IT'S oversized, overpriced and over here. The latest incarnation of an Stateside off-road icon, whether you love it or loathe it, has arrived in the UK.Jeep is about as American as Burger King but - unlike many other car companies trying to make a stab at crossing the Pond - it's worked its way into our affections. The firm's latest effort, the four-door Wrangler Unlimited Ultimate Edition, is the newest spin on the 70-year-old four-wheel-drive formula, and they're hoping it'll build on the popularity of the last Wrangler. But can it pull same trick as its predecessor in our newfound age of austerity?
Even if you're used to the likes of Land Rover's Freelander the new Jeep's a big beast; you don't just get in this thing, you clamber onto a step beneath the door and climb your way up, like a mountaineer making their way through the Rockies. It's big on price too, at a mildly frightening £25,000, but if you've got this far chances are the Wrangler's beefy looks are bound to win you over.
But there's no way of sugarcoating the way the Wrangler drives, which unless you're venturing off-road is badly. You're given a very commanding view over the flat bonnet, but push too enthusiastically into a corner and it rolls and lurches, with a hint of tyre squeal even at lower speeds. You'd also think that with a 2.8 litre diesel at its disposal it'd get about quickly, but it doesn't.
Yet for all for its flaws you can't help but love this car, because it makes you feel like Bruce Willis on even the most mundane of outings. It just feels tough, and that's not just in terms of its impressive build quality.
Technically the Land Rover Freelander is a much better buy, but if you like your cars with bags of character and a sense of unstoppable off-road ability, make way for a Wrangler.
As published in The Champion on August 4, 2010
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