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2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon Road & Trail Test

Closing out the summer by taking off to a friend's cottage for 6 days meant

Splashy splashy! The Wrangler goes for a dip, but doesn't mind the fact that the water's probably very cold and very dirty. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

that I needed a vehicle that could not only transport my wife, 6-year old, a 70-pound greyhound and all of our stuff, but one that looks like it belongs at the cottage. For many cottagers this means a crossover or light SUV. For me, the first and only vehicle that crossed my mind for the task was a Jeep, but not just any Jeep... it would have to be a true Jeep. In this instance, I got exactly what I wanted, a Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon finished in Steel Blue Metallic, not that color actually mattered – I would have taken any one they had – but it fit the bill perfectly nonetheless.

Having spent a little bit of time with Jeep's all new 4-door Unlimited earlier this year, I walked away more than a little impressed by the level of refinement and on-road manners Jeep's engineers were able to instill in their timeless icon. This time though, it wouldn't be all about pavement and, unsurprisingly, my ulterior motive for specifically wanting a Rubicon was the knowledge that this state offers hundreds (if not thousands) of miles of remote, challenging and even hardcore trails through scenic forests.

At this point I'm going to skip ahead and give away the ending – the

Steven usually likes fast-paced motorsports. He didn't mind that the average speed of this leg of the journey was no more than 3 mph. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

Rubicon is a spectacular utility vehicle, making a sport of dirt mucking, mud splattering and rock crawling. While in my possession the Rubicon and I scampered up rutted, dusty trails, climbed over logs, forded rivers, trudged through deep muddy ruts and scraped over rock cuts so large I needed a spotter. With every up and down motion over really tough terrain the Rubicon's Trail Rated pedigree shines, and it's undoubtedly the most fun anyone can have with their clothes on at less than 3 mph.

Sure, a lack of refinement in some areas and a plasticky (but easily washable) interior are minor grievances to some, but the seats are comfortable and there is a lot of space. It's also a bit of a bargain, with the Rubicon Unlimited starting at a base price of $29,240. Thanks to the options included in the power convenience group, dual top group and tinted windows as well as A/C tax and freight, the Rubicon I tested rang in at a reasonable $32,585. Fancy an old-school two-door Rubicon? It's about $2,500 less.

Still reading? Good. For 2007 the Wrangler's only engine option became the all-new overhead valve 3.8L SMPI V6 that churns out 237 lb-ft of

Need to get to the far reaches of planet Earth with four other buddies? The Rubicon Unlimited will do it. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

twist and 202 horses, controlled by a drive-by-wire setup that helps modulate driver input. Quite often electronic throttles can be a bit laggy, but not so here as the system is not only smooth on the road but also perfectly calibrated for off-roading. My Rubicon was mated to the standard 6-speed manual transmission that shifts easily enough, but this powertrain combination doesn't exactly move the 4,400-pound Rubicon with any measure of authority, and for a brief moment on the ride home I even found myself wanting another Jeep model instead, specifically the one with the SRT-8 badge.

Okay, so the Wrangler is actually quite slow. But at the highway cruising speed of 70 mph with the front panels of the modular hardtop stowed away in the rear to let the sun beam in, speed isn't a concern. When it's not sunny and road conditions challenge, you'll want to keep your speed down due to the higher center of gravity and stiffer off road suspension. Still, the ride is quite good and the Wrangler in general is much, much quieter on the highway than any of its predecessors.

We don't need no hill descent control: Rubicon's rock crawl uses mechanical gears, not brakes to control descent. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

What makes the Rubicon the only Wrangler to own in my mind? First and foremost a sampling of the right-out-of-the-box hardware that works together so well on the trail: reinforced 32-inch BFGoodrich Mud Terrain tires, a 4:1 “Rock-Trac” low-range transfer case, electronically-detachable (from the driver's seat no less) front anti-roll bar for extra articulation when you need it the most, and solid Dana 44 axles fore and aft with locking differentials. In theory, if just one of the tires has traction you should be able to free yourself, however should none of the tires have traction whilst you're stuck in a muddy, rutted trail ... then you need a winch. Actually there were more than a couple of occasions when we could have used a winch. The first time I was able to free the Jeep by locking both differentials. The second time I wasn't as lucky and found it seriously hung up in the mud and needed to get towed out. Since Chrysler didn't equip this particular Rubicon with a winch it took two 4x4 ATV's to get it free. An off-road package with a 9,500-pound Warn winch and off-road bumpers is available from your Jeep dealer – it's a must-have if you plan to use the Rubicon as it should be used.

Bits of the car are removable, from the doors, roof and even the air dam. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

Our only other worries were about making it out the end of a couple of trails so we had to turn back twice, which was fine as we'd been gone for several hours on both occasions and each trail in reverse was different enough going out than coming in to be another challenge. The ultra-grippy BFG's tuck up into the huge fender flares with an incredible articulation, and said flares do a great job of keeping muck and the like off the windshield so vision isn't compromised.

Although everything is pretty beefy underneath, the Rubicon could use a bit more protection below, such as a skid plate for the transmission, front driveshaft and the rear muffler, which, incidentally, is massive; you'd think something smaller that tucks up in front of the rear bumper would be better protected from dents. The front plastic air dam is very susceptible to damage from even minor hits, but it is removable and I probably should have taken the time to remove it. The longer wheelbase of the Unlimited model, while roomy enough that we took 5 people off-roading in relative comfort, landed on its skidplates a little more than I would have liked. If the purchase decision were up to me I would sacrifice the room inside the Unlimited for the

People love their Jeeps. It's easy to see why with the Rubicon. (Photo: Steven James Day, American Auto Press)

two-door Rubicon's shorter wheelbase. Either way it's nice to have the choice depending on what's more important to the buyer.

And that buyer should take it upon him- or herself to find places to use all of the Wrangler's Jeep-given talent. For example, every September a town nearby plays host to a rock crawling competition, which means that for a couple of days all manner of ultra hardcore off-road machinery descend on the region. Naturally this includes Jeeps, lots of Jeeps, and when you see everyone – and I mean everyone – driving all manner of Jeep models from eras spanning the last 40 years, and they all feel compelled to wave just because you're driving a Jeep, you begin to understand the Jeep thing and wave back. Any number of Jeep Jamborees take place across the country each summer as well, with supervised off-roading for all skill levels, novice to expert.

Touring around cottage country in the Rubicon, especially one that looks like it has been properly muddin', offers instant credibility and turns heads in a way that a slightly-muddy-around-the-wheel-wells Highlander or Explorer never could. Sure it's not for everyone and a bit short on luxury, road-sport and refinement, but as I gave away in the beginning, the Rubicon is a spectacular utility vehicle without peer on the trail. On-trail ability is equally (if not more) important as on-road performance when considering the purchase of a Jeep. Just expect to be waved at a lot.

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