2019 Jeep Wrangler Tow Test

When releasing a new ute or SUV, manufacturers only appear to have one way to go with towing capacity – up. Offering up a big 4WD that doesn't have the towing numbers to haul heavy stuff behind it can send buyers elsewhere.

So here we have the new Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with a boosted towing capacity of 2495kg (249kg on the towball), up from the 2300kg maximum of the JK Wrangler it replaces.

That's a long way from the 3500kg maximum that many utes and some large SUVs such as the Nissan Patrol and Toyota LandCruiser (and Jeep's own Grand Cherokee) offer and a fair bit less than the circa 3000kg capacity of medium wagons such as Everest, MU-X, Trailblazer, Pajero Sport and Fortuner.

Nonetheless, the Jeep's going to be able to tow plenty of medium-size caravans or trailer boats a bit more easily – in terms of its legal capacity at least. Just about any off-road camper trailer, including hybrids, would easily fit under the Jeep's 2495kg cap, and plenty of single-axle medium-size off-road caravans.

It's hard to find a direct competitor to the Rubicon because there really aren't any other military-style hard-core off-road wagons (until the Defender returns, at least). For towing tourers, the ute-based wagons mentioned above are about as close as you'll get.

While the Wrangler loses out to towing competitors for maximum trailer hauling capacity, it makes up for it if you want to either shed the trailer at base camp or drag it with you deep into hard-core bush tracks. This is what the Rubicon is really all about. As we discovered at the model's local launch, this is a dedicated off-roader that will tackle hard-core tracks easily out of the box in conditions where other factory-fresh 4x4s would struggle.

You'll need a big chunk of cash to buy this top-shelf Wrangler: the Rubicon turbo-diesel starts out at $68,950 and as tested with the $1950 Rubicon Luxury Package (leather interior, heated front seats and steering wheel), $450 Trail Rail Management System (cargo tie-down system) and $1658 towing package (fitted, including number plate relocation kit), it came to $73,008 (plus on-road costs).

However, for that substantial ask the Rubicon comes filled with standard. For example, it gets dusk-sensing headlights, reversing camera and rear parking sensors, keyless entry and ignition, 17-inch alloy wheels (shod with 32-inch BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain tyres), full-time/part-time dual-range transmission, locking front and rear differentials, front stabiliser bar disconnect, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, front bumper prepared for winch fitment, LED lighting, remote start, a sizeable infotainment system with nine speakers, satellite navigation with off-road pages and blind-spot monitoring.

For other top-shelf medium SUVs to be as off-road capable as the Rubicon, you're going to have to spend a solid chunk of money on Mud Terrain tyres, lifted suspension and a diff locker or two. Maybe the Rubicon isn't so expensive after all…

The interior is a big step up in refinement over the Jeep JK Wrangler, with a well laid-out dash with a large central 8.4-inch Uconnect infotainment centre screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a digital/analogue instrument cluster.

While the dash is well laid out, there were a few irritations on test. One was that pairing a phone was a bit temperamental – at one point a just-paired phone would do nothing but play back a random voice memo recording. Disconnecting, closing the Bluetooth setting screen on the phone and trying again fixed it.

The other is that the steering wheel, while having rake and reach adjustment, doesn't really offer much of either. Despite this (and the flat front seats), the Wrangler is comfortable to drive during long transport stages, with rear passengers also treated to ample head and legroom (although some may prefer that the seat back wasn't set back as far as it is).

With its high driver's seat and squared-off body, vision to the front and sides is very good, while the thick C- and D-pillars (and bootlid-mounted spare) conspire to make over-the-shoulder rear vision poor. It's a good thing, then, that the side mirrors are large and that the rear-view camera works well.

The 147kW/450Nm 2.2-litre turbo-diesel is more free-revving that you'd expect for an SUV diesel, has strong performance with the typical turbo-diesel trait of plenty of mid-range torque, and – like some – a bit of turbo lag off idle.

Speaking of idle, the engine wasn't exactly smooth at times when ticking over, possibly a by-product of the presumably hard life the 7000km-old press car has had.

The Jeep Wrangler's idle-stop feature wasn't as clever as it could be in the cut-and-thrust of city traffic, sometimes too eager to switch the engine off and slow to restart. For example, when pausing momentarily at an intersection before going for a gap, that gap evaporates as the Jeep's engine has already gone to sleep and is slow to wake up. At least idle-stop can be switched off (although it resets to on with each ignition cycle).

Traction control was too easily activated around town after driving over even mildly lumpy surfaces, with the dash's "TC" warning light illuminating for several seconds accompanied by a momentary reduction in power.

One thing is clear with the Jeep JL Wrangler; on the road, its ride and handling are much sharper than the JK. No, this vehicle won't be your first choice to negotiate twisting tarmac nor will its ride ever be described as lush, but it is a much better riding and handling vehicle than before.

Despite being more civilised than the JK, you're reminded often of its off-road focus when driving on sealed roads. The howl from the offroad-focused mud tyres starts at about 40km/h and at 110km/h on the freeway their hum is accompanied by a fair bit of wind noise around the A-pillars.

We towed a Millard van we picked up from RV Connection at St Marys (NSW); it weighed 2000kg, with about 150kg of that as towball download.

The Wrangler Rubicon has a 2160kg tare weight, a 2630kg gross vehicle mass and a 4876kg gross combined mass. What that means is you can't tow the full 2495kg behind the Jeep while it is loaded to its full 2630kg GVM rating – you'd have to shed 249kg somewhere in the combination.

The Jeep had a 10mm rise at the front and a fairly significant 40mm drop at the rear with the caravan attached.

On paper, the Jeep should be a stable towing platform with relatively heavy kerb mass, a long wheelbase and a relatively short rear-axle-to-towball measurement. Yet once up to a 100km/h cruise on the freeway, the Wrangler didn't feel entirely settled, with some yawing when trucks passed, and also when heading down the test descent at 90km/h.

Perhaps a weight distribution hitch may improve this; while the front only rose 10mm, the 40mm rear suspension droop with the caravan attached is fairly significant.

The Jeep's eight-speed auto wasn't entirely relaxed when cruising at 100km/h with the van behind, shifting between sixth gear with the engine spinning at 2400rpm and seventh gear, where it sat at about 2000rpm.

The Jeep's ride quality even on patchy secondary roads was good, with neither brittleness over bumps nor any pitching.

On the test hill climb the Jeep dropped 10km/h under full throttle. That's okay but it's evidently not a towing weapon – very strong towing performers tested on this hill can match the posted 90km/h limit without breaking a sweat.

The Rubicon increased speed by 5km/h descending the hill; that's okay too, but there are plenty of other diesel-engined tow vehicles that have better engine braking.

The Jeep Wrangler Rubicon used an average 15.1L/100km when towing. Based on this figure you'd get around 480km (with a 50km safety margin) before needing to add more fuel to the 81-litre tank.

The Wrangler is more sophisticated and refined than before and in Rubicon trim it's an off-road weapon. Yet as a heavy-duty towing proposition, it's a mixed bag.

Yes, its ride, performance and fuel use are reasonable but, in this instance at least, its towing stability isn't exemplary.

Specifications
Model: Jeep Wrangler Rubicon
Price: $73,008 (as tested, plus ORC)
Engine: 2.2-litre turbo-diesel 4-cyl
Output: 147kW/450Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 219g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: One-star ANCAP (2019)