Features
The Rubicon is basically a Wrangler that's had the off-road parts bin opened, turned upside down, and emptied on top of it. Under the bonnet you won't be finding a big, thirsty all-American V8, but rather a torque-ey four-cylinder diesel. That 2.1-litre unit is good for 200PS (197bhp) and 450Nm (331lb ft) of torque (which is way more important than straight grunt off road), from just 2,000rpm. There's also an eight-speed automatic gearbox, and you can control the gear choice through a sequential setting on the stick, but don't expect to find any flaps behind the wheel. Inside you'll find plenty of trinkets, including heated seats, heated steering wheel, sat-nav inside a rather simple to understand touchscreen infotainment system, power sockets coming out of almost every orifice, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, cruise control etc. etc. But it's what features you find underneath that are more important.
The front and rear are both fitted with fancy Dana M210 and M220 (respectively) axles, which can both be locked independently, and they connect to some meaty suspension and high-pressure gas charged shock absorbers. Together that means that not only can the Wrangler Rubicon deploy the torque properly if a wheel is struggling, but also that you can take obstacles with a fair amount of speed to ensure get over, without worrying too much that your teeth are going to end up in the roof lining. But the important question is whether it all works.