Review: 2024 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon

Since its inception in 1986, the Wrangler has been a symbol of the 4x4 scene that has merged its iconic design, hardiness and off-road capability of its predecessors with the cool, adventurous vibes of a new age.

In 2024, the Wrangler has been revamped with even more focus on delivering comfort for the daily driver without compromising its off-road heritage.

The world is already aware of the Wrangler's unmatched off-road readiness, so with our recent weekend spent testing out the 2024 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon, we focused on how well the latest updates improve the day-to-day on the roads of Brisbane.

Initial Impressions

As expected, the 2024 Wrangler retains its iconic boxy appearance and seven-slot grille albeit with a subtle refresh designed to provide more airflow to the powertrain. The traditional antenna has disappeared, replaced by a new windscreen integrated stealth one while the alloy wheels have been updated with a fresh design.

Stepping inside, the overall appearance of the cabin is largely unchanged, however, the beauty is in the details. The firm and supportive seats are wrapped in Nappa Leather with stand-out red stitching to remind you that you're in the top-of-the-range Rubicon. While the layout of the dashboard generally remains the same, the most noticeable interior visual update is the upgraded infotainment touchscreen.

A Shift in Power

Speaking of updates, the most noteworthy of all of the updates for the 2024 Wrangler is the move away from the 3.6-litre V6 Pentastar motor to an all-new 2.0-litre, turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine. The new powerplant puts out 200kW of power, a drop of about 9kW from the V6, however, what it loses in horses it gains in torque with an increase of more than 50Nm over its predecessor.

In practice, there's not a real discernable difference in power over the previous model - we didn't notice much apart from maybe a slightly slower takeoff for the moments before the turbo kicked in. The Wrangler also maintains an 8-speed automatic transmission which does well to offer the right gear at the right time with minimal disturbance.

The reduction in engine size also brings with it improved fuel consumption. The majority of the fuel savings are gained while performing your regular day-to-day around town rather than on the highway or off-road which leans into where Jeep is looking to make the most improvements with this update. The combined fuel consumption is stated at 9.9 litres per 100 kilometres which is almost half a litre less than the V6, however, you gain more than a litre and a half extra fuel over 100 kilometres of city driving.

How Does it Ride?

The Wrangler's boxy silhouette doesn't exactly form an aerodynamic masterpiece and, in combination with the Rubicon-standard off-road tyres, anyone who's driven one above 80km/h can attest to the wind and road noise that it elicits. Due to this, comparing the Wrangler's ride to anything other than previous generations would be unfair, so with that in mind, Jeep's focus on improving the ride quality for occupants has culminated in an overall satisfying experience.

The so-called Noise, Vibration & Harshness upgrades offer improved noise insulation for the cabin through hidden changes to areas such as the headliner and window glass. Highway driving produced a very acceptable level of noise with fewer extraneous sounds that would come and go intermittently on earlier models.

Tech & Infotainment

The all-new 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen is your control hub for all things fun in the updated Wrangler. The crisp display offers a clear picture of your front-facing and rear-view cameras as well as displaying insights into every part of your off-road set-up.

Regardless of trim level, all new Wrangler owners are spoilt with a rocking 9-speaker Alpine premium audio system complete with a beefy subwoofer to ensure the party comes with you when you head off the beaten track.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto offer the convenience of choice if you prefer your smartphone-derived interface, however, we found the Wrangler's native UConnect 5 to be a highly capable and intuitive system. The satellite navigation system, in particular, provided great value when a dead smartphone meant I needed to find a nearby florist in an unknown area of town via the sat-nav search function.

Poor experiences with clunky sat-nav systems of other notable car brands meant I've generally been apprehensive about relying on the in-built nav, so it's safe to say I was pretty delighted when the Wrangler completed my request with ease. The only thing that could have made this a better experience would be if the Wrangler had a wireless charging station for my dead smartphone (although then I may never have experienced the nav search function that came through so strongly).

Interior Comforts & Convenience

Rubicon owners get the benefit of 12-way power-adjustable front seats (driver only for the 2-door model), although the luxuries of heated front seats and a heated, TechnoLeather-wrapped steering wheel are afforded across the range. In the 4-door that we reviewed, second-row space was quite respectable with enough room to seat a couple of kids with plenty of space to spare.

Driver Assistance & Safety

Improving the experience for the daily driver also means improvement with the driver assistance and safety technologies in the Wrangler. Jeep doesn't skimp on safety, so regardless of the model you pick, all features that fall within the category of driver assistance or safety are standard across the range.

Features such as adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-path detection give you a better understanding of your surroundings, while heavy-duty 4-wheel disc brakes and electronic roll mitigation give you superior stopping power while ensuring you stay on all four wheels in a critical situation.

We also enjoyed the peace of mind of the safety improvements of the updated Wrangler, now with both first- and second-row side curtain airbags, as well as structural upgrades to improve protection in the case of side impacts. The Corning Gorilla Glass windscreen now comes standard across the range offering greater protection against the kinds of debris that may be flung around in an off-roading situation.

Pricing

The MY24 Jeep Wrangler range starts with the Unlimited Sport S trim available from Motorama Jeep for $82,013 drive away. The step-up to the Unlimited Overland trim adds $9,579 to the asking price, though when you jump from here up to the top-of-the-range Unlimited Rubicon, the additional cost is only an extra $5,304 for a price of $97,256 drive-away.

If you're after all the bells and whistles of the top-of-the-range but don't need the extra space or second set of doors, you can opt for the two-door Rubicon for a cool $90,562 drive away.

Apart from the standard Bright White exterior colour, you have the option of 10 colours for an additional $1,490. Jeep always has a great range of colours for the Wrangler and the updated model is no different. Some of our flashy favourites include High Velocity Yellow, Hydro Blue and an all-new Barbie-spec Tuscadero Pink.

Conclusion

There is so much about the Wrangler that is missing from this review as we've limited it to just its on-road capabilities. We can't wait to get off-road in this updated rig, as there's so much more to experience.

We could write another whole piece just on the off-road performance of this Wrangler, especially in the Rubicon spec as it is simply the best vehicle for off-road driving straight from the factory floor.

Be sure to head into Motorama Jeep to check out the latest updates to the Wrangler for yourself.

Book a test drive with the team and, while you're here, we challenge you to find all the iconic easter eggs Jeep has incorporated into this new model.