Jeep Wrangler

Meet the odd one out. The rugged Wrangler is not trying to be a direct rival to the likes of the Vauxhall Antara, but is it now refined and comfortable enough to be a genuine alternative to more conventional compact SUVs?

You can’t deny it looks like fun. OK, so it’s a long way from being sleek and sophisticated, but with its all-American image, it has a real Wild West vibe. It’s hardly at the cutting edge of design, though. The front bumpers are wide enough to sit on, and with its slabby sides and upright windscreen, the five-door Unlimited comes across as a low-rent Hummer H3.

The best thing that can be said about the cabin is that the rear seats fold flat quite neatly, resulting in a decent 1,600-litre area. But with doors that don’t hold open by themselves, cheap trim, minimal stowage, inadequate night time illumination, a dreadful layout and countless ergonomic flaws, the Wrangler is woefully under developed.

It’s uncomfortable to sit in, tricky to see out of, and although it’s available with a diesel engine and automatic gearbox for the first time, neither is what you would call cutting-edge. The wheezing 2.8-litre unit struggles to shift the Wrangler’s 1,980kg kerbweight, and the five-speed auto is hopelessly sluggish.

The brakes are also poor, and although torsional rigidity is claimed to have improved by 50 per cent, on the road it feels almost as agricultural as Land Rover’s Defender. It wanders, jitters, shakes, has an appallingly wide turning circle and frighteningly vague steering.

Under-equipped and costing more than £23,000, the Wrangler is a poor choice for everyday motoring, and is best treated as a fun weekend vehicle.