DAN EDMUNDS: This is the all new Wrangler,
and we're here in Arizona to sample the new Rubicon
on dusty, rocky desert trails.
Last month, we had a chance to drive it
in New Zealand on slick, wet, mossy rocks and trails.
So we're going to have a lot to say about this new truck.
There's a lot of new stuff here.
There are two engines, 3.6 liter V-6, and a new two liter turbo.
A third diesel engine is coming next year.
There's an 8 speed automatic transmission.
And just a whole lot of other stuff.
This grill has a little bit of an angle here
and that improves airflow over the hood.
The headlights are bigger and they're
in this trapezoidal grill that harks back to the CJ.
They've removed the marker lights
and put them in the fenders.
This truck also has the optional premium steel bumper,
which is winch capable.
You can remove this hole and this panel here,
and you can drop a winch right in.
There is also removable ends that
have been removed right here to improve clearance
off road in front of the tire.
The Rubicon's fenders are two inches taller than those
found on a Sport and Sahara.
And that makes room for up to 35 inch tires under here.
The standard tire is a 33.
Last year, the Rubicon standard tire was a 32.
So we've already got more tire here
and it still looks like there's room for more because there is.
They've improved the hood latch and they've
added a vent over here.
And the combined effect there is to reduce hood flutter.
This latch is much more positive.
They call this a lunchbox latch.
Over here is the vent.
And so that reduces air pressure underneath the hood.
There's also vents in the hood itself.
The hood is aluminum so it's a lot easier to lift.
And the doors our aluminum as well.
And there's this tool kit that comes with them.
And in the tool kit are some tools
that allow you to take these two bolts out to remove the doors.
And they're a lot easier because they're aluminum.
And inside on the bottom of the armrest,
there's a little handhold so you can just lift this right off.
This windshield frame folds down and it's aluminum as well.
And there are four bolts in here that the tool kit
has an adapter for.
And in three or four minutes, the windshield can be down.
Much better than last year.
The Jeep logo is back on the fender
where older Jeeps had it.
The last JK didn't have that, but the older ones did.
So this is kind of another heritage move.
And the freedom panels here.
Now the hard top is still optional.
It has freedom panels like it did before,
but it's a more advanced polycarbonate
that they're made out of.
So they're 20% lighter and easier to move around.
So that's great.
So there's more to see here at the back.
For one, these windows are larger.
They extend down further.
So there's more side visibility in the blind spot area.
The rear window is bigger too.
It's both taller and wider.
And the 33 inch spare tire, despite being bigger,
is lower at the top edge.
So the visibility over it is even better.
This third brake light is on a slide.
You can move it up and down if you put bigger tires on here.
The tailgate is aluminum skin on the outside, magnesium
on the inside.
It's stronger and lighter.
And it's a really nice piece.
There's also a backup camera inside the center
of the spare tire.
The tool kit we saw earlier can be
used to remove this when you need
to take the spare tire off.
The bumper has been reconfigured.
You can see that the license plate is here.
But the big news is the whole truck is shorter.
And that means the departure angle is much better.
So there's a whole lot of changes here.
And they're not just for on road.
They're also for off road.
This is a better Jeep.
This is the premium soft top.
Soft tops have always been a little bit of trouble,
but this one has been improved to make it a lot easier.
So let's check it out.
I really like it just like this.
And there are five bows in this top to help hold its shape.
But we can go further.
There's latches here so that it doesn't bounce around off road.
And there you go, the top is down.
Check out what it was like to drive
the new Rubicon in New Zealand.
This is amazing.
This is Lord of the Rings stuff here.
It's raining, it's wet, it's slick.
We're not even moving yet and I already
know that I love this Wrangler way more than the JK.
For one, here's a grab handle.
You can get in and out really easy with that.
The back door in four door has one too.
And check this out.
Tilt and telescope wheel.
I can drop the seat.
There's a seat height adjuster here.
I have that but this is a nice combination
of these other things.
Driving position is so much nicer.
And the interior is just really nicely laid out.
This is a Rubicon.
It's got all the bells and whistles.
There's a touch screen here.
It's got Apple CarPlay, Android Auto capability.
There's a US port here.
There's another one in here.
There's two in the back.
There's a 110 outlet in the back as well.
You can charge your devices all day long.
The diff lock and sway bar disconnect controllers are way
improved .
Air conditioning is really easy to figure out
and nicely laid out.
I mean, this is a nice looking car inside.
The Rubicon this year has 33 inch tires
up from 32 inch last year.
So there's just a little bit more clearance
underneath because the tires are bigger.
The steering doesn't kick back at all on this stuff.
I'm getting rocks and bouncing around.
It's hydraulic power steering, but the pump
that supplies the fluid pressure isn't
mechanically driven by the engine-- it's electrically
driven.
The two door that we're in right now is--
the wheel base is just a couple of inches--
I don't know the exact number--
something like 2, 2.5 inches longer.
And that improves the rear leg room.
So this rear seat behind me is much more habitable.
And you the extra USB port is back there and a couple
of heater ducts that actually are
off the back side of the armrest behind me
help to make that a nicer place to sit.
And even the sides of the cabin-- oh,
there's some sheep--
are kind of sculpted where they make decent armrests
for the people in the back.
So much easier to see carrying people in the back of the two
door than before.
Now the thing that this JL has in the Rubicon version
that I'm driving--
down here in front of the shifter,
there is an array of four auxiliary switches.
So you can hook up a light bar or anything else
you might want to power and have a switch that's
built in-- totally factory.
So that's going to be great for anybody
who wants to up fit this for over landing or whatever.
Well, that was fun.
It was effortless too.
I mean, definitely needed a spotter
because there were a lot of rocks
that were going to rip off mirrors or tear up bodywork.
Yeah, it's great having a manual mode for this 8 speed.
Downshift is forward and upshift is back.
So I'm just able to put it into gear.
But the car itself just did exactly what I wanted it to do.
The 8 speed automatic really crawls at a nice slow speed
really easily.
And these tires had plenty of grip,
even though we had some wet, wet rocks with grass and sheep
poop mixed in.
I mean, it's not like the dry desert stuff
I'm used to at home.
This terrain is more like it.
That stuff in New Zealand was muddy and slick
and it was a lot of fun, but this sharp rocks
on even terrain in dry, dusty--
yeah, that's my speed.
So we've got the front and the rear differentials
locked and stabilized.
Bar disconnected.
And I'm in first gear in manual mode.
So we just climbed that really steep hill in first gear.
So I have a manual mode here.
Slap it into manual mode, push it forward
to drop it into first gear.
And then had both the front and rear differentials locked up
and the sway bar disconnected.
So we have maximum grip and maximum articulation.
And just walked right up.
It's just a matter of steering around the obstacles
and being gentle on the throttle, but also steady so
that you maintain momentum.
And boom, we're at the top.
So now we're going downhill.
We don't need the lockers.
We've disconnected them so that we have better traction.
Because when an axle is locked, it
is a little less stable in some situations.
You have more traction, but maybe not as much control.
So if you can unlock them, it's nicer.
Then I just flipped it back into drive,
but I'm in the low range.
So what, am I in fourth gear already
and I'm going a whopping seven miles an hour.
That's low range.
And in the Rubicon, it's a four to one
transfer case, so it's really low.
I got to save up for of these.
Not only is it incredible to drive off road,
it's also really good on the pavement.
And the changes they've made inside
make it easier to live with day in and day out.
For more information on the 2018 Jeep Wrangler,
go to edmunds.com.
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