Jeep’s Wrangler is one of the lines with the longest running history in the auto industry, and it has around eight decades of market presence. For some auto lovers and critics, it’s an iconic brand name, and it has a solid reputation for being durable, sturdy and reliable in a variety of difficult conditions. And while Jeep have been making various improvements to the line over the years, recently their progress seems to have slowed down a bit, at least according to some critics. Ever since Chrysler have taken over the brand, the improvements to the Wrangler’s design have been a bit less enthusiastic than before.
Still, the Wrangler seems to be a relatively good offer in the market segment where it was originally intended – a good pure off-road experience. Most reviewers have been happy with the 2015 edition of the Wrangler in this regard, even though there have been a few negative comments about its gas mileage. But in the end, it’s not a machine meant to be efficient, it’s supposed to deliver as much performance as possible under the toughest imaginable conditions. And that, it handles well.
On the other hand, there’s still the Jeep Grand Cherokee for buyers interested in a more luxurious experience, at the cost of a little less flexibility in off-road conditions. Chrysler have been handling both lines with roughly the same attention, so the Grand Cherokee has also been improving somewhat slowly, but steadily.
Something that reviewers have been pointing out about the more recent design of the Wrangler, particularly the 2015 edition, is that it’s been smoothed out, with fewer rough edges, and an overall sleeker frame. Reactions to this have been mixed, as the model has always had a characteristically rough look, although some reviewers are actually happy with the new style, and have been asking for Chrysler to push even harder in that direction.
And they definitely might want to look into stepping up their work on that line, as there have been rumors that General Motors are gearing up to compete against the Wrangler with their own off-road SUV. The company has reportedly already been in talks with various auto dealers, describing the potential of the new vehicle to them, and trying to get them on board for the project. General Motors stopped working on the Hummer six years ago, and since then, they’ve had one concept that was similar to the Wrangler, only tougher, but that never reached a production stage. It’s not known if anything will come out from the current discussions, but a new entry into the market by GM could definitely make things interesting for many companies right now.