Jeep Wrangler Unlimited: A Walkthrough
As known, Jeep would be here in India in a matter of few months and it will be making its presence with the iconic cars like the Wrangler, the Grand Cherokee SRT and so on. The Jeep’s stall at Auto Expo was dominated first by SRT and then the Mopar tuned Wrangler, but amongst these, was the modest looking (when compared to other Jeep vehicles present there) black Wrangler Unlimited. Now this is a very special off-roader, because this product is the one with what the manufacturer has high hopes, as it is going to be launched at a much lower cost than SRT version. Let’s see what makes it special and somewhat more desireable than its other siblings.
We Indians are simple, aren’t we? Especially, when it comes to dealing something that is attached to our daily life. If we want to buy a big car like Scorpio or Safari, we can can settle for Creta or Duster, for the simple reason that they serve us better in our day to day traffic or simply because of the better mileage. Even if it won’t be hard for many of us to pay the high fuel bills for a less fuel efficient car, we still choose the one with better mileage. That’s a good attitude and the main reason for our diesel inclination, even with high end cars.
The reason I am mentioning this is because the Wrangler unlimited is that simple Jeep, it isn’t highly modified like the Mopar version and it is certainly not as fast as the SRT. Indeed, it is simple, has a modest diesel engine, is mated to an automatic and I am sure than it will be offered at a decent price bracket also, probably around Rs. 30 lac, if my hopes aren't too high.
The Jeep guy at the pavilion told me that the vehicle is “Trail Rated”, that’s like a gallantry award for off-roader and not many SUV achieve this. Then it has that massive ground clearance, can gallop over a variety of terrain. He also explained me how everything on the vehicle could be removed with the help of simple tools that are offered with the vehicle. Like the roof could be removed in four different parts according to the liking, the gates could be removed to keep them from getting scratched when off-roading. The floor of the interiors has these drain plugs and one can just spray in water (he told me that “you can actually spray water over the whole interiors”, certainly i didn’t believe him, but if that’s true I’d like to try it sometime ), this will aid in cleaning the floor after thrashing some muddy outbacks.
The motor in the American version is a 2.8-litre diesel which produced 200 bhp of power and 460 Nm of torque, the same was showcased at the Auto Expo. We expect to get the same engine, however, a retuning might alter the specs marginally.
Everything on the vehicle was purpose built, be it the plastic covered handles or the bonnet retainers or the plastic hard top, they all seemed and felt to be built to last. Though the Jeep was quite sober in its pavilion, it won’t look the same on the road. When standing clear of the Mopar Wrangler and the SRT, the Unlimited would be quite a sight when cruising on a highway or even stuck in our everyday traffic.
2016 Indian Auto Expo : Jeep Showcase Video