managing all of our test cars,
asking what trim levels we
wanted: Sport, Sport S, Sahara,
Rubicon, or the Moab special
edition. It quickly devolved
from there. Some argued for a
bare-bones two-door Wran-
gler Sport. Others wanted
a well-optioned Wrangler
Rubicon soft top. Some pushed
for a Wrangler UnlimitedSahara with the new power
roof. Smart people, such as
myself, fought in favor of a
Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon.
Eventually, we compro-
mised on a four-door Wran-
gler Unlimited equipped with
the new mild hybrid eTorque
2.0-liter turbocharged I-4,
which makes 270 hp and 295
lb-ft of torque, and its eight-
speed automatic transmis-
sion. We let our social media
followers decide the trim
level. You guys picked the
Rubicon. Thanks for making
the right choice.
The choice of top, however,
was given to its chaperone,N
ever has ordering a new
long-termer been more
difficult than it was with
our new 2019 Jeep Wrangler
Unlimited Rubicon.
The process is supposed to be
pretty simple, especially if the
car is a recent award winner
like the Wrangler—our 2019
SUV of the Year. In these cases,
soon after the award has been
announced, we’ll place an order
for a long-termer in a feature-
rich spec with the latest
technologies so we can act as
the canary in the coal mine,
so to speak, for our readers.
However, ordering a Wrangler
isn’t as simple as deciding
which new features to get.
The first argument started
innocently enough, with
associate road test editor Erick
Ayapana, who’s responsible forand through timing and luck,
I scored the keys to our new
Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon,
optioned with the new, easily
removable hardtop.
I have to admit, I’m more
than a little pleased that I
get to be our new Wrangler’s
chaperone. After spending a
year with the 2018 Ram 2500
Power Wagon (the final verdict
is coming in the upcoming
months), I’m quite happy you
guys voted for the Wrangler
Rubicon. We don’t need to
spend a year with it to say
it’s among the best factory
off-roaders in the world,
and given my penchant for
exploring our country’s great
outdoors, it’s right up my alley.
So many of the features we
love on the new Wrangler are
on the base model. The doors
come off easier, the roof is
simpler to operate or remove,
the windshield folds down, and
it has four-wheel drive and a
well-finished interior.
There wasn’t much to add,
as the Unlimited’s standard
feature list is long. Functional
features include unique
bumpers and fender flares,
33-inch off-road tires, heavy-
duty Dana 44 axles, locking
front and rear differentials, an
electronically disconnecting
anti-roll bar, unique
suspension components, bodyUpdates on our long-term fleet
MT
Less is more.
The Jeep sheds
its skin and heads
to the beach.“Speccing our long-term Wrangler
involved quite a bit of arguing among
the staff. I won.” Christian SeabaughEPA CITY/HWY/COMB Fuel Econ:
22/24/22 mpgARRIVAL: 2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon
Base price $43,040 As tested $ 5 7,1 1 0ALFA ROMEO
GIULIA BMW X2UPDATE
ACURA RDX88 MOTORTREND.COM SEPTEMBER 2019