Jeep has been a part of our landscape for over eighty years. And while our 2026 Wrangler Sahara is clearly descended from the original, it has space, pace, and comforts unimaginable when GIs were using them to bang across Europe, route Commies from Korea, or employing them as farm tools back home. Jeeps have become icons as commonplace in urban centers as mountain trails. Jeeps are not for normal people, but they do normal things better than ever.
One thing for sure; it’s not going out of style. Park an original WWII government-issue next to the current one and they clearly share pedigree. Jeep primarily offers the Wrangler in base Sport, luxury Sahara and all-capable Rubicon trims. Our Sahara is distinguished by 18-inch wheels, body color removable three-piece hardtop and painted fender extensions. There’s more silver too. Two panels over the front passengers can be clicked out for an open-air targa effect. Remove the doors and rest of the top for complete freedom in summer weather. I could do without the cumbersome step bars, but they look handsome.
Once you heave yourself inside, it’s surprisingly plush and technolicious. Leather thrones with orange stitching are heated up front. So is the steering wheel. The updated horizontal touchscreen provides super intuitive access to audio, navigation, and climate controls, but Jeep being part of Chrysler, designers included redundant physical controls below. Proper volume and tuning knobs always make me happy.
Devices connect wirelessly, but you’ll have to power your phone with an array of USBs in the front and rear consoles. There’s a lot of wind noise – no surprise given the Wrangler’s passing respect for aerodynamics – but no worries as the sound bar over the seats provides thumping tunes top on or off. Adaptive cruise, automatic emergency braking, rear cross path detection and blind spot warning are part of the safety suite. Putting the spare tire on the rear gate frees a cavern for luggage, or with seats deployed, virtually anything you want to toss in.
You can get the Wrangler with a 3.6-liter V6 and a 6.4-liter V8, but I think my favorite is our vehicle’s 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine dishing 270 horsepower and 295 lb.-ft. of torque. Compared to the V6, the turbo-four produces more and smoother torque for off-roading…and hot-hoofing it through the mountains. The 8-speed automatic seems unnecessarily busy, so I wish the turbo-four had an optional manual transmission as with the V6. Fuel economy is about what you expect for an all-capable brick: 20/22-MPG city/highway.
For a truck with solid axles front and rear, and skid plates for banging boulders, the long-wheelbase Wrangler is surprisingly refined on the highway and during daily commutes. I’ve driven Wranglers in Arizona over trails so high and brutal that I needed a long lunch to mentally recover, but it’s peaceful on pavement and even rough backroads. Driving it several hours to visit relatives was nice.
I promise I could scare the devil out of you if you sat in the right seat. On a trail in Arizona, replete with spotters, I was instructed to put the Wrangler in reverse on top of a mountain. My passenger said, “Don’t look at the rearview camera.” Nothing but sky behind and rocks ahead. It was a Jeep doing very Jeep things. Yet, the same tight turning radius that negotiates trails allows the Wrangler to drive small when parallel parking or slipping through tight downtown garages.
While you can get a base Wrangler 4-Door for $38,100, our loaded Sahara came to a more elevated $60,860. Competitors include the Chevy Tahoe, Ford Bronco, and Toyota 4-Runner.
Storm Forward!
Send comments to Casey at AutoCasey@aol.com; follow him on YouTube @AutoCasey.