2009 Jeep Wrangler unlimited sport

159000km automatic

Rough, unpredictable and drinks

The Wrangler has a unique thing about it which attracts people including my self to this beast

This includes the option of taking the roof off during hot days by unbloting the hard top or just zipping of the soft top

It reminds me of when I was a kid my uncle had a Suzuki soft top which had a two stroke engine and me and my cousins would stand up and hold the rail while my uncle would drive through the streets of Torrensville South Australia.

As a passenger of the Jeep Wrangler on a nice spring or summer day out in the bush you’d have a great time but as a adult driving this thing daily it’s too expensive and not suited for daily driving

Before I continue this review i want to let you know my review is based on its abilities onroad and I won’t comment on its off road ability but I hope to test this car off road in the future

It has a rough look inside and out about it which I like about it, the Wrangler has had in all its models since the its first appearance on our street in 1986 and that is helped with its open body frame which is based on its predecessor the Jeep CJ (civilian Jeep) and of look further back to where this concept began back during world war 2 as it was a service car for soldiers of the era as a Willys MB

It has a rugged look about it and it hasn’t forgotten its routes although the car is mostly plastic now

The interior is very basic and not overdone which I enjoyed and I enjoyed the window switches being underneath the radio which was hard to find at first but once found it was interesting and the speakers are mounted in the frame which is different having the music come from above is stead of below

So all sounds positive but then I start to drive it and to start of

It drinks a lot of petrol it averaged 17.5 litres per 100km worse than a v8 which is very expensive

On road it handles bad, you can’t keep it in a straight line it feels like I’m driving my old 1976 ZH Fairlane with the power steering running so fast the steering is super light and it’s hard to keep it in a straight line but Cornering is surprisingly brilliant

As for the engine the 3.8 litre EGH was a mixed bag for me while the power going 0-100 was not fast at all and had a lacking in its power was at times disappointing for the size of the engine the surprise in torque when going up hill was a surprise (which makes me want to take it off road)

This review is so hard to write as I don’t know what to say about it if it was any other Jeep I would have ripped it to shreds saying that it is designed for Australian condition which the Compass and Cherokee are definitely not as they drink too much fuel are gutless wonders and stuggle up hills but this car I think I might have an emotional attachment to it as I had high hopes for this car as I thought it would be the exception to my saying Jeeps are not for Australia

I’m still not 100% sure as I need to spend about more time with this car, take it off road and experience it to its full capacity

But I’ll wrap my review by saying from I’ve felt from spending 2 hours driving through the city and quick spin in the country is it drinks too much fuel and when I drove it in a starlight line at 100km/h I didn’t feel safe as the steering was too light and so easy to move ever so slightly to the left or right

While the torque is great it could use a little more power for daily driving this car is not a daily runner which is shame because I believe it’s 4 wheel drive ability will be great for camping but you wouldn’t do it every week only during the summer when your camping and is it worth having something which is rough? I say no

But maybe that’s part of its charm that has always been there since it’s beginning back in the late 40s as the Jeep CJ

Review 2.6 out of 5