The 2007 Wrangler Rubicon is Jeep, not a Jeep. Like a Zippo or a pair of Levis, the Wrangler is an icon, and Jeep's perfected its looks. Best-in-class off-road performance. Best-in-several-other-classes off-road performance. Detachable front sway bar is the killer app. Much more livable in grocery getting situations than all of its predecessors combined. You love fording streams. You like climbing walls. You feel happy while riding in it.

You need the four-door Unlimited model. You hate dirt. Your idea of the great outdoors is an Ansel Adams book. Getting in and out, especially on slopes, is tricky and never graceful. The Wrangler bounces around constantly and gets wallet-draining mileage. Keeping up with freeway traffic is work. The top and the doors come off, but where do you put them? Comes standard with a soft-top, but the owner's manual shows a picture of a rubber mallet (?) during the installation process. There isn't room for both buddies and gear. You like the Mars Lander looks of the off-roadgasmic Toyota FJ. You like the short-bus looks and zero capability of the Compass sibling. More than $30,000 for a Jeep Wrangler is steep, especially since you've never even seen an unpaved road.

· Speed Merchants: No

· Fashion Victims:

· Treehuggers: No

· Mack Daddies: No

· Tuner Crowd: No

· Hairdressers: No

· Penny Pinchers: No

· Euro Snobs: No

· Working Stiffs: No

· Technogeeks: No

· Poseurs: No

· Soccer Moms: No

· Nascar Dads:

· Golfing Grandparents: No

· Manufacturer: Jeep

· Model tested: Wrangler Rubicon

· Model year: 2007

· Price as Tested: $31,110

· Engine type: 3.8L OHV V6

· Horsepower: 202 hp @ 5200 rpm

· Torque: 237 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm

· Redline: 6000 rpm

· Wheels and Tires: 17" Aluminum wheels w/ 32-inch B.F. Goodrich Off-Road tires

· Drive type: four-wheel drive w/ low transfer case

· 0 - 60: 10.2 seconds

· 1/4 mile: 17.4 @ 74mph

· Fuel economy city/highway: 16/19

· Observed economy overall: 16.5

· NHTSA crash test rating front/side/rollover: NA

Related:

Jalopnik Reviews: 2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, , [internal]

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