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Friday, May 20, 2011
The Jeep Wrangler and its four-door sibling, the Wrangler Unlimited, are Jeep’s best-selling models despite remaining practically unchanged for years. The Wrangler’s pure, unfiltered charm and off-road prowess are the reasons it sells so well. For 2011, Jeep has addressed one of the SUV’s biggest letdowns by revamping the interior. The new trappings look much sharper and take cues from the new Grand Cherokee.
The overall layout is the same, with exposed screw heads and a passenger-side grab handle—now bearing a “Jeep, Since 1941” plaque—but the materials have been thoroughly modernized. The clunky center stack now has a smoother, cleaner layout with chrome-ringed vents and up-to-date climate-control knobs. There’s a new three-spoke steering wheel that incorporates cruise and audio controls, and a refreshed instrument cluster. Soft-touch materials appear on the center console (now lockable) and redesigned armrests. Two-tone interiors are now on offer, too, a welcome change from the monotone plastic setup that graced earlier Wranglers.
Despite the increase in available niceties, this is still a vehicle meant to drive through dust, dirt and muck and then be easily cleaned afterward. Interior materials and switchgear are improved this year, and the design now has a rounder, more organic look.
While the two-door's backseat can host only two passengers, the Unlimited has room for three. The four-door also offers 86 cubic feet of cargo space when the second-row seats are folded. With its soft top, however, storing cargo inside the Wrangler can be a risky situation since only the glovebox and center console can be locked. The optional hardtop is a smart solution, but you'll need somewhere to store it should you wish to drive al fresco.
The Connectivity Group adds an iPod/USB audio interface, Bluetooth and on the Sport, a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Optional on all trims is the so-called "Freedom Top" three-piece modular hardtop that includes a rear defroster, rear window washer/wiper and tinted glass windows. The Freedom Top is body-colored on the Sahara and unpainted black plastic on Sport and Rubicon models. The two-door Sport can be equipped with special half doors that feature plastic windows, although this eliminates the option of power accessories. The Rubicon and Sahara can be optioned with a fully integrated touchscreen navigation system and a two-tone leather-upholstery package that includes heated front seats.
All-new steering-wheel controls allow the driver to operate the radio, cruise control, hands-free phone and other vehicle functions while keeping hands on the wheel. A new USB device interface connects to storage devices (thumb drives and most MP3 players) for use with the vehicle’s Media Center, which now includes streaming Bluetooth audio. Twelve-volt accessory outlets
have been added and a new 110-volt outlet is available to provide power similar to AC outlets in the home.
The 2011 Jeep Wrangler can be had in two-door regular and four-door Unlimited body styles with Sport, Rubicon and Sahara trim levels available with both.
The Wrangler Sport comes standard with 16-inch steel wheels, manual folding soft top, foglamps, cruise control, height-adjustable driver seat, tilt-only steering wheel, a one-piece flip-and-fold removable rear seat and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player, an auxiliary audio jack and steering wheel controls. The Unlimited Sport gets air-conditioning, a 60/40-split-folding rear seat and a bigger fuel tank.
The Rubicon (regular or Unlimited) adds 17-inch alloy wheels, special tires, off-road suspension, an electrically controlled antiroll bar that can be disconnected for more wheel articulation while off-road, electronically locking front and rear differentials, a stronger front axle, a special low-range transfer case and rock rails. The Rubicon also features equipment unrelated to its hard-core off-road abilities, including acoustic insulation under the hood, automatic headlamps, air-conditioning, leather-wrapped steering wheel and satellite radio (optional on Sport). The Power Convenience Group (standard on Rubicon Unlimited, optional on both Sport models and the two-door Rubicon) adds keyless entry, power locks and windows, and heated mirrors.
The Sahara adds to the Sport equipment 18-inch alloy wheels, the Rubicon's non-off-road items and the Power Convenience Group, plus special exterior and interior trim, side steps and a six-speaker Infinity sound system.
To provide a more premium appearance, the 2011 Jeep Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited Sahara models boast an all-new, premium, body-color hard top.
Several new Jeep Wrangler colors are available for 2011, including Detonator Yellow, Deep Cherry Red, Sahara Tan, Cosmos Blue and Bright White.
The vehicles are mechanically unchanged from 2010, with a 3.8-liter V-6 engine and six-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmissions. Four-wheel-drive is standard on all but Unlimited models equipped with the automatic.
Every 2011 Jeep Wrangler is powered by a 3.8-liter V6 that produces 202 horsepower and 237 pound-feet of torque. A six-speed manual (with hill-start assist) is standard and a four-speed automatic is optional. Most Wranglers come standard with four-wheel drive (includes high- and low-range transfer-case gears), though the Unlimited can be had with rear-wheel drive. Rubicon models have a specialized transfer case that provides extra-low gearing for enhanced off-road ability.
In Edmunds performance testing, a Wrangler Unlimited with the automatic took a leisurely 9.7 seconds to reach 60 seconds. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 15 mpg city/19 mpg highway and 17 mpg combined. Opting for the rear-drive Unlimited nets you 1 additional mpg on the highway.
All 2011 Jeep Wranglers feature antilock brakes, stability control and hill start assist. Front-seat side airbags are optional.
The Jeep Wrangler has not been rated using the government's new, more strenuous 2011 crash-testing procedure. Its 2009 rating (which isn't comparable to 2011 ratings) was a perfect five stars in frontal-impact protection.
Similarly, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the Wrangler its highest rating of "Good" for frontal-offset impacts. However, without the optional side airbags, the Wrangler's side-impact crashworthiness was deemed "Poor" for the two-door (the IIHS's worst rating possible) and only "Marginal" for the four-door Unlimited (the second-lowest rating).
reference:www.caranddriver.com,www.edmunds.com,www.zercustoms.com\
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