We like
Supple ride, roofless/doorless driving, strong engine performance, slick eight speed auto, tough looks, steel bumper, grippy AT tyres, buttons/switches ilo screen controls, strong brakes, tank-like off-road capability, minimal ADAS to grapple with

Room for improvement
Small driver’s foot well, small doors, drinks like a fish, tyre hum, not nimble, rear seat legroom, needs premium unleaded

Overview

 

JEEP gave its Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited a modest update earlier this year adding a handful of useful equipment and detail changes while leaving the fundamentals of its hard-core off-road formula largely untouched.

 

Priced from $84,990 plus on-road costs, the four-door Rubicon sits alongside the shorter $81,990 +ORC Limited as one of just two Wrangler variants offered in Australia for 2026.

 

The headline change is not a new engine or major mechanical overhaul, but rather a series of improvements aimed at making the Wrangler easier to live with and better equipped straight from the showroom.

 

Most significant for the Rubicon is the addition of a heavy-duty steel front bumper as standard equipment, replacing an item previously offered as a $3374 accessory.

 

It is a worthwhile inclusion on a vehicle that continues to put genuine off-road ability ahead of the increasingly road-focused character of many modern SUVs.

 

The other notable functional change is the introduction of quick-release door hinges, designed to make removing the Wrangler’s doors faster and easier and further exploiting one of the model’s long-standing points of difference.

 

Jeep has made a minor change inside as well, replacing the previous red steering-wheel stitching with a more subdued Tungsten finish.

 

Mechanically, however, the 2026 Rubicon is familiar territory.

 

Power continues to come from Jeep’s (Fiat’s) turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine producing 200kW and 400Nm and driving all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.

 

Those figures might not appear particularly remarkable in a market increasingly populated by powerful turbocharged and electrified SUVs, but outright straight-line performance has never been the Wrangler Rubicon’s primary focus.

 

Instead, its appeal rests on the hardware underneath.

 

The Rubicon retains Jeep’s Rock-Trac four-wheel drive system with a two-speed transfer case, 4:1 low-range ratio and a 77.2:1 crawl ratio, providing the very low gearing required for controlled progress over difficult terrain.

 

Dana solid axles remain at both ends, while the rear is a heavy-duty Next Gen Dana 44 full-floating design.

 

The full-float arrangement helps distribute loads and also provides greater scope for owners wanting to fit larger aftermarket tyres, an important consideration given the Wrangler’s popularity with buyers who modify their vehicles for serious off-road use.

 

Underbody protection is similarly substantial, with four skid plates protecting vulnerable mechanical components when the Wrangler is being used for its intended purpose.

 

The Rubicon’s Trail Rated credentials encompass traction, water fording, manoeuvrability, axle articulation and ground clearance, areas in which its traditional ladder-frame construction and solid-axle layout continue to distinguish it from most contemporary SUVs.

 

Helping the driver make use of that capability is Jeep’s TrailCam front-facing off-road camera.

 

The system provides a view of the terrain immediately ahead of the vehicle, particularly useful when climbing steep crests or negotiating rocks and other obstacles that would otherwise disappear beneath the Wrangler’s bonnet line.

 

Despite those decidedly old-school off-road fundamentals, the cabin is considerably more contemporary.

 

Dominating the dashboard is a 12.3-inch Uconnect 5 touchscreen, the largest display yet fitted to a Wrangler.

 

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, along with multi-device Bluetooth connectivity and five configurable user profiles, including a Valet mode.

 

The four-door body also makes the Rubicon a considerably more practical proposition for buyers wanting to combine its off-road capability with family duties, providing easier access to the rear seats and greater versatility than the shorter two-door.

 

Safety equipment includes front and rear side-curtain airbags, electronic stability control and, on the four-door, a rear-seat reminder system.

 

There is no escaping the fact that the Wrangler remains a relatively specialised proposition.

 

Where many modern SUVs attempt to blend light-duty all-wheel drive ability with predominantly road-biased dynamics, the Rubicon continues to employ hardware specifically intended for difficult terrain.

 

That distinction extends to one of the Wrangler’s most recognisable features - its ability to transform into an open-air vehicle.

 

Removable roof panels are joined by the removable doors, with the new quick-release hinges intended to make that conversion considerably less cumbersome.

 

Personalisation also remains an important part of the Wrangler formula and Jeep has expanded the colour choice for 2026.

 

The changes do not fundamentally alter what the Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited is.

 

Nor do they need to.

 

Its combination of solid axles, low-range gearing, substantial underbody protection and removable body panels places it in an increasingly small group of vehicles designed around serious off-road use rather than simply adopting the appearance of one.

 

Buyers are paying for a specialised set of capabilities that few competitors can replicate, wrapped in a design that remains immediately recognisable more than eight decades after the basic Jeep formula first appeared.

