2014 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Review

    As you might have guessed, the Jeep Wrangler has done amazingly well in the past 7 years, and has made itself an American icon. Dating back to the second World War, the Jeep name has earned a place as one of the most rugged off-road vehicles in the world (the Range Rover is practically a Rolls-Royce by now), thanks to solid reliability, good power, and go-anywhere capability. The top Wrangler model is the Unlimited Rubicon, which is the most extreme off-roader Jeep sells. It has Dana 44 front and rear axels and an approach angle of 44.3 degrees. The engine is a relatively powerful Chrysler-sourced 3.6 liter V6 that produces 285 hp and 260 lb-feet of torque. What I don't get is why SRT hasn't tried making a new Wrangler model with their 6.4 liter, 470-hp V8 and make even more off-road adjustments. Maybe they don't want to mess it up. I just don't understand how Jeep sells so many of them. When I'm walking around in downtown Bethesda I'll see at least five wranglers, and several of my neighbors have them. For example, they're not extremely spacious or luxurious, they're not exactly dirt-cheap, and don't get good fuel economy. So why are they so popular?