Jeep Wrangler Sahara 2DR Review: Grand dad's off roader

What we like:

The iconic design of the original Jeep and outstanding off-road capability.

What we dislike:

Still quite thirsty (9.6km/L) despite the improved fuel economy.

The Jeep is powered by an all-new 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 powerplant that has improved fuel economy over the previous model. This new engine churns out 284bhp and 347Nm of torque. Plenty of grunt for an off-roader.

Despite the elevated height of the Jeep, driving it at highway speeds, the ride isn’t as precarious as in most other SUVs. Albeit the damping is slightly on the firm side, it is nevertheless better controlled than most other SUVs and gives you more assurance when tackling the bends. On the road, the Jeep can be configured to drive in 2WD format.

However, for the Jeep to truly shine, one has to leave the roads for the rough stuff. Despite our best efforts, it was quite a challenge to find demanding off-road terrain on our urban island that could worry the Jeep.

But whatever we could find hardly tickled the Jeep. Approaching a steep hill descent, the Hill Descent Control managed to keep the descent speed at a slow and steady pace. Remarkably, we also observed that the HDC in the Jeep was much quieter when compared to other rival off-roaders.

With a low range 4WD gearbox and locking differentials, climbing back up the 35 degree hill was effortless with the engine showing no signs of weakness.

Driving the Jeep, you get the impression that it begs to be driven off-road. With under body armoured skid plates covering vital components, one would feel guilty not challenging this true off-roader on trails up North.

However with the local ‘ponding’ frequency increasing beyond the claimed ‘once in 50 years’, owners will find the 750mm water fording ability of the Jeep handy.

This is one Amercian off-roader that would give the Landie a run for its money.

Credits: Story & Photos by Benjamin G. Kline