Big Flexin

We get behind the wheel of the new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon to see how it fares off-road, on-road and from inside the cabin

- Dipayan Dutta

We forded a rising river at peak tide, descended a 41-degree incline, articulated through what was the perfectly unsanitised track of an 1,800 acre soon-to-be national park, ploughed through sandbanks, and through it all, there was not one instance where I felt like the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon was out of its depth.

One of our comms team friends was in the back seat, sleeping through it. I mean seriously. How capable does a 4x4 have to be that you’re confident enough to dangle off a 45-degree incline and catch up on zzs. But that is what the Wrangler is about, and always has been. Now this seventh generation doesn’t change drastically over its predecessor, but it does get a whole lot of little additions that make it more current and even more capable than before.

We’ll start with the exterior because not a lot has changed. The overall silhouette remains the same, and that’s not a bad thing, because, like the Porsche 911, the Wrangler is a globally recognisable design and drastic changes might dilute its core value. That said this new 2024 version does have some minor changes. Upfront you’d be eagle-eyed if you noticed but the iconic seven-slat grille is slightly more stout, meaning it’s shorter in terms of height but each slat is wider allowing for better air flow to the motor. It is also now blacked out as opposed to body coloured which is a nice touch of contrast at the front.