Jeep Wrangler Sahara – A True-Blue Jeep

By Dan Scanlan
MyCarData


If there’s one vehicle out there that hews the closest to its roots, it’s the Jeep Wrangler.

With a history dating back to the WWII Willys Jeep of the 1940s, the Wrangler proudly shows off its upright windshield and grill, its squared-off fenders, and its rough and ready, if slightly more refined, ride.

So what’s new for 2010 in a Jeep that can actually trace its current model’s roots to a 1987 intro? Since we didn’t have a desert handy for our Wrangler Sahara Edition, we hit the beach!

*Wrangler wide shot ? There’s a few variations of the Wrangler, from the base Sport with steel wheels and black fenders, to our Sahara, the gnarly off-road-biased Rubicon or the Bahamas-inspired Islander. But they all share a few things ? slightly angled back 7-slot grill with round headlights recessed behind the angular plastic fenders with riding lights built into the leading edge; a big anchor of a front bumper with twin tow hooks, the Sahara’s black bar the body-color silver middle with two fog lights; an almost flat windshield with exposed bolts; and exposed hinges on the flat doors. Our black hardtop had tinted rear side and back window, and exposed spare tire on the passenger side-hinged rear door, and a flip-up rear window. The taillights bolt into the square rear fender panels, with more angular flares. The rear bumper is a black plastic beam with one big tow hook, while a flattened plastic-covered tubular side step helps you get and into the saddle. The rubber is Bridgestone Dueller A/T on silver 17-inch 5-spoke wheels. Overall, a pretty clean and updated look to a classic that never lets us forget its roots, and got some thumbs-up from other Wrangler drivers and a “so cool” from someone at the beach.

*Wrangler’s saddle ? The front doors have cloth straps to stop their swing, and need a good slam to latch. But they can be removed for open desert running. The flat steel dash of year’s past is long gone, but the 2010 version is still flat as a pancake, albeit with some usable stuff integrated into the mix. The driver and passenger sit on comfortably-padded gray and black cloth seats, the driver getting ratcheting manual height adjustment, the huge 4-spoke steering wheel tilt-adjustable. The black-faced gauges are simple ? big 100-mph speedometer and 7,000-rpm tach flanked by gas and temperature gauges, with inset compass/outside temperature and odometer/trip displays. The dash center’s cliff face is topped by a large satellite navigation/AM-FM-CD-Sirius Satellite/30-GB hard drive/Uconnect cellphone system with touch-sensitive screen and integrated iPod USB and MP3 audio jacks. Four omni-directional vents are across the hard black plastic dash, the middle two flanking dimly-lit power window buttons. Under that, a simple rotary a/c system, controls for traction control, hazards and two 12-volt power jack, and a black mesh pocket for an MP3 player or cellphone. The passenger gets a panic handle and a narrow but roomy glove box, while two cup holders and a usable center console storage area under a low, thinly-padded center armrest help with on-the-go carrying capacity, since the door map pockets are tiny. The back seat bench is accessible after you squeeze past the front seats, which don’t seem to slide too far forward. There’s OK leg room, good head room, and two cup holders on the floor ? that’s it. No arm rests exist here, just some carpet pads and the folding top mechanism inside. With a big sub-woofer in the right corner of the cargo area, there’s not a lot of storage room aft of the rear seat, which flips and folds its entire width for more room. It’s still a pretty simple design with hard plastic, yet nothing creaked or moved. The fun part is above everyone. The padded roll bar holds two more stereo speakers and big dome light with map lights. But the front section of the black hardtop is an update of the classic t-tops. The panel over the driver, and the one over the front passenger unlatch (four clips and a big screw) and pull off, fitting into cloth bags for on-board storage that fills the cargo area. Want more wide open space? Unscrew six bolts, unplug the rear wiper wires and washer hose (10 minutes) and the back of the hardtop comes off with the help of a friend, leaving just the roll bar between you and the world. It is a breezy ride, but the way a Wrangled should be driven on a sunny day ? I loved it!. There’s even a Sunrider soft top folded in back for those rainy days on the trail, and you can re-affix the t-tops and leave the rear roof off for sun protection with the wind at your back,Wrangler-style. And remember ? this Jeep has manual-adjust side mirrors.

