LONG-TERM TEST
72 SEPTEMBER 2019 FOUR WHEELER fourwheeler.com
First report: The yearlong test of our 2019 SUV of the Year winner begins
2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
T
HE JEEP WRANGLER UNLIMITED
Rubicon won the 2019
Four Wheeler SUV of the
Year (SUVOTY) title after
a week of testing in a variety of
terrain and climate situations. It
received rave reviews from a team
of experienced off-roaders and
scored highest overall in the Trail
Performance category. As mo-
mentous as this achievement is,
we thought you deserved a deeper
dive (over a longer period of time)
into the 4x4 SUV that took top
honors. This is the first report in
a yearlong test of the SUV of the
Year–winning ’19 Jeep Wrangler
Unlimited Rubicon.
Power comes from the all-new
2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder
engine coupled to a 48V eTorque
generator. The 16-valve, direct-
injection, turbocharged engine is
rated at 270 hp at 5,250 rpm and
295 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm.
By comparison, the fuel-injected
3.6L V-6 runs 285 hp at 6,400rpm and 260 lb-ft at 4,800 rpm.
Both are about the same in power
output; the 2.0L has a little less
peak horsepower, but it has a little
more peak torque at a lower and
more useable rpm range.|>Giving the ’19 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon almost an unfair advantage in the
arena is its set of third-gen Dana 44 AdvanTEK HD front and rear axles with
4.10-geared Tru-Lok electronic locking differentials. The front axle employs the
new electronic front axle disconnect system, and in nearly 4,000 miles of terrain
and climate conditions ranging from slushy snow to rocky mountain trails, it has
worked without a hitch.mile run. Engine power combines
with a 22hp electric-motor off-
idle kick, an 850RE eight-speed
transmission, and 4.10 axle gears
to help this JLU haul ass on- or
off-road. The electric motor is
also the starter for the automatic
start-stop system when it’s en-
gaged. We’ve only turned off the
start-stop feature (the system de-
faults to On when restarted) dur-
ing off-road forays, and it seems
to have had a big part in the gen-
erous fuel mileage seen during
our street and highway driving.
A curated collection of off-
road–savvy features in the new
Wrangler delivers class-leading
trail performance. It offers a su-
perbly compliant suspension sys-
tem built using a four-link control
arm setup; high-pressure, gas-
charged monotube shocks; coil
springs; hydraulic rebound stops;
track bars; and stabilizer bars.
The Rubicon option package also
gives the Wrangler the Rock-Trac
4:1 transfer case, third-gen Dana
44 AdvanTEK HD front and rear
axles with electrically actuated
Tru-Lok differentials, a remote
(switch on the dash) disconnect-
ing front sway bar, big steel bum-
pers, larger fender openings, and
LT285/70R17 (about 33 inches
in diameter) BFGoodrich All-
Terrain T/A KO2 tires. Factory
rock rails that actually work and
skidplates under the transmis-
sion, transfer case, and fuel tank
also helped to make our off-road
adventures during these first few
months a success.
Our Wrangler’s first real as-
signment after a post-SUVOTY
checkup and cleanup was to
pre-run and cover the 2019 King
of the Hammers event. We ran
multiple trails and roads leading
into, across, and out of the race
course (of course, not on race
day)—from one end of Johnson
Valley to the other—to find great
photo spots. Then during the
three days of racing, it handily
returned us to those remote loca-During track testing, the
peppy 270hp turbocharged
2.0L four-banger helped the
Wrangler generate an impres-
sive 8.1-second 0-60 time and a
16.5-second/87.4-mph quarter-