Test Drives, Trends & Events

A four-door Jeep Wrangler? What's next, A hybrid Escalade? ...oh, right.

I am reading over the window sticker of the Jeep Wrangler that is waiting for me outside. Next generation Dana 44 Heavy duty rear axle, check! Four-wheel disc brakes, check! Shift on the fly 4WD system, check! Transfer case skid plate shield, check! Four-doors… wait, what? That’s right, the 2009 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara is an off-road icon that now comes with an extra set of doors.

This Sunburst Orange Pearl Wrangler is in front of me and it is surprisingly sharp looking. I feel like the designers didn’t simply stretch it and add a few more hinges, it is more like they somehow got a Cherokee drunk and convinced it to fool around with a two-door Wrangler. 9 months later and the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited popped out.

The good news is, if you are a fan of Wranglers, it drives just like a Jeep Wrangler should. It floats a bit on the highway and it is loud. It is also comfortable in the way a worn pair of jeans fits just right. The interior shouldn’t be as comfortable as it is but it works. I once drove cross-country, both ways, in a 1997 Jeep Wrangler with a good friend and not once did I feel uncomfortable-however I did get a little freaked out driving through Colorado…I had to shift all the way down to 3rd gear on the highway because the little four-cylinder didn’t quite have enough oomph for the Rockies.


This 3.8L V6 is better than that old four-cylinder but not as good as the old 4.0L.

This 2009 Wrangler Unlimited Sahara comes with a larger 3.8L V6. It is adequate power for passing on the highway in the middle of the city or cruising down a dusty trail in the middle of nowhere. I say adequate because it could use more power. As I press the gas, I long for the famous Jeep 4.0L inline-six cylinder engine which was (and still is amongst enthusiasts) a popular choice thanks to its torque and ability to withstand punishment. This 3.8L V6 feels like it would be better relegated to a more menial task. Being attached to a four-speed automatic transmission doesn’t make me enjoy the experience anymore. In fact, I feel that the automatic further exposes the weakness of the 3.8L engine. I could have enjoyed myself a little more with a manual transmission. This is a Jeep Wrangler and I want to shift gears myself when I am driving it.

Power issues aside, the interior of the Jeep hasn’t evolved that much with the exception of the technology in the center console. I enjoy the optional uConnect GPS system which is displayed on a touch screen, multimedia display. This system also has a hard drive to store music and photos. The windows on this Jeep Wrangler are power windows which were a bit of a shock at first, since Jeeps of old will have you winding the manual window cranks up like a mad man as that errant rain cloud passed overhead.


Apparently this Wrangler is the turduckin of the automotive industry...

The biggest surprise of this new Jeep experience however is the excellent hardtop/soft-top system. This particular Wrangler Unlimited Sahara features the optional Dual Top option. The soft-top was stored in the back while the hard top is up. The hardtop is a modular unit which means I can choose to take pieces off rather than the whole thing at once. I removed the front section and I was now driving a Jeep Wrangler with a sunroof. This dual top system is a welcome addition if I was to purchase my own Jeep and for an extra $1,585 is almost a no-brainer.

My biggest issue with this four-door Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara isn’t the engine… it is the price. This particular Jeep has a base price of $28,320 and is configured so that the total price is $32,975. That is a LOT of money for a car that is supposed to be fun (in the Jeep sense of the word, not the "Porsche Carrera GT sense"). If I am going to buy a Wrangler and pay over $30K it better come all ready set to handle Moab. In reality, if I was going to buy a Wrangler I would happily buy a used one that has two doors less, 0.2 more liters and is considerably cheaper than $30K+. This 2009 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara has the off-road pedigree that all Jeeps have, it has a solid interior, it has upgraded technology, it has more room for friends and yet I find myself going back to that 1997 Jeep Wrangler… It may have only been a four-cylinder with two-doors, a bad radiator and a top that didn’t quite fit because of a past accident (sorry Paul!) but if felt more like what a Jeep should feel like. If we scratched that car on our journey across the country it would have been just fine. If I put a scratch in this $32,975 Wrangler than I cringe and immediately have to go find a tiny bottle of Sunburst Orange Pearl touch-up paint.