will use traction when necessary. To activate this traction there is a lever next to the change, the drive is very hard (but very) especially when the teeth of the transfer box are well faced. We can choose to drive with two driving wheels (rear), four or four with reduction. With the latter, the limits will be set by the adherence of the wheels and the angles of the Wrangler, because it goes where one sets out to go.
We will find that the traction is very good in the field, not only because of the mixed tires, but also because of some wide suspension travel. When a wheel is in the air there is no problem, even in a crossover of axles. The Wrangler uses traction control to brake the wheels that are not driving and send the torque to the opposite. In the case of the Moab there is a limited slip differential on the rear axle. Rubicon models are much more offroad, as they have mechanical front and rear differential locks and detachable front stabilizer (allows longer travel).
Automatic gearbox and Hill Start Assist make off-road driving a breeze. Besides, the automatic versions incorporate a practical descent control system that prevents the car from rolling downhill without us having to go with the brake constantly pressed.
We can spend a lot of time climbing and going through potholes with a Wrangler, that when we get home we will see that our body is relatively rested. It is not one of those cars that makes all your bones ache.
reasonable consumption
When I tried the Jeep Wrangler, considering that it was an automatic version and Unlimited, I thought that the consumption would be exaggerated. And it is not like that. Let's see, they are not low, but given the condition of the car they are not bad. For example, in the 1000 test kilometers, the average consumption was 9.7 liters, consisting of 600km of highway and the remaining distance by secondary roads and paths. On the highway at legal rates, the average will range between 9 and 9.5 litres. At the moment in which we begin to roll through the field with a somewhat offroad driving, the average will rise quite quickly and it will be easy for it to be around 12 liters or more. Depending on how we treat it, the Wrangler can spend what it wants, but being moderates, so is he.