 

Driving Impressions

 

No matter how you cut it, any vehicle that’s been validated on the legendary Rubicon Trail in California is going to be a tough off-roader.

 

Jeep says all its 4x4s undergo the Rubicon Trail test drive program and having driven the trail a number of times (in Jeeps) I can confirm the reputation that it may be among the toughest off-road drives on the planet – a real hard-core axle buster.

 

The test car’s Rubicon branding along the bonnet serves to underline its capabilities in the dirt… and rocks and mud and sand and nearly every other hostile driving environment you can think of.

 

Like Toyota’s old school 70 Series fourbies, the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is designed and equipped to go pretty much anywhere – and get back. It is a no nonsense rigid diff, ladder chassis, off-road rock crusher that has been somewhat tamed for general driving duties but absolutely shines off the beaten track.

 

The test drive four door is a long beast with a long wheelbase – not necessarily ideal for bush bashing but in that very environment, it proved to be pretty much unstoppable on our own little “Rubicon Trail” out in the Blue Mountains west of Sydney.

 

With the necessary modes engaged – sway bars disconnected, Offroad+ activated and the gear selector in 4WD Part Time (L or H), off we went aided by the potent 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine that was never found lacking, particularly in the torque department even at crawl speeds.

 

Though we had reservations, the 2.0-litre four pot is so much better than the old 3.6 V6 petrol, offering up ample poke across a broad operating range exemplified in its ability to happily idle along at walking pace and then blast up a rough, rocky hill with the chunky tyres firing shrapnel out behind.

 

The drive took us over rugged rocky steps just like the real Rubicon Trail, through worryingly deep creek crossings, slippery mud puddles, washaways that had to be pre-walked, steep up and down hills covered in gravel “ball bearings” and other tortuous terrain, made all the easier by the Rubicon’s forward looking camera, 17-inch BF Goodrich Mud Terrain lug tyres and everything else in its arsenal.

 

And you won’t be shaken to bits either because it has a near perfectly calibrated off road ride with long travel suspension that can articulate over ridiculously large obstacles and yet maintain its poise over smaller pitter, patter bumps and corrugations.

 

Ground clearance isn’t a problem either though the shorty version may have the edge over the longer test model.

 

A number of times we were sure the Rubicon would nose flip such was the angle of descent but no, it continued forward progression in a measured, reassuring manner. Bash plates protect much of the undercarriage which is punctuated with robust mechanical and chassis components that look strong enough to weather any amount of abuse.

 

The twin lockers allow it to plonk along in the roughest terrain like a tank making easy, confident forward progress through everything we asked of it including up frighteningly steep inclines and over fallen trees. 

 

Fire trails?

 

Like a walk in the park…

 

All the while, occupants are given a strong sense of security by the vehicle’s composure that seems capable of tackling pretty much any type of terrain encountered never having to back out of a tricky spot.

 

The Rubicon was dust proof, water proof and pretty quiet through all we threw at it, the fun factor enhanced by its generous level of luxury equipment and rubber floor mats, big tick.

 

That last point illustrates the level of detail Jeep goes to with such a vehicle to enhance its off-road ability, starting up front with a forward view camera and new steel bumper, employed often on our “Aussie Rubicon Trail” drive.

 

We emerged from five hours bush bashing relatively fresh and ready for the two hour freeway drive home where once again, the big Jeep showed its strengths – and some weaknesses.

 

Because of its weight and non-aerodynamic shape, fuel use is heavy registering an average of 12.5 during our week of mixed driving, more off road, and it’s premium unleaded adding to ownership costs.

 

Access might be an issue for larger passengers due to small door openings, and the tyres hum away in the background that may cause some agro but we didn’t mind at all.

 

There were some Bluetooth drop outs but happily, deactivating annoying ADAS features was relatively simple and quick.

 

On the freeway and around town, the Rubicon is easy to live with apart from the soft suspension which causes a degree of body roll when moderately pushed but the big disc brakes are strong and it gets out of the blocks really quickly.

 

The interior is comfortable for front seat passengers but cramped for those behind but the Rubicon offers up plenty of luxury kit not the least the supple leather upholstery and the pleasing audio system.

 

There’s ample boot space and we love the old school rear mounted spare though the two piece “tailgate” is a pain.

 

It looks proper macho on the street set off in this case by the chunky tyres, black plastic body add-ons and black roof.

 

Adding to the fun factor is the removable (resin) top and doors which create something of a bare bones buggy appearance but add to the driving pleasure on a fine day out in the sand dunes or the bush.

 

It’s a fair old ask at around $90k on the road but the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is a fair dinkum off roader in the truest sense not some pretend SUV soft roader that would spit the dummy at the first sniff of dust.