1 of 5
Budd Stanley
A Last Foray in a JK
2 of 5
Budd Stanley
A Last Foray in a JK
The 75th Anniversary badge paying homage to the Willys MB.
3 of 5
Budd Stanley
A Last Foray in a JK
The 75th Anniversary has one of the best bumpers in the business.
4 of 5
Budd Stanley
A Last Foray in a JK
The Sarge Green is a great colour, but scratches ridiculously easily for an off-roader.
5 of 5
Budd Stanley
A Last Foray in a JK
While you don’t get the disconnecting swaybars as in the Rubicon, the 75th Anniversary is still a stout off-roader.
Story & photos by Budd Stanley
We say goodbye to one of Jeeps most iconic vehicles the only way we know how
For nearly a decade, it has been the poster child for the off-road adventurer. For years, we’ve proclaimed it to be the best out-of-the-box off-road vehicle on the market. It’s one of a very few specialist vehicles left in this modern age of motoring, an unapologetic off-road focused machine that will get you further into the backcountry than any other new 4WD sold in Canada today. Of course, we are talking about the Jeep Wrangler JK.
Since being introduced in 2007, the Wrangler JK has done something that just about no other car can claim – it’s become more popular the older it gets. Usually when a manufacturer brings out a new redesign of a vehicle, they get two good sales years, and then the numbers start to fall until another redesign hits the showroom floor. The Jeep Wrangler bucks that trend. Since its introduction, sales fell slightly in 2008 and 2009 during the financial crisis, but since then, have grown every single year. Last year Jeep sold double the amount of Wrangler JK’s than it did during the vehicles first year, nine years ago.
We don’t need to tell you why the Wrangler is so popular. If you are reading this magazine, chances are you’re the target market and already understand just why the Wrangler is so special. Having driven a Wrangler at least once a year for the last nine years, I’ve become quite familiar with its traits and capabilities. To review it would be pointless, it hasn’t changed in nine years and that is a good thing, because it is very good at what it does.
Instead, what I will do is to say goodbye to the Wrangler JK, goodbye because the JK platform is finally leaving us. Jeep are deep into the testing phase of the next generation of the Wrangler dubbed the “JL” set to debut later next year, relegating the iconic JK to the history books. While Editor Mack went out and bought his own and will be driving it for years to come, this will likely be the last time I’ll ever drive a Wrangler JK, so I’m going to send it off the only way I know how – to crawl it up a mountain.
The trail from South Kelowna to Radiation Peak is one of my favourite testing grounds. For many modern 4WD’s, the day usually ends only a few short kilometres from the tarmac; low overhangs, low ride height, inferior drivetrains and tires usually leave test vehicles hung up around the halfway point. It’s always refreshing to push through to the top in a Wrangler, climbing hills that leave ATV’s spinning their wheels and rocky washouts that could swallow a Cute Ute whole. For a Wrangler, not only is this a simple journey, it is one that is stress free for me as I know the Wrangler is more than capable of handling each obstacle with ease. A 30-minute crawl up the side of a burnt mountain reveals the entire Okanagan valley in all its splendour, a view few 4WD’s afford me.
The Wrangler I was driving was Jeep’s 75th Anniversary Edition, a special trim package Jeep has made available on all their models. The 75th Anniversary Edition Wrangler is essentially a Sahara Edition with a $4,995 upgrade package that adds a bit more off-road credibility and a lot more in the coolness department.
With the 75th Anniversary Edition ticked off on the order form, the Sahara gets upgraded with Rubicon rock rails, 17-in wheels, a vented power dome hood, Jeeps fantastic new steel bumpers and a very healthy dose of Bronze trim colouring.
With a typical Jeep Wrangler day in the books, likely for the last time in a JK, I can’t help but have some thoughts for the forthcoming JL. The JL will have some pretty big shoes to fill, and some pretty nasty regulations that it must abide by that the JK never had to deal with. However, there are some suggestions I will make to Jeep about how to improve on the JK.
My pet peeves consist of the lack of a dead pedal, loose transmission mounts, the interior needs to be a little less plush, and more “spray it down with a hose” when you get home from a day on the trail and the build quality could always be a bit tighter. Yes, it makes lots of knocks, creaks and banging noises, but it’s an old-school off-roader and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Those noises are only proof that the Wrangler is still a simple design that gets the job done when the tarmac ends, but body panels can have a better fit and mechanical specs can have tighter tolerances.
However, my biggest annoyance is the JK’s weight, especially here in Unlimited trim. The Wrangler ain’t no flat fender anymore, it's a big heavy beast, and as such, it makes even the Pentastar struggle up hills and destroys any decent fuel mileage numbers that the engine may garner in other lighter and more aerodynamic vehicles. Luckily, we know Jeep is on this, and the upcoming Wrangler JL will be much more efficient. Dumping a turbo diesel into the engine bay will make even greater strides to keeping the cost of ownership down.
As we say goodbye to the Wrangler JK, we look back on nearly a decade of off-road dominance. Only a few other 4WD’s challenged the Wrangler as a top off-road performer, and all but one has since fallen by the wayside. The Wrangler JK is not just a feather in Jeeps hat of great off-roaders, but also a shining light in the entire world of off-road vehicles. While I may not be a Jeep fan, what the Wrangler has given this lifestyle is unquestionable. The JK will always be a legend… will the JL be able to live up to its fathers expectations?
SPECIFICATIONS:
- MSRP: $42,290
- Price as Tested: $53,440
- Engine: 3.6L V-6
- Power: 285 hp, 260 lb-ft
- Transmission: 6-Speed Manual
- Curb Weight: 1,936 kg (4,269lb)
- Wheelbase: 2,946 mm (116-in)
- Ground Clearance: 246 mm (9.7-in)
- Approach Angle: 42°
- Departure Angle: 32°
- Ramp Breakover Angle: 21°
- Wading Depth: 762 mm (30-in)
- Tow Capacity: 1,588 kg (3,500-lb)
- Fuel Efficiency (L/100km): 11.4L Highway, 15.0L City, 13.4L Combined