The Wrangler & Wrangler Unlimited
Jeep offers two very different driving experiences in the form of the Wrangler Limited and Wrangler Unlimited. What's the difference between these models? The base Wrangler comes in a two-door format while the Wrangler Unlimited comes in a four-door format. Both versions offer soft and hardtop open-air designs with removable doors and folding windshield, giving you that classic Jeep experience.
The big difference between the base Wrangler and the Wrangler Unlimited is that the Unlimited seats up to five passengers while the standard Wrangler can seat only four. This is thanks to the Unlimited's longer wheelbase, expansive passenger room, and altered suspension to accommodate more carrying space.
The base Wrangler has a 96.8-inch wheelbase, 10.8 inches of ground clearance, and a curb weight of around 4,000 lbs, depending on the trim. The Wrangler also offers a maximum passenger volume of 104 cubic feet, with an interior cargo carrying volume of 12.9 cubic feet with the rear seats in place or 31.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. It also has a maximum towing capacity of 2,000 lbs.
The Wrangler Unlimited offers the same ground clearance as the two-door Wrangler but with a much larger wheelbase of 118.4 inches. The additional length is used to offer more cabin space, with a standard cargo volume of 31.7 cubic feet and up to 72.4 cubic feet of cargo space when the rear seats are folded down. The additional room increases the overall weight of the Wrangler Unlimited to around 4,200 lbs, but the extra heft also makes it capable of towing up to 3,500 lbs.
Both versions of the Jeep Wrangler are capable of tackling off-road terrain but do so in a different manner. The base Wrangler offers a more compact agile vehicle for an individual challenging the toughest trails, while the Wrangler Unlimited is for those who enjoy some extra company or carry lots of gear. Both deliver the relentless durability and rugged toughness that the Wrangler brand wears like a badge of honor.
Wrangler: Off-Road Performance Personified
You can always depend on the Wrangler to deliver the kind of off-road capability that the Jeep brand has always offered over its long presence in the sports utility market. Regardless of whether it's the Unlimited, the Sport, Sahara, or fabled Rubicon, the Wrangler has the tool you need to conquer the wild. If you're wondering what transmissions and engines are in the Wrangler, they include a turbocharged four-cylinder, a V6, and powerful diesel.
Recent generations of the Wrangler come with a number of powertrain configurations depending on how you use the Wrangler and where. You'll find no lack of horsepower under the hood, given that the Wranglers in recent times have been fitted with a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with 285 hp and 260 lb-ft of torque. Upgraded options are either a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder generating 270 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque or a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel producing 260 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque. The 2.0-liter turbo and 3.6-liter V6 engines are also available with eTorque configurations, a mild hybrid system that boosts low-end torque. With this system, the Wrangler is even more capable of achieving low-speed off-road feats such as rock climbing.
On top of its wide selection of engines, the Wrangler comes with a number of different transmissions to choose from. It is particularly noteworthy for being one of the few vehicles that continue to be offered with a manual transmission, giving you complete control over the vehicle. If you choose the V6 engine, you will have the choice between a standard 6-speed manual transmission or a modern 8-speed automatic. However, the turbocharged, diesel, and eTorque engine options are only available with an 8-speed automatic, with the diesel coming with a beefed-up unit to better handle that engine's massive torque.
But Jeep has ensured that all the Wrangler powertrains provide peak performance, and the automatic transmissions include Autostick, which gives you the ability to select gears manually. This means that every Jeep Wrangler is finely tuned to conquer whatever sort of treacherous terrain or difficult landscapes that you might encounter.
