2019 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Long-Term Test

[Jimmyb]

The Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon won the 2019 Four Wheeler SUV of the Year (SUVOTY) title after a week of testing in a variety of terrain and climate situations. It received rave reviews from a team of experienced off-roaders and scored highest overall in the Trail Performance category.

As momentous as this achievement is, we thought you deserved a deeper dive (over a longer period of time) into the 4x4 SUV that took top honors. This is the first report in a yearlong test of the SUV of the Year-winning '19 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon.

Power comes from the all-new 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine coupled to a 48V eTorque generator. The 16-valve, direct-injection, turbocharged engine is rated at 270 hp at 5,250 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm. By comparison, the fuel-injected 3.6L V-6 runs 285 hp at 6,400 rpm and 260 lb-ft at 4,800 rpm. Both are about the same in power output; the 2.0L has a little less peak horsepower, but it has a little more peak torque at a lower and more useable rpm range.

During track testing, the peppy 270hp turbocharged 2.0L four-banger helped the Wrangler generate an impressive 8.1-second 0-60 time and a 16.5-second/87.4-mph quarter-mile run. Engine power combines with a 22hp electric-motor off-idle kick, an 850RE eight-speed transmission, and 4.10 axle gears to help this JLU haul ass on- or off-road. The electric motor is also the starter for the automatic start-stop system when it's engaged. We've only turned off the start-stop feature (the system defaults to on when restarted) during off-road forays, and it seems to have had a big part in the generous fuel mileage seen during our street and highway driving.

A curated collection of off-road-savvy features in the new Wrangler delivers class-leading trail performance. It offers a superbly compliant suspension system built using a four-link control arm setup; high-pressure, gas-charged monotube shocks; coil springs; hydraulic rebound stops; track bars; and stabilizer bars.



The Rubicon option package also gives the Wrangler the Rock-Trac 4:1 transfer case, third-gen Dana 44 AdvanTEK HD front and rear axles with electrically actuated Tru-Lok differentials, a remote (switch on the dash) disconnecting front sway bar, big steel bumpers, larger fender openings, and LT285/70R17 (about 33 inches in diameter) BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires. Factory rock rails that actually work and skidplates under the transmission, transfer case, and fuel tank also helped to make our off-road adventures during these first few months a success.

Our Wrangler's first real assignment after a post-SUVOTY checkup and cleanup was to pre-run and cover the 2019 King of the Hammers event. We ran multiple trails and roads leading into, across, and out of the race course (of course, not on race day)—from one end of Johnson Valley to the other—to find great photo spots.

Then during the three days of racing, it handily returned us to those remote locations so we could get images that no one else was getting. The 2.0L turbocharged eTorque Wrangler climbed steep hard-scrabble hills, tip-toed over rocks of many sizes and shapes, and plowed through deep sand and silt. We ground the rock rails and dragged the skidplates more than once on this trip, but they all held up to the pressure.

[Jimmyb]