Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 10th Anniversary Edition 2013 Review

Price Guide (recommended price before statutory and delivery charges): $55,000
Options fitted (not included in above price): Nil
Crash rating: TBA (four-star for SWB Sport)
Fuel: 91 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 11.9
CO2 emissions (g/km): 276
Also consider: Land Rover Defender (from $42,800); Toyota FJ Cruiser from $47,990); Toyota LandCruiser Prado (from $55,990)

Jeep's 10th anniversary Rubicon tribute model – marking 10 years since the introduction of the ultimate off-roader in the range – rides 10mm higher than the standard model and comes with bespoke features to set it apart.

The vehicle on test was the very same one used by Chrysler Jeep for local market publicity photos and came in a striking grey finish with red leather seats. Powered by the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6, the test vehicle was an auto.

Ride comfort was impressive. On-road cornering was surprisingly stable and relatively composed, up to a point. The stability control stepped in to restore order as soon as it detected tyre slip and did so without being blatantly obvious.

A lack of self-centring in the steering means you'll be busy at the wheel making turns into suburban side streets, but there's much less chance of breaking a thumb out in the bush.

While the V6 didn't sound all that charming, it delivered plenty of torque right across the rev range and was equally at home cruising at open-road speeds or slowly propelling the Wrangler over uneven terrain on a steep uphill climb. Fuel consumption, according to the trip computer, averaged 15.0L/100km, dropping to 14.7 with some freeway motoring over the weekend.

The automatic transmission held gears longer and higher into the rev range, making it an ideal partner for the V6, based on the engine's power delivery.

Off-road the 10th anniversary Wrangler made light of most challenges thrown at it. Despite the anniversary edition's extra 10mm of ground clearance it hit rock bottom on the crown of a couple of tracks with deep wheel ruts. On one particular climb it just wouldn't reach the crest, even with diffs locked, anti-roll bar de-coupled and running in low range. There was no shortage of torque from the engine, but the wheels were just turning without actually pushing the Jeep forward.

It was a similar story with a boghole in another location. Barely three metres in the Wrangler's diffs touched down and forward momentum was lost. The Jeep wouldn't back out either. In the end, with twigs and branches stuffed under three of the four drive wheels, gently reversing eventually extricated the Wrangler from the sloppy clay. It took about half an hour to do, but without needing to reduce tyre pressures.

Lesson learned though; this particular section of track (which I had previously driven through in a Volvo XC60) was deeper and muddier than before, thanks to recent heavy rainfall in the area. There are clearly places where even a Wrangler Rubicon dare not tread.

But the Jeep was otherwise up to the task in the bush. The facility to decouple the anti-roll bar is a great feature, and wheel articulation was excellent as a consequence. Locking diffs was simply a matter of pushing a button twice (for front and rear), and as soon as 4L was selected, using the transfer case lever, the stability control was automatically disabled. So setting up the Jeep for off-road work was quick and easy.

Despite the apparent 'lack' of ground clearance, the Wrangler did manage to negotiate one deep wash-away that I had only previously attempted in one other vehicle – a Range Rover with its air suspension adjusted to full height. The Jeep worked its way across with just the lightest of scrapes.

Hill Descent Control in the Jeep was welcome, although Land Rover's system – admittedly in the much more expensive Range Rover – is more capable. On one particular descent the Wrangler picked up more speed than entirely desirable. Still, the system was only confounded on that one occasion, but earned brownie points for also limiting speed when the vehicle was backing, as well as in a forward direction.

Inside, the Wrangler has been brought up to date with some modern fixtures that wouldn't be out of place in next year's SUV. There's a handy USB port inside the storage bin located near the end of the centre console. It's possible to stream audio from a smartphone either using this port, or by Bluetooth. The infotainment system runs through a touch screen that does look a little like an afterthought in the Wrangler's dash.

Mostly, the amenities end there. There were no face-level vents for rear-seat occupants and the air-conditioning struggled to maintain comfort on a humid day up around 30 degrees. Typical of Jeeps generally, there was no footrest for the driver. And the handbrake was a long lever closer to the front-seat passenger. The steering wheel felt large in diameter, but was probably about right for the Wrangler and also provided an unobstructed view of the instruments. The dash itself was better laid out than Wranglers from the past.

As a design from a certain era, the Wrangler has lightweight doors that need to be slammed fairly hard to close securely. If you don't push the doors closed all the way home – and with enough force – the instrument display will pop up an alert that a door is ajar. There are more squeaks and rattles inside the Wrangler than in a baby's cot, and in the driver's footwell near the door you'll find a wire tapped in place with a screw through painted steel. What looks like a port to connect a laptop is located just above the accelerator pedal and you'll brush your foot across it lifting off the accelerator to press the brake pedal.

So the engineering is often rudimentary, but the Wrangler hits the mark in off-road situations – and the anniversary model offers some exclusivity as well.

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