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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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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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.

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