Jeep Wrangler Reviews from Australia and New Zealand

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2003 Jeep Wrangler Sport Extreme 4.0 petrol

Model year	2004
Year of manufacture	2003
First year of ownership	2011
Most recent year of ownership	2012
Engine and transmission	4.0 petrol Manual
Performance marks	6 / 10
Reliability marks	8 / 10
Comfort marks	6 / 10
Dealer Service marks	8 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	7 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	7.0 / 10
Distance when acquired	110000 kilometres
Most recent distance	115000 kilometres
Previous car	Mitsubishi Pajero iO

Summary:

Character in a sea of sameness

Faults:

Had an odd stalling issue them soon after the battery died. Hasn't happened since.

Blower fan only works on two speeds, but no big deal

General Comments:

My Jeep came with loads of good gear such as hard & soft tops, two inch lift, alloys, Warn front & rear bars, full roof rack (bolted to body) & loads more. Have since fitted many other bits including full K&N filter kit, CB radio, work light & loads more.

My Jeep (Thunder Bug) has been a sturdy companion. For many, this would be an awful on road vehicle, but I find it fun as it's not a 'sit in & point' type vehicle. Steering is vague, brakes so-so, gearbox lumpy. But it all adds to the character & a reason I couldn't ever sell it. Plus I have an MG ZT-T for when I'm in the mood for an easy drive. I think a Wrangler is best appreciated if you have another car to share the load.

Love the Meccano type construction; everything is easy to get to & understand. Tough, simple & rugged. I do laugh when I hear complaints of fuel & maintenance costs. One guy I know of sold after 3 months due to high fuel consumption; don't these people do a budget before buying a car?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th December, 2012

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2008 Jeep Wrangler Sport 3.8L V6

Model year	2008
Year of manufacture	2008
First year of ownership	2008
Most recent year of ownership	2008
Engine and transmission	3.8L V6 Manual
Performance marks	7 / 10
Reliability marks	10 / 10
Comfort marks	7 / 10
Dealer Service marks	10 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	6 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	8.0 / 10
Distance when acquired	14 kilometres
Most recent distance	300 kilometres
Previous car	Ford Falcon

Summary:

For a true off-roader with enough refinement to be a daily driver on-road, there's no better!

Faults:

Nothing so far, but only had it a week.

General Comments:

On-road handling & ride are far better than I expected for a true off-roader, though with the short wheelbase it does pitch a little on bumpy roads.

Performance is better than many people have been saying, considering it's weight and large tires and I haven't even come close to redlining it as I'm still running it in. You just have to work out the optimum shift points, and the six speed gearbox has plenty of ratios to play around with.

Interior is fantastic for a true off-roader. Comfy seats and driving position, and the sat-nav system with the hard drive for storing music and videos is great; had to pay extra as an option though.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th December, 2008

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27th Dec 2008, 18:31

I wanted to add an addition to this review I left yesterday.

This morning as I was driving to work I ran a red light at 60km/h, while distracted by a car coming up fast on the inside lane next to me, leaving himself nowhere to go as there were parked cars ahead.

At the last minute I realised the lights were red and saw there was a taxi approaching the intersection at speed, so I hit the brakes and swerved to the inside lane, fully expecting to collide with the taxi.

All I can say is my Jeep performed fantastically. The ABS allowed me to steer without brake lock-up and the stability control kept it flat and in control; I pulled up about a foot short of the taxi's front fender.

The jeep performed far better than my previous ABS equipped sedan did in similar situations, so for an off-roader this vehicle has just proven itself to me for on-road safety as well. I was worried after reading some of these comments about the Jeep's on-road safety, but it's proved itself to me now!

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28th Dec 2008, 19:55

ABS, all speed traction control, roll control, ESP, and better suspension technology make the current model much more stable than past Jeeps on the pavement. But cooler yet is that they were able to do this while maintaining its off-road prowess. I sure like my Rubicon. One question... you said that this is a "sport" model. Here in the States the Sport was replaced by the "X" model designation. So is the Sport analogous to our X, Sahara, or the Rubicon? Also is yours a 2 door or 4 door? Cheers!

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31st Dec 2008, 02:13

I should have added that even the entry level Sport soft-tops come standard with air-con, power windows/doors, cruise control, leather steering wheel, cloth seats, etc, so they'd be nearer to the Sahara in the US market. They don't sell the bare bones ones here as far as I know.