I've owned this car for two years. It does have a charm to it. In a land rover, when you get stuck while offroading,you press a button and twist a knob, and lights flicker, computers come online, and you're off. In this, you pull the big manly lever, you hear the gears grind into place, and you simply overrun anything in your path.

It works, but only just. The engine isn't anything special, even if it is a 4 litre inline six . I've seen engines underengineered, but this is utterly wasteful. I'm convinced it simly spews unburnt fuel into the exhaust because apart from the horrid fuel economy and occasional tailpipe fires (and no, it's not just my car), no car weighing as little as this one does (just 1800 lbs) should get 9.7 mpg.

In their quest for ruggedness, Jeep has taken a few shortucts as far as trim goes. It's rubbish. And I mean really rubbish. It's also overwhelmingly black. The dashboard is black, the carpets are black, the door trim is black, the gear lever is black, the cupholder is black, the centre console is black, the radio is black, the roll bar covers are black, the sun visors are black, and if I didn't buy seat covers, those'd be black, too. In some cases, there are gaps big enough for my whole hand to pass through. The front seats don't move back far enough, they aren't height adjustable, and you can only sit in the back if you're an amputee. All of this was to save money on the interior (but the price is still high).

They've also saved money on the brakes (that's not a department I want to save money... that's a department I want to spend money). The front brakes are single piston discs, with the back being bottlecap drums. They work... once. Fade is apparant after just one quick stop. That's if you manage to avoid locking the tyres, because they've also saved money by not putting ABS in this car.

The 4 wheel drive can't be used on the road because they've saved money by not putting a differential between the two axles. They also saved money on the transmission. Mine had a 3 (that's right, THREE) speed automatic with a 4th overdrive gear. Maybe that's why the fuel economy was so dismal?

The hardtop on mine is also meticliously hard to remove. Also, it's not portable, so make sure to check the weather forecast before you take off, because your roof isn't coming with you.

This crudeness does have its advantages. First because of lack of equipment, there's a lot less stuff that can break. And because it's built with a percision to nearest inch, it can be mended with a brick and a piece of string.

Because it weighs under a ton, but still has a 200bhp engine (however underwpoered it may be), it can be thrown about corners like almost no other SUV. I've come to realize that the rollover warnings inside aren't there because it rolls easily but because you might forget you're sitting two feet off the ground on a soft rock-climbing suspension and get a bit overzealous. Cronering IS a bit tricky when your tank is less than a quarter full. You've got a big lump at the front, and almost nothing over the back wheels, which in 2 wheel drive are the ones powering the car. This means that when in its lightest state, the rear really likes to come out and play, especially if it's a bit wet on the tarmack.
Its size is also very advantageous for the city. It's tiny, easy to see out of, and easy to park. In a city atmosphere, it's faster than a proper car, let alone any other SUV or truck.

But overall, my experience has been dismal. I've found the image of rugedness ruined by breakdowns, and in one case, a complete failure of the rear brakes. It's unrefined, unfinished, crude, and powered by technology that at this point should cost a couple hundred quid for the lot, not the 25k+ tag Jeep has slapped on it.

AMAZING! I LOVE IT! Tough & Simple, like a giant tinkertoy!

We just recently purchased our 2006 jeep wrangler x and i love it it drives good and handles good i cannot wait to take the top off mime has the soft top you can hear the wind but not to bad no leaks inside very warm.If something happened to nine i woul MOST DEFINETLY BUY ANOTHER JEEP.