Category: Large 4x4s 
Price Range: £16,150 to £23,100
Iconic design, outstanding off-road ability, roomy rear in Unlimited four-door model.
On-road performance compared to rivals, thirsty petrol engine.
Much improved on the outgoing model, but still a niche SUV.
This splits cleanly down the middle into on- and off-road ability. Off-road, the Wrangler is outstanding. A host of new technologies marks it out from its predecessor, including brake lock differentials for the first time, which slow down a spinning wheel to equalise torque across an axle and boost traction. There's improved approach and departure angles so the car's ability to tackle steep slopes is improved. An ultra hard-core Rubicon version is offered with an electronically detachable front anti-roll bar for maximum wheel articulation.
But it's on the tarmac where the Wrangler most needed to improve. The old car rode like a fairground bouncy castle if you changed gear aggressively. That's been cured with a new chassis that's 100% stiffer, plus boxed crossbeams for extra torsional rigidity. The five-link suspension system and the shock absorbers have also been upgraded. The result is instantly noticeably as soon as the car moves. The straight-line vagueness of the old car has gone, though the gear change still lacks precision.
It's still not as good as the class-leading SUVs from Japan, but then this is an off-roader first and a school-run vehicle second.
The Wrangler is available with two engines, a 2.8-litre turbodiesel and a 3.8-litre V6 petrol - the V6 is only offered in the hard-core Rubicon model, therefore will sell in tiny numbers, so the diesel is all you should be interested in.
The all-new 2.8-litre diesel has 174bhp and 302lb-ft of torque available from 2000 to 2600rpm. This narrow band of power means that the Wrangler can run out of puff quite quickly under hard acceleration, meaning you have to change gear more often than you might like to.
There's a choice between a six-speed manual or five-speed automatic gearbox, neither likes to shift gears very quickly - and the manual's the better choice for any off road exploits.