*Wrangler ? All Wranglers have a 3.8-liter V-6 with 202-hp and 237 lb.-ft. of torque, with a standard six-speed manual or our four-speed automatic transmission. With me on board and set in rear-wheel-drive mode, our 2,800-mile-old Wrangler launched to 60-mph in a wimpy 10 seconds with smooth shifts and a growly engine; passing power was OK if you planned. Fuel mileage in mixed highway/suburban was about 16-,pg on regular, a fuel-saver indicator icon coming on when you and the V-6 are being fuel-efficient. On the road, the ride is springy and stiff, a bit choppy over bumps, the wind noise amore due to the unpadded hard plastic top, while the rear wiper motor, head restraints and spare tire/CHMSL crimp down rearward vision. In rear-wheel-drive mode, the Wrangler is fairly sure-footed, although you feel like you are sitting high. In turns, it understeers quickly, stability control kicking in. The brakes worked well with little fade even after a few hard stops, but there’s a bit of nose dive and wiggle at full stop. Off road, with the Wrangler Sport and Sahara’ standard Command-Trac part-time four-wheel-drive, two-speed transfer case, 2.72:1 low-range gear ratio and Dana front and rear solid axles, it was true to its heritage. One pull on the transfer case put us into four-wheel-drive, and the torque plus tires made easy work of soft sand and dirt. The stiff frame and relatively short overhang fore and aft of the 95.4-inch wheelbase, plus quick steering and a tight turning radius made getting around bushes and bends easy. With about 10 inches of ground clearance and short front and rear overhangs, we never touched anything going up or down steep hills. Low range (shuts off stability control) worked even better. Even the stuff suspension was livable over bumps. But that quick steering means some initial overcorrection on road until I got the hang of it. As far as safety, front and front-seat-mounted side bags.

*Wrangler wampum ? Base price is $26,255, which gets you the mid-level Wrangler with all here standard except the $1,625 Freedom three-piece hard top with twin t-tops, rear wiper/defroster and saddle bags for the removable tops; $1,550 for the satellite navigation/SIRIUS RADIO.Traffic/30-GB hard drive with 4,250-song capacity/Uconnect cellphone system; and $825 for the 4-speed automatic. Final price – $31,190. Competition in this range is limited ? the late Hummer H3 is almost as good off road but bigger, not as nimble and thirstier; the Toyota FJ Cruiser is as good, just as cool in retro style and quieter thanks to a real roof, and cheaper. The Nissan Xterra is roomier and easier to live with, but not as good off road.

*Bottom line ? There’s nothing like a Jeep, not in looks, heritage or off-road ability for the price. You would need to play with a Land or Range Rover to go better, deeper in the woods. But the trade-off is a less refined ride in the everyday world of asphalt and rush hour. Your choice ? at least there’s a 4-door Wrangler now, albeit it one where its longer wheelbase means a bit less off-road ability.

————————————————————————————————————————–2010 Jeep Wrangler Sahara Edition

Vehicle type – 4-passenger four-wheel-drive sports utility vehicle

Base price $26,255 – ($31,190 as tested)

Engine type ? OHV 12-valve cast-iron V-6

Displacement ? 3.8-liter

Horsepower (net) ? 202 @ 5,200-rpm

Torque (lb-ft) ? 237 @ 4,000 rpm

Transmission – four-speed automatic transmission

Wheelbase ? 95.4 inches

Overall length ? 152.8 inches

Overall width ? 73.7 inches

Height ? 70.9 inches

Front headroom ? 41.3 inches

Front legroom ? 41 inches

Rear headroom ? 40.3 inches

Rear legroom ? 35.6 inches

Cargo capacity – 17.1 cu.-ft behind 2nd row/56.5 w/rear seat folded

Curb weight ? 3,976-lbs.

Fuel capacity ? 18.6 gallons

Mileage rating ? 15-mpg city/19-mpg highway

Last word ? A true blue Jeep