2006 Jeep Wrangler TJ Review (2.4L0

Jeeps have always appealed to me as a very niche Vehicle. The wrangler specifically stood out as a car that was designed with the soul purpose of going where other cars wont. Another aspect of Jeeps that has become apparent to me is the diversity in owner demographic, and these differences lead to the three primary styles in which I have seen Jeeps be Modified. The first example is the “who needs roads anyway” Jeep, often sporting a lift kit, snorkel and winch, all helping to increase its proficiency in going off road. The second example represents itself in more of a “Who needs friends anyway” mannerism, these Jeeps are often covered in stickers from various gun brands, massively expensive non off road oriented rims, and a pair of balls hanging off the hitch to make you aware of the owners “Manliness”. The last example, which is the style I had the privilege of testing, is often completely stock other than a Tardis on the dash that wobbles about as you drive, and on occasion, pink seat covers (I will never understand how Jeeps appeal so highly to teenage girls).

Finding access to only the latest example is by no means a bad thing. It meant that I got to test the wrangler in its stock form, exactly how the engineers designed it to be. So the question I sought out to answer is how well does this car do what its supposed to.

The lack of Roof is a nice touch

Lets get to it. The Jeep I got to drive is the 2006 (the last year before the wrangler went Barbie) 2.4 litre Inline 4 cylinder TJ. Initial impressions when looking at the exterior and interior leave you thinking you will have everything you need to have in a car and nothing more. The front end of the car looks very happy, and very long, and then once your inside the car you look around and have a role cage from front to back which is not exactly confidence inspiring. Despite the plastics feeling a little cheap and having a lack of luxury (Which is to be expected in a wrangler any ways) everything is simple, usable and pretty well sorted.

When driving around the city the wrangler works well. It has incredibly Good visibility and despite the long nose, actually feels very small. This Jeep was paired to a six speed manual and I found this rather enjoyable. The throws are by no means short as it is a full on truck shift leaver. and the engine noise is not exactly a pleasant sound once above 3000 RPM but in the city it is smooth and gets the job done. Another thing to note is that the ride is by no means smooth, due to this car begin designed for off road the springs are obviously very soft to absorb bumps., and although this will be of great benefit when you are out exploring the unknown, it becomes rather tedious on ordinary roads.

The largest downfalls of this car come during highway blasts and on curvy mountain roads. This is due to a combination of having the aerodynamic properties of a pug, the driving dynamics of a wet noodle, and a lack of horsepower figures (147HP @5200RPM which means you will deafen yourself in the process of getting there). These issues all manifest when you have to go up and down hills and finding yourself constantly down shifting to keep enough power going to the wheels to actually make it up. In the Curvy mountain roads you become aware of the need for a role cage as the car feels like it is going to fall over every time you turn (and this one is not even lifted).

Note: the Tardis on Dashboard

Despite all the flaws this car has as something you would use as a daily driver people still do it, and you understand why when you have the top down climbing rocks (in this Jeeps case very small rocks) and feeling the satisfaction of going places that most cars cant go. In my car preference I like going fast, But going anywhere can be ridiculously fun as we found out. If you throw this little car into 4WD and take it through some snow it performs exceptionally as its curb weight is a little over 3000 Lbs. So I think it is still a car you can have fun in. (on a side note there is very little weight over the front wheels so in FWD it can do some hilarious burnouts)

All in all, I think it is fair to say that the car accomplishes what it was engineered to do, even in stock form. Like I said before it is a Niche car so it would be unfair to judge it based on speed and performance. If you are looking for an off-Roading vehicle that maintains value and has a massive after market for performance parts I would highly recommend the Wrangler (But get the 3.0 Litre if possible).

Once again thanks for reading and all feedback is appreciated!