Jeep Wrangler review

The Jeep Wrangler story dates back to 79 years ago. At around the time Enzo Ferrari and Alfa Romeo conclusively parted ways, the United States Department of War sought to commission the design of a rugged reconnaissance vehicle for duties in febrile Europe.

Out of more than 130, just two companies, Willys-Overland and Bantam, stepped up, and it was the latter’s BRC 40 that formed the basis of not only a bona fide military icon but also, with the advent of the CJ-1 just four years later, an enduring post-war civilian sales success.

The Jeep Wrangler JL is the fourth generation of this remarkable machine since the ‘Wrangler’ name was first applied to the recipe in 1986, and back in the US it remains a customer favourite and something of a global commercial powerhouse.

Of course, over here the Wrangler has been and will always be a more niche offering, but it still has a very important role to play for Jeep. The brand is finally starting to garner some actual sales numbers with the Avenger, but that means that most of the cars Jeep sells in the UK are now small crossovers that send most or all of their power to the front wheels.

Does that dilute the brand? Well, Jeep’s people talk about “protect the core, broaden the reach”. In other words, it’s no good keeping the brand pure if it’s not commercially viable, but the Wrangler is still a very important part of the range – not because of the sales numbers it generates but because it legitimises the whole operation.