Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

Head for the hills…or deepest Knightsbridge

Certain cars seem to fit into certain places. Toyota pick-up trucks seem to fit into every war zone. Range Rovers seem to fit into roadside parking spaces outside public schools (they are where I live anyway, dozens of them), and an old Isuzu Trooper seems to fit into life as a farm workhorse. 

Very few cars fit into our lives as terrific all-rounders…holiday trips, school run, crossing a soggy field, rolling up outside a posh restaurant, going to the theatre, proper workhorse, towing a horsebox, etc. It also helps if it looks smart, is comfy, decently equipped and good to drive. 

But every now and then, one car can tick a lot of the desired boxes. 

The latest Jeep Wrangler - especially the Rubicon edition - is one of them. 

Price & Powertrain

I have an admission to make. When I spoke to the very kind chap at Jeep who books their vehicles for His Majesty’s media, I was offered the bright pink Wrangler Rubicon you see here. I was also offered the same model but in Military Green. I didn’t want people pointing and laughing at me, so I went with the green car. Phew.  

A spend of £65,870 (June ’25) gets you into the Rubicon edition, although you can save two and a half grand by going for the Sahara model, which does without some of the bells and whistles. I’d find the extra dosh because the Rubicon model, in comparison, is better overall value and will see a bigger return when the time comes to sell. 

No matter which version you go for, a 2.0-litre petrol engine, 268hp via an 8-speed auto box, is the powerplant. All-wheel drive is standard, naturally. There used to be a 2.2-litre diesel, which is now gone. The previous Wrangler was also available as a 2-door model, but not any longer. 

Design & Driving Experience

The design of the Wrangler has barely changed over the years. You can trace its roots back to WW2. It’s a vehicle which stands out from an increasingly bland crowd, and you couldn’t mistake it for anything else than a Jeep Wrangler. I like that. 

Off-road prowess is what the original Jeep was all about, and the latest model stays loyal to those virtues. But it’s also better on tarmac where, obviously, it will spend most of its life. Cruising along the motorway is a surprisingly relaxed experience. There’s no pitching and diving with very little body roll on corners. The only intrusion really coming from the chunky tyres, which do make a bit of a drone, but it’s a sound that, if anything, gives the car more character. 

Straight line performance is good with 0-60mph taking 7.6 seconds, while its top speed is a handy 112mph. The predicted economy is 24mpg, although you’ll need to drive steadily to get near that figure. 

If you want to head off-road, a bit of homework is required to figure out the various drive options. There are high and low ratio gearboxes, locking differentials, and, in the case of the Rubicon, enormous 32-inch tyres. Put it this way: if you get stuck in a Jeep Wrangler, you shouldn’t have gone there in the first place. This is a serious off-roader which makes tackling rough, steep, boggy terrain surprisingly easy, but it has its limits. The biggest compliment you can give is that the Wrangler tackles everything with ease. There’s no need to wrestle with the steering. Just let the low ratios, diff locks, and accelerator do the work. It’s best to ignore the brakes. 

There’s also something which the Wrangler offers owners - you can dismantle it. Anyone who’s reasonably handy with a screwdriver and spanner can take the doors off…and the roof…and the windscreen. Do all of that, and the Wrangler looks like someone nicked it off the assembly line halfway along. The clue is when you look through the rear windows, there’s a roll cage. This is a car that’s built to take the rough and tumble of life. There aren’t a lot of serious off-roaders which can become a convertible!

Interior

Inside, there’s a mix of style and function that looks good and works well. The side steps make it easy to clamber in, and you’re met with leather-trimmed seats that are heated and powered up front. The steering wheel is also heated. The driver gets a 7-inch instrument cluster, and the central 12.4-inch screen works extremely well. Thankfully, there’s a decent smattering of buttons too, and they’ve thrown in front and rear parking sensors as well as front and rear cameras. The list of safety gadgets is endless. 

If you want to blast out some tunes while driving, the Alpine stereo is worthy of praise. It’s a cracking system. 

Concluding Thoughts

The bottom line is that the Jeep Wrangler - Sahara or Rubicon - will make a mockery of seriously tricky terrain. An off-road novice will be able to achieve the seemingly impossible.

But it will also be a pleasure to drive on an everyday basis. It’s a vehicle which you grow to love because the school run, shopping trips etc, are soaked up in a surprisingly relaxed manner. 

This has been one of the biggest surprises I’ve ever driven, and I loved it. 

words: Mike Booth
pictures: Jeep