Jeep Wrangler 2.8 CRD (2006) CAR review

You said this was a new Jeep Wrangler, but it looks exactly the same.

Yes, we’re talking evolution rather than revolution for the new Wrangler. But you can’t blame Jeep for that. On the other side of the Atlantic, the Wrangler is a seriously beloved motoring icon, that Jeep daren’t change too much. So, like our own Land Rover Defender, radical moves are firmly off the menu. There are some notable changes though, there’s now a four-door version alongside the traditional two-door and also an uprated version of the 2.8-litre, common-rail turbo-diesel engine from the Cherokee - the first time that the Wrangler has had an oil-burner under the bonnet.

At least that’ll give it more appeal to European buyers, but what about the cabin?

Jeep has dragged the Wrangler into the 21st century with a few modern accoutrements that today’s car buyers expect. Central locking, electric windows (again for the first time on the Wrangler) and airbags are all now present as well as an optional sat nav system and the now standard removable plastic hard top with removable panels above the two front passengers. The four-door version adds a more family friendly element and there’s more practical stuff inside: stain and smell repellant fabric on the seats for the elderly and those who take their off-roading more serious than most.