Jeep ventures into the electric age with its icon Wrangler. Like its more civil brother models Renegade and Compass, the off-road classic is now getting a hybrid drive.
If anywhere in the world children are asked to paint an off-road vehicle, 90 percent of the time the classic, angular silhouette of the Jeep Wrangler will land on paper. No rival, whether from Asia (Toyota Landcruiser) or Europe (Mercedes G-Class or Land Rover Defender), can dispute the myth of the American dream of unlimited freedom. The Jeep is the original, its name is the generic term for the whole genre. Only a real jeep can have that name, but that doesn't prevent recreational designers in holiday camps from selling “jeep safaris”. Even if the vacationers find themselves in a slim Suzuki Jimny.
Different useful than in the city
The risk that the newcomer in the Jeep stable has to take on such nasty tasks in lay hands is rather low. The equipment version called Rubikon costs 71.000 euros, in return, offers a package of electronics mixed with analogue craftsmanship of the old off-road school. The combination of a conventional combustion engine with additional electrical power is well known, but also controversial, but comes into its own in a flawless off-road vehicle like the Wrangler. Because off the beaten track, the all-wheel drive should set the bar high. For this purpose, the alternator and starter were banned from the engine compartment and replaced by a compact electric motor as a generator, which provides additional pulling power.
But that's not all: Another electric motor (107 kW / 145 PS) is hidden in the automatic transmission. Thanks to two clutches, the power is distributed between the petrol engine and the two electric vehicles. This means that the Wrangler is either fully electric and can travel almost 50 kilometers without producing exhaust gases on site. The system can also be used to charge the battery and the three hearts merge into one. So the Jeep then comes to its 280 kW / 380 PS. And the torque that does credit to a strong diesel. Later in the field he will prove it.
Good view of good material
Turin in early summer, the motorway towards France and the Mediterranean coast is still waiting for the tinny tourist caravan. Space and left lane free for the 4,90 ship with its three hearts. The high seating position ensures a perfect all-round view, the interior is exquisitely leather-covered. The charm of the bare metal in various places should probably stand for the partnership between luxury and honest robustness. The command post is littered with buttons, switches and levers. Since the classic in its current version offers a lot of contemporary electronics, a separate switch was probably needed for each new system. Wrangler fans know their way around straight away, Jeep apprentices just have to go through the thick operating instructions. Naturally, there is nothing in it about the familiar noise at higher speeds, because this jeep is still standing like a stronghold in the headwind. Also trust the sound of the strenuous efforts of the two-liter gasoline engine, the smooth-running steering wheel, the handling of which needs to be practiced when driving straight ahead, but also the sometimes rustic bumps on bumps. Such a Wrangler is not a luxury wind tunnel chair that is completely insulated and uses electronics to iron out the unevenness in life.
The "E-Save" mode is active on the autobahn section, in which the petrol engine ensures that the battery is always sufficiently charged. Logically, the on-board computer reports almost 13 liters of fuel consumption per 100 kilometers, because the two-liter has to cope with the additional task. The logic: Anyone who later wants to be electrified in the field with a bulging battery has to make sacrifices beforehand. This is also the case when starting off in rough terrain, over steep slopes, through deep furrows on narrow forest paths, but also when crawling over smaller boulders or sloping positions that encourage the belts to grab. The great advantage of a hybrid system has a more pronounced effect off-road than in everyday operation on solid roads.
Great driving experience
Since the torque is already fully deployed with the slightest touch of the accelerator pedal, the Wrangler driven in this way can free itself from adverse situations even better than it is already. If a classic combustion engine has to deliver speeds before the power can be transferred to the respective wheel, the electric engines do it without hesitation. Anyone who has experienced it once does not want to miss this feeling in an off-road vehicle. He is offered a drive noise that simulates an urban subway in a tunnel in the middle of the wilderness. At least until the combustion engine starts up again.
Of course, the twin drive is controversial. Because in order to really save fuel and thus CO2, the Wrangler, like other such models, would have to dock regularly to the socket for charging. Because this happens too seldom in practice and the electric range of around 50 kilometers is manageable, the system is not really good for relieving nature away from test benches, unless the driver is really disciplined and often on short journeys. So if you opt for the traditional American monster, you don't necessarily have to caress your green conscience. But he gets a perfect off-road vehicle that, thanks to its quiet electric drive, does not scare any deer even in the deep forest.
Technical data
Five-door SUV with five seats, length: 4,88 meters, width (including exterior mirrors): 1,88 meters, height: 1,84 meters, wheelbase: 3,01 meters, trunk volume: 533 - 1.910 liters. Empty weight: up to 2.276 kg
Two-liter four-cylinder petrol engine with 200 kW / 272 hp, combined with two electric motors (46 or 107 kW). System output: 280 kW / 380 PS, torque: 637 Nm at 3.000 rpm. Battery capacity: 17,3 kW / h. electric range: 44 or 53 km (city). All-wheel drive, 8-speed automatic, 0-100 km / h: 6,4 s; Vmax: 177 km / h, standard consumption according to WLTP: 3,5 liters / 100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 79 g / km, efficiency class n / a
Price: away. 71.000 euros
In brief
Why: If you really need a flawless and honest SUV, you can't avoid a Wrangler
Why not: Because you don't have a remote farm and don't live in a lonely forest hut on a mountain
What else: Actually only the new Land Rover Defender as a hybrid