Jeep Wrangler Interior Review
Getting into a Jeep Wrangler requires a tall step up. (Running are not available as they'd be vulnerable on rough trails.) Once inside, the cabin is spartan but highly functional.
The new seats and fabrics that appeared last year make it more comfortable. The new front seat offers 20 additional millimeters of rearward travel, allowing taller drivers to sit a more comfortable distance from the steering wheel. Also new last year, a more easily removable fold-and-tumble rear seat is equipped with the LATCH (Lower Anchors and upper Tethers for CHildren) system for mounting child safety seats directly to the structure of the seat. Also, the seatbacks are higher, which improve safety for taller people. It's a long reach to access gear stowed in the rear seats, so don't attempt it while driving.
A dark gray or khaki interior, four-spoke steering wheel and padded sport bar give the Wrangler its unmistakably utilitarian look, while a simple dash with a 12-volt power outlet adds functionality. On all models, the interior is weatherproofed, and can be cleaned with a hose, thanks to drain plugs in the floor.
The Wrangler remains miles away from luxurious. Recent improvements, however, make the interior more comfortable than it used to be. Softer trim pieces inside offer improved head protection. An electrochromic rearview mirror with map lights and compass display (standard on Sahara, optional on Sport and Rubicon) should help keep you on the intended route. The mirror automatically dims when headlights shine on it; this bit of luxury technology may sound out of place in a Wrangler, but it's an important feature when the top is off. Radio controls are located in the center stack. Corner pods located just behind both B-pillars house interior lamps, providing theater lighting.
Research firm J.D. Power and Associates gave the Wrangler high scores for the quality of its interior features (such as the seats, windshield wipers, door locks, heater, air conditioner, and stereo system), and those features have only gotten better in the three years since then.
Jeep Wrangler Road Test
Few vehicles can match the Jeep Wrangler off road and certainly none in this price range. Driving a Wrangler every day on the road, however, requires some concessions.
The tall tires and off-road suspension, which add capability in the backcountry, become a liability around town. This is particularly true of the Rubicon. The ride is harsh and choppy. On the plus side, however, is a torque-sensing limited-slip feature on the rear axle for better traction on the road.
We sampled both the smooth-shifting four-speed automatic transmission and the well-geared five-speed manual, and both match up well to the power and torque curves of the inline six-cylinder engine that comes on most models.
Jeep's inline-6 produces ample power in all conditions. It's rated at 190 horsepower and 235 pounds-feet of torque. The inline-6 gives up some fuel economy to the inline-4 around town, but gets 18 mpg on the highway vs. 20 mpg for the manual-shift four-cylinder.
The Wrangler SE with the four-cylinder engine is an appealing vehicle. It does not offer much power and we wouldn't want to drive all the way across the U.S. in one, but we still like it. There's something poetic about its simplicity, right down to the skinny tires. The low-cut doors and soft top are cool. And the basic SE is more comfortable than the pre-2003 model. The low price is attractive, assuming you can resist adding a lot of options. The SE's 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine is rated 147 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 165 pounds-feet of torque at 4000 rpm. That's 25 percent more horsepower and 18 percent more torque than the 2.5-liter four-cylinder that Jeep used through 2002. The new engine works well with the standard five-speed gearbox, a heavy-duty unit with a synchronized reverse gear and a single-rail shift system for good shift quality in cold weather. A four-speed automatic, all-new last year, is also available. Still, the SE does not offer thrilling acceleration. If you don't want a rear seat, don't mind the easy-to-clean vinyl upholstery, and don't feel the need for speed, then the SE is a good vehicle for fishing, hunting, exploring. Having one attached to the back of your motor home comes in handy when tooling around small towns in the American West.
The Rubicon model offers the ultimate in off-road capability. The Rubicon is designed to reflect the original vision realized in 1940, when the Jeep was invented as the world's first lightweight, go-anywhere, four-wheel-drive utility vehicle. This specialty model was named for the Class 10 Rubicon Trail on the California-Nevada border, a location that has been part of Jeep's evaluation for all its vehicles. Jeep re-created sections of the famed Rubicon Trail at its proving grounds in Michigan to test the durability and capabilities of its newest offering.
We've found the Wrangler Rubicon to perform flawlessly in the rough and rugged. It boasts a cadre of 4WD technology that includes a transfer case designed with a 4.0:1 low range (the low ratio in the standard transfer case is 2.72:1), which delivers more torque at the slow speeds required for off-road driving. Locking differentials, actuated when the driver presses a switch on the dash, prevent power from being directed away from the tires with the best grip. Dana Model 44 axles, considered by enthusiasts to be the cream of the crop, come standard on the Rubicon and are strong enough to handle all manner of off-road conditions.
Boasting Big Foot stature in a mini footprint, the Rubicon wears aggressive Goodyear Wrangler 31-inch tires that help it achieve 10.2 inches of ground clearance on a short wheelbase (93.4 inches). That makes it a nimble vehicle in the backcountry. Added to that are laudable approach (45.1 degrees), departure (34.4 degrees), and ramp breakover (25.8 degrees) angles of all Wranglers. This means you can drive up, down and over steep grades, tall boulders and fallen logs with greater ease.
Jeep Wrangler Lineup
Five models of the Jeep Wrangler are available for 2004: SE ($16,270); X ($19,335); Sport ($21,320); Sahara ($24,910); and Rubicon ($25,085).
SE comes with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and a five-speed manual gearbox; a four-speed automatic, all-new last year, is optional. The SE is a basic machine. It comes with a padded roll bar, steel half-doors with side curtains, tilt steering column, a mini-console with cupholders, skid plates for the fuel tank and transfer case, gas-charged shock absorbers and P215/75R15 Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires. But cloth upholstery, the rear seat, rear carpeting, any radio, and even wind-up windows, are extra-cost options. Options include air conditioning, cruise control, and a hard top.
The other Wrangler models (the X, Sport, Sahara, and Rubicon) come with a much more powerful 4.0-liter six-cylinder engine. A heavy-duty five-speed manual transmission is standard; a four-speed automatic is optional.
Wrangler X comes with cloth upholstery, a fold-down rear seat, full carpeting (covering the rear seat area, cargo area and wheel housings), and a four-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo with a digital clock.
Sport adds full metal doors with wind-up windows, a full-length floor console, courtesy and underhood lights, and other features. Options expand at the Sport level, also, and include fog lamps, side steps, a seven-speaker stereo, and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror. And you can order the half-doors and side curtains, if that's what you prefer.
Sahara comes loaded with the high-zoot seven-speaker stereo, premium cloth on the seats, air conditioning, cruise control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, high-pressure gas shocks, monster tires (30x9.5xR15) on aluminum wheels, side steps, body-color fender flares (instead of black), and other features.
Rubicon comes equipped with diamond-plate sill guards, beefier front and rear axles (two Dana 44's, rather than the Dana 30 and 35 used in the front and rear, respectively, of other Wranglers), a heavy-duty transfer case with an ultra-low 4:1 ratio, driver-actuated locking differentials, a special off-road suspension and four-wheel-disc brakes. Also standard are 31-inch tall LT245/75 tires on 16-inch aluminum wheels. Despite its higher price, the Rubicon is not as luxuriously outfitted as the Sahara. Air conditioning and cruise control are optional, for example. So are roll-up windows. For the most part, Rubicon is comparable to the Sport for comfort and convenience equipment.
All models in the lineup include a fold-down windshield, removable doors and top, and a weatherproof interior. Drivers may choose the standard soft top, the extra-cost steel hard top, or a package that includes both, in matching colors. The hard top comes with roll-up windows, a rear wiper-washer and rear defroster.