Rough And Ready: Jeep Wrangler

It will get you envious glances all right, but the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited is not the kind of SUV you should be driving to the shopping mall. Upright and imposing without being intimidating, this is a serious 4X4 for very serious off-roading – something like this weekend's Gulf News Fun Drive perhaps.

Incredibly comfortable even on long and rugged trips, this beast of a vehicle makes molehills out of mountains – and with minimum fuss. And it's pretty good in the mud, too. It doesn't shiver on gravel either and soldiers on easily where other vehicles spin in their tracks.

But with four doors – the first for any such convertible – and a host of other interesting features one would think it would be equally impressive on the tarmac like other SUVs. It's not.

The wind howl is high and the gas mileage is not. Also, the engine is unusually loud. These shortcomings nothwithstanding, the Wrangler Unlimited offers more everyday practicality than before.

There's room for five adult passengers and a lot more cargo storage and seating configurations. But the best thing about it is are the front-hinged doors that are specially designed to provide easy entry and exit.

A marvel of clever engineering, they can be fully removed, if that's your style.

The vehicle also features a standard Sun-rider soft top, which includes a "sun roof" feature as well as the full top-down option. This soft top provides a second open-air option by folding the soft top back completely over the first- and second-row occupants.

The interiors aren't great shakes. But if you're willing to trade sophistication for power, it shouldn't really matter.

The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited's design is inspired by Jeep concept vehicles like the 1997 Jeep Dakar, 2004 Jeep Rescue and 2005 Jeep Gladiator. Sure enough, it's got a bit of everything.

What more can you ask for?

Wrangler Facts
Price: Dh104,035 – Dh110,535
Engine: 3.8 litres V6
Thumbs Up: More cargo space than FJ Cruiser, H3
and Xterra
Thumbs Down: The spare tyre mounted on the rear limits visibility and makes parking a chore