Just as the Jeeps of the Seventies lit up my imagination, the 2008 Wrangler Unlimited caught the attention of our boys and all of their friends. The big, chunky, mud terrain tires and the removable hard top were enough to get them going. The 3 piece hard top is wonderfully simple in design. The front panels can be removed or installed in under 3 minutes by one person, which is perfect for a spring afternoon drive home in Ontario. As The Garage is full of flotsam at the moment, we left the main section in place during our time with the Jeep but with the front sections off and all the windows open we felt at one with the outdoors.
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Popularity: 4%

Time machine:
A device for conveying a person or object into the past or the future.

As a kid, like many other boys I was drawn to the Jeep CJ. There was a guy down the street with a denim edition and it was just beyond cool. I mean, the roof & doors came off and it had a roll bar and big tires. If that wasn’t cool, what was?

That is what the Jeep brand was all about, was cool. The Jeep lifestyle was carefree and fun and so were the people who drove them. Over the years, the marketing folks at Jeep have been very careful to always have the core CJ/YJ/TJ that kept the brand true to the concept, even if some of the companion models weren’t quite so freedom inspiring. On the technical side, they always made sure that these core vehicles were off road worthy right from the showroom floor.
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Popularity: 7%

Our first experience with the Wrangler Unlimited was on a hot, dry and dusty day in the Pocono Mountains, which meant we didn’t get an opportunity to get the truck dirty. We did manage to make it flex and got more than a few shots of it with the suspension at full droop. I figured that spring time in Ontario would be the perfect time to see how it handles the goo. Little did I know that only 20 minutes away from home, winter still has a grasp on the old concession roads.

Southern Ontario is criss crossed by old concession roads that farmers used to get around as far back as the late 1800’s. Many of these roads are still in the public domain as unmaintained roads that are really only accessible to farm equipment and properly equipped 4×4’s. The Rubicon is more than well equipped, but as we were a single truck, it could be easy to get stuck and have nobody around to pull the beast out. As we headed north on the road that leads to the back end of Mosport, it quickly became apparent that the road was in no condition to be used by a lone vehicle. Deep (like axle deep) goo on one side, and deep soft snow on the other led to a fully snow covered road. We performed a 10 point turn and gently picked our way back out. The Rubi never missed a beat.
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Popularity: 6%

With vehicles, like many other things in life, one either gets it, or one doesn’t. JEEP is one of those polarizing brands that people either don’t understand or they love the brand concept so much that they are willing to look past a few flaws interesting character traits.

The first time I drove the full length Wrangler in the Rubicon flavor was at last year’s IMPA test days, when it flat out outperformed every other product on offer in the Pocono Mountains. Sure, Land Rover brought some pretty capable rides, but much of their prowess came by means of high tech trickery while the Rubicon did it all without electronic aids. That means there is less to let you down on the trail should you push things a bit too far.

Over the next week, we’ll be seeing how the Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon manages in the urban jungle. Are the BFG Mud Terrain tires livable? Is the ride rock crawler ride acceptable for a daily commute?

Of course, here in Ontario we had a hellish winter and were lucky to have warmth and sunshine over the last two weekends. Now that I have a vehicle with a removable roof, it is pouring rain! No matter though, we’ll be getting the Rubi out on the trails tomorrow to dirty it up a bit. All in the name of a great photo or two of course!

Popularity: 6%

With Hummer sales plunging into the abyss, showing a 22 percent decline this year, I guess GM figures that the only way to proceed is to downsize.
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Popularity: 13%

Like most guys, I’ve always had a fondness for Jeeps. The classic looks, coupled with off road capability brings to mind thoughts of cruising down to Baja with a blonde and a surfboard. As often happens with such fantasies though, reality is a whole different image. There is little place for a 4 passenger convertible in a family of five. Why oh why can’t they just add another seat to the classic Jeep body style. Hey wait! They’ve done just that! The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is a 4 door, 5 passenger machine with rough and ready looks and a removable top to boot. Maybe I’ve gone to heaven.
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Popularity: 14%

There seems to be some interesting action over in the Jeep camp lately and I can’t wait to see the end results. Perhaps the biggest news is that they’ve finally come to grips with some branding issues that have gone on for years.

Years ago, the Jeep marketing boys in the US decided that the CJ should become the Wrangler. Up here in Canada, they continued to sell the truck with the CJ name. Later versions were sold up here as the YJ & more recently the TJ. Along with the announcement of the 2007 Wrangler Unlimited, we heard that the new model would be called Wrangler north of the border as well.

I must admit that I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for the Jeep since I was a kid. Maybe it’s the memory of a neighbour cruising around town in an early Denim Edition with the top off, or maybe just the cool factor of a vehicle with removable doors and a folding windshield. Even when I worked in a Chrysler/Jeep dealership in the early Nineties, the cool factor of the YJ stood out more than the shoddy quality. I wanted one then & to be honest I still want one. That’s right, I would risk buying a piece of domestic crap because of the Jeep cool factor.

Enter the 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Forget all the other new Jeep models that claim to be be “trail rated”. This is the machine with the heritage. It has the tradional look, complete with the removable hard top and the off road capability. But wait…there is something new here. For the first time, a Wrangler comes with 4 doors. The first pictures I saw were just a teaser, showing me a rear seat with a 60/40 split, hinting at a 3 passenger rear seat. Not until I saw the full specs did I believe for certain. A real Jeep that seats 5! At last, a true off road icon with a bit of towing capacity to make up for the lack of space. A vehicle that a family can really take to camp sites off the beaten path.

I’m not going to bother writing about all the techie specs in The Garage for now. Look around some of our links and you’ll find all the info you might want. The Garage is more interested in the beginning of a new era for an icon.

Popularity: 10%