The Wrangler Jeep is like no other vehicle in the world, at least for me. I love drives out on the rougher roads, and being behind the Jeep’s wheel is where one gets the best rides on the roughest of roads.
The muscle behind the Jeep is what a gal like me looks for in a strong, built-to-conquer vehicle. I love the feeling of being wrapped in the body of Jeep because I feel that it will protect me when I am bullied by bigger buses and other fancy SUVs on EDSA. But more than that, I love the way the Jeep handles when it is out in the countryside where there are tougher and muddy spells of road that I must cross — and I know the Jeep will get me through them.
The Jeep Wrangler Sport is what I like to call a basic utility vehicle. Sure, it comes with air-conditioning, cruise control and a good sound system, but that’s where the comfort ends. Yet, it is a solid, dependable and powerful vehicle that handles the driving challenges with ease.
When I started the engine and began the rollout from our garage, I was in love. The Jeep’s steering requires a little more attention than one of the newer SUVs. The seating is for adults: not a mom going shopping for designer jeans, and the ride is solid, not for leisure cruising or for playing games on the iPad, but it was perfect.
I was ready to take some off-roading so I thought of heading off to Clark, Pampanga where there are lots back roads where dirt rules. I had fun driving down SLEX. The ride was smooth and I felt oh, so safe because of its sold metal body protecting me.
The Jeep Wrangler is what is called a true American icon. Besides its styling, it can go places virtually no other factory-built SUV on the road would dare go to. Its old-school mechanical underpinnings also make it oddly fun to drive on the road simply because nothing steers or behaves in quite the same way.
Off roading at Candaba, Pampanga
I found some dirt roads at Candaba, Pampanga, which is known as a bird watching sanctuary. In Candaba birds flock from October to April every year. Candaba is largely a swamp area with smooth roads until the roads turn into mud and dirt roads.
I took the Jeep Wrangler down through some of the swamp area, careful not to get in to a deep because one, I was alone and two, I was afraid of getting stuck. The Jeep did as I commanded as I drove it through some muddy stretches. I was too busy enjoying the mud to check out the birds — a case of I couldn’t get two birds with one stone.
Satisfied with how the Jeep handled the drive, I was ready to get back to the comforts of concrete roads. On pavement, however, driving a Wrangler can elicit quite a few stares — more so if the one behind the wheel is a little old lady like me. I took everything in stride and enjoyed the looks I got from some of the residents of Candaba.
The 3.6-liter V6 engine of the Jeep is truly a modern wonder that is able to keep the heavy metal body whizzing through the cemented streets. The five-speed automatic transmission did just fine, too.
Standard equipment on the base Wrangler Sport includes 16-inch steel wheels, on/off-road tires, a full-size spare tire, skid plates, tow hooks, foglamps, removable doors, fold-down windshield, manual mirrors and locks, full metal doors with crank windows, cruise control, a height-adjustable driver seat, cloth upholstery, a tilt-only steering wheel, a one-piece fold and tumble-forward backseat and an eight-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack.
The 2016 Wrangler comes standard with antilock brakes, traction and stability control and front airbags. Front side airbags are optional. A rearview camera isn’t available, nor are other parking or safety aids.
Just Drive
As I drove back to Manila that afternoon, I couldn’t help but feel like I was a military officer — or even a soldier on a mission to get back to camp.
After all, the Jeep Wrangler is a throwback to the brand’s earliest days as a military supplier. Whether by chance or by design the purpose-built off-roader has endured decades and has become one of the brand’s best-selling vehicles. There are few things on the road that look like a Wrangler with its boxy shape sharing the aerodynamic properties of a barn door.
Jeep has managed to keep this model’s authenticity not just by preserving its ability but also maintaining all sorts of details that you might not have otherwise thought could carry over to the present day. The door hinges are still exposed, attached to flat sheet metal that pointedly avoids mass-market appeal. And you can still completely remove its top and doors and flip down the windshield.
All these features and its off-road performance are what make the Wrangler Jeep just perfect.