Jeep Finally Unleashes Family-Sized Wrangler

What a great idea: Take Jeep's popular Wrangler and stretch it into a four-door. Makes you wonder why Chrysler waited so long.

The extended-wheelbase 2007 Wrangler -- tagged Unlimited -- maintains much of the traditional toughness and off-road capabilities of the iconic two-door Jeep while greatly expanding its utility and versatility.

The Unlimited was developed side-by-side with the all-new-for- '07, standard two-door Wrangler, and benefits from the host of improvements baked into the ground-up redesign.

Chief among these are a wider stance with increased interior space and improved handling; all-new frame with a 100 percent increase in torsional stiffness (resistance to bending); and an all- new, 3.8-liter V-6 for increased power and fuel economy.

It's amazing the difference 20 extra inches of wheelbase can make. Compared to a twodoor Wrangler, the Unlimited can seat five in actual comfort while still swallowing a hefty load of cargo behind the rear seat -- more load space than a Toyota FJ Cruiser or a Nissan Xterra.

The extended wheelbase also alleviates most of the jittery, bouncy ride in the shorter twodoor model. The Unlimited, by comparison, is actually quite content on the open road.

Thanks to the stiffer chassis, the new Wranglers are the most buttoned-down traditional Jeeps yet. Our tester, with nearly 9,000 miles on the clock, was tight as a drum -- no squeaks, no rattles, no groans, no nothing.

People who buy an Unlimited are much more likely to take their vehicle off-road than most SUV owners. Not to worry: the Unlimited, especially in topof-the-line Rubicon guise, has everything it takes to conquer the great outdoors. With solid front and rear Dana 44 axles, locking front and rear differentials, 32-inch all-terrain tires -- and even and electronicdisconnecting front stabilizer bar for increased front-wheel travel -- this rig's more than ready to tackle some pretty extreme trails.

Traditional styling on the outside, purposefully Spartan inside, the well-executed four-door Wrangler is a true Jeep through and through. Only now there's plenty of room for the whole family to join in the fun -- Unlimited fun at that.

2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4x4 BASE PRICE: $28,235 PRICE AS TESTED: $31,800 (incl. destination) VEHICLE TYPE: Five- passenger, four-door sport utility DRIVETRAIN: 3.8-liter V-6; 202 horsepower; 237 lb.-ft. torque; 4-speed automatic transmission; part- time four-wheel drive LENGTH/WHEELBASE: 173.4"/116.0" CURB WEIGHT: 4,340 pounds EPA FUEL RATING: 16 mpg city/19 highway

(c) 2007 Albuquerque Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.