Blog Posts

Jeep Wrangler Sahara is meant for serious off-road adventure.\

by Winfred Cross | For The Charlotte Post

If someone told me weeks ago that the Jeep Wrangler was anyone’s SUV of the year I would have given that person the serious side eye.

I drove the Rubicon version and didn’t really care for the vehicle. Wow, how a different version of the same vehicle can make you question previous statements. The Sahara version of the Wrangler opened my eyes to how good a Wrangler can be. Motor Trend Magazine has voted the Wangler SUV of the year.

I get it now. The Rubicon is designed for the serious off-road junkie. The oversized tires, beefy transmission and rough and tumble nature has a certain appeal. Yes, it’s expensive, but it has its place.

The Sahara is an everyman’s Wrangler. It can venture off into the woods but is as comfortable in urban settings as any other crossover or SUV.

My test vehicle was a four-door with soft top. It was an unseasonably warm stretch of weather, but I didn’t put the top down because it’s still winter. It was also raining sheets when I took my first drive. I must say the standard four-wheel drive came in handy. The Sahara was wonderful in the deluge. The vehicle tracked straight and true in pouring rain and pretty gusty wind. Rain pounding on the soft top made the cabin quite loud and noisy, which was what I expected due to the rain and wind.

Once the rain ended, I found the interior noise levels came down to about average for such a vehicle, which is not bad at all. The interior is modern minimalist. There’s not a lot of stuff but what is there is pleasing to the eye. Jeep has done a wonderful job of making the interior better but not forgetting what customers like.

The Sahara is powered by a V6 coupled to a slick-shifting eight-speed transmission. There’s also a manually selectable four-wheel drive system. The eight-speed shifts quickly and crisply. I didn’t notice any gear hunting, especially in highway driving. The V6 is powerful and somewhat efficient. You can expect about 20 miles per gallon overall. You will get about 23 on the highway.

The Sahara is well suited for the open highway. The ride quality is surprisingly comfortable and the handling feels more car-like than truck-like. I really appreciated the four doors, which allowed easy entry and exit of the vehicle. There is a good amount of space behind the seats and the tinted rear windows keep your possessions out of sight.

The base price started at $37,845. If that’s all you want to pay, you get four-wheel drive, automatic transmission, auto front power windows, keyless entry and push button start, antilock four-wheel disc brakes, skid plate protection for gas tank, transfer case and transmission; multiple air bags; leather wrapped steering wheel with steering wheel mounted audio controls and rear backup camera.

There were several options packages, which add up to an additional $10,000. This includes eight speed transmission, GPS navigation, Sirius/XM radio, Electronic infotainment group, Alpine stereo, anti-spin differential and Blind spot and cross-path detection.

The as-tested price of my vehicle was $48,250. Is it worth this much? That depends on what you need. I like this a great deal and it has made me appreciate the Rubicon even more. Jeep has a full line within the Wrangler brand alone. This is certainly a job well done.