#selec-trac

Text and Photos by Michael Hozjan

Is this the Wrangler I’ve been waiting for

Regular readers know that the Wrangler is a vehicle I hate to love. But love it I do, and now comes one that I find it even harder to resist. Last fall I got behind the wheel of the all-new Rubicon and I strongly urge you to scroll down and catch up on all the changes to the 2019 Wrangler, they are astounding. This past week I had the Sahara, a street friendlier version of the popular Jeep.

What has got me all excited? Two things, a return to four cylinder power and, the Sahara now comes with an electric sunroof that folds past the second row seat to allow nature’s best in. With other models you get either a fold-away canvas top, or a composite fiberglass top. The Sky Power Soft Top as Jeep calls it is a $3,995 option and if you’re lazy like me or always in a hurry like me, and don’t have the patience to unzip, flip, fold, unbolt, crease, well you get the picture, the new top is a blessing.  You can still take off the doors and the rear quarter windows for that safari experience and keep the roof on. 

Other niceties I appreciated about the Sahara is a leather covered dash as opposed to the Rubicon’s rather loud, unmatched colored unit. Am I nit picking? Well if I’m paying sixty grand for a Sahara I better like what I see. OK maybe the leather dash won’t stand up to repeated downpours but then I don’t think too many Sahara owners will need to worry about that…again thanks to the electric roof. The 7” infotainment screen was smaller than the Rubicon’s but I didn’t mind the difference for the $1,395 saving over the 8.4” option. I’ve mentioned this time and time again, FCA’s infotainment interface—called Uconnect—is one of the industry’s easiest to use, quick to respond, and can be displayed on different sized touchscreens whether we’re talking Jeep, Ram or Challenger.  Yes, yes, yes, Apple Car Play and Android Auto are available, as is navigation and a nine-speaker Alpine audio system.

If there is a sore point to the Jeep experience is that the rear seats don’t fold flush with the floor. I was forced to camp out in the back during a major downpour and while grateful I was dry, cursed the designers more than once during the night. 

The second good news is that power for my Sahara was supplied by the all-new 2.0L inline turbocharged four cylinder with eTorque. The four is a $2,590 option but may be a worthy option. Though it makes a lot of rockus when you first fire it up, so much so I thought it had a diesel, it quietens down considerably to a mild hum within a few minutes. The Italian sourced four makes 270 horses and beats out the V6 in torque with an impressive 295 lb-ft., and that, has always been a sore point of the V6. The hybrid four will also send you to 100 kph quicker than the six and still maintains the V6’s towing capacity of 3500 lbs.

While not a true hybrid, the eTorque does as its name suggests, provides additional torque when needed. The 48-volt motor/generator captures braking energy for storage and later uses the energy to boost the engine’s torque at low speeds. In addition it keeps the 12-volt battery charged, negating the need for a regular alternator, and restarts the motor when the automatic stop/start system is used.

Sadly the four cylinder package is only available with the 8-speed automatic. As I mentioned earlier the Sahara is street friendlier Wrangler, which is not to say that it isn’t an off-roader. It will get you in and out of more sand, dirt, gravel or snow than most SUVs on the market it just doesn’t have some of the heavy-duty off-road gear of the Rubicon. Case in point the Selec-Trac 4WD system. Selec-Trac offers you the choice of fuel saving rear wheel drive while still giving you the option of low 4x4. Adding to the Sahara’s road mannerisms are the 255/70 R18 Bridgestone Dueler A/T tires. They’re quiet and provide formidable traction. 

There’s also adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning something unheard of in a Jeep a few years ago.

Where the Sahara hurts is the sticker shock. Entry price is in the mid forties and quickly escalates. Choose your options carefully and it will make a big difference at the end – (news flash). I’ve already mentioned the smaller infotainment screen that will save you nearly $1400. The optional alloy wheels are an additional $695, leather seats $995. Yes I love the big-ticket items but think that FCA could choose to option us a bare bones version without items like power windows and a/c to keep costs down.  Still, talk to anyone who owns one and they’ll quickly point out how well the Wranglers hold their value. More fodder for my love hate relationship.