- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
2.8DT, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
147kW, 460Nm
- Fuel
Diesel 8.8L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4XD
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Jeep Wrangler Diesel Review: 2014 Unlimited Sport 2.8 CRD Automatic
If you don’t like your 4X4s rugged and uncompromising, stop reading now, this is not the place for you. You should be reading about the Cherokee Trailhawk, Toyota Prado or Grand Cherokee.
Because this Jeep Wrangler is never going to win a prize for highway performance, or refinement or smoothness. A pretty face? No. Sophisticated? Not on your life. But rugged charm and capability? It’s loaded with it.
There are no prissy ‘city-SUV’ panels here, nor dandy chrome bling; this car is built for a job. And, aside from the Land Rover Defender, there is no more uncompromising ‘sports-utility-vehicle’.
Vehicle style: Five-door heavy-duty SUV wagon
Price: $44,000 (plus on-road costs)
Engine/trans: 2.8 litre turbo-diesel | 5spd automatic
Fuel consumption listed: 8.8 l/100km | Tested: 10.2 l/100km
OVERVIEW
We saddled up the rarest of the Wrangler breed here, the 2.8 litre diesel automatic in base-model Sport guise. Even with a recent price rise, the Wrangler is still one of the least expensive heavy-duty 4WDs out there.
The diesel is thin on the ground in Jeep Australia showrooms: there’s currently a wait on delivery. But we think this model - at $44,000 neat (plus) is the pick of the range.
As we’ve mentioned in other encounters with this capable, demanding, and truck-like car - this is for the buyer who has some real adventure in mind.
Here is our report.
THE INTERIOR | RATING: 3.5/5
- Leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio and cruise controls
- Power windows and heated exterior mirrors
- Manual air-conditioning
- Cruise control
- Six-speaker audio; CD/DVD/MP3 radio with audio jack
- Uconnect telephony with Bluetooth connectivity and hands-free calling
- Fold and tumble second-row bench with two head-restraints
- Halogen headlights, fog lamps
Quality: Some will find things a bit too utilitarian in here, but its ‘horses for courses’ - the Wrangler Unlimited is made for the off-road adventure, and it’s not trying to be a limousine.
It feels as solid as a brick in a sock, and free of rattles and squeaks whatever the road below.
The dash is upright and ‘square-on’, instruments and dials are easily read and the plastics and surfaces all have a ‘robust, built-to-last’ feel about them, as do the rotary controls.