2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport
Jeeps have been around for a long time. The Wrangler has been around since 1987, but it’s really just a continuation of the World War II Jeep that was made available for civilians and cleverly called a “CJ” (for “civilian jeep”) by Willys starting in 1944. The Wrangler is really four generations of Jeeps added onto the 13 generations that Willys, Kaiser, and AMC made from 1944-1987. Even with generations of improvement, they still remain true to the original in a lot of ways.
The 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sport is a 4-door convertible SUV, and the second of seven trim levels. It has a 3.8 liter V6 engine that produces 205 horsepower and 240 pound-feet of torque. It has 16-inch steel wheels, rear-wheel drive, and a 4-speed automatic transmission. It is rated at 15 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the highway. It can tow up to 3500 pounds.
The Wrangler Unlimited Sport comes with a tilt-only steering wheel, front bucket seats with driver height adjustment, a split-folding rear seat, cloth upholstery, air conditioning, a removable soft top, and foglights. The audio system has 6 speakers, AM/FM radio, a CD/MP3 player, and an audio jack.
The Wrangler also comes with antilock brakes, stability control, traction control, hill start assist, and a rollover sensor. Safety is a huge issue with this vehicle for standard use, though. The Wrangler got the highest marks of 5 stars from the government and “good” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for front impacts, but was terrible on side impacts and rollovers. It got the second-worst rating of “marginal” by the IIHS, because the removable side doors aren’t meant to provide any protection.
Conclusions and driver feedback:
First and foremost, the Jeep Wrangler, in any of its trim levels, is meant to be an off-road vehicle. Consequently, its interior is made of very hard materials that are easy to clean, and the design is somewhere between Spartan and practical. There is plenty of cabin space, especially with the top down. Even the rear seats have ample headroom and legroom. Somehow, if you fold the rear seats down, there are 86 cubic feet of cargo space. There are 46.4 cubic feet of cargo space if you are using the back seat for passengers.
As for the drive and ride, the Wrangler is designed for off-road use. This is the best off-road vehicle on the market. When you get it on the road, though, it is still an off-road vehicle. If you love the off-road experience and don’t want a conventional ride or handling on pavement, the Wrangler will work.
Ultimately, though, we don’t recommend it for city use. It isn’t nearly safe enough for side impacts, with almost no metal in the removable doors and no side curtain airbags. You can add optional side front airbags if you like, but it just isn’t enough.
The verdict: it is the best of vehicles and it is the worst of vehicles. It just depends on whether you are driving it on or off road.
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