It all began with Jeep.
The wartime birth of the MB Jeep is well documented, and historians say In many respects, the jeep became the iconic vehicle of World War II, with an almost mythological reputation of toughness, durability, and versatility.
It became the workhorse of the American military, replacing horses, other draft animals, and motorcycles in every role, from messaging and cavalry units to supply trains.
In 1945, the Willys company converted the military MB 4WD to the first civilian Jeep, the CJ2. Following the war’s end, the CJ2 and thousands of ex-military Jeeps transformed on-farm mobility and the groundswell of civilian recreational use kicked off. For a long time, Jeeps were a rare sight on New Zealand roads, barring a brief period last century when right hand drive J20 utes became available here, offering a welcome break from the monotony of endless streams of 40-series Land Cruisers and pre-Defender Land Rovers.
Jeep’s presence on Kiwi roads really only became ‘regularised’ when Ateco took over the brand’s local representation.
NZ4WD has had a long involvement with Jeeps of all kinds, but the last time we drove a Wrangler was when previous editor Ross McKay tested a 3.6-litre V6 engined version in the Auckland 4WD Adventure Park at Woodhill Forest. We had to have two runs at one long sandy uphill but otherwise the Wrangler took the park in its stride.
So after all this time, does the Wrangler still own a unique position in the automotive landscape? When utes and SUVs are leaning harder into urban plush, is there a place for the Wrangler?
The 2025 Wrangler Overland is a facelift upgrade and arrives with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine and eight speed auto transmission. It produces 200kW and 400Nm of torque.
It’s not a hybrid, though the 4XE version of the big Jeep Grand Cherokee – also available here – adds hybrid gear and produces 280kW and an impressive 680Nm. There is a 4XE Wrangler, but it’s not available in New Zealand.
To us, the Wrangler is one of only a few 4WDs that deserve the title ‘iconic’. It’s still every inch a Jeep, and thus its DNA runs back decades to the original spartan military vehicles. But it’s still also an absolutely modern 4WD, well capable of carving any track its rivals might tackle – and more.
It drives like a Jeep. No other 4WD works this way. Cushion- soft suspension, well- modulated brakes, quick throttle response all make the Wrangler great around town, a calm tourer on the open road and an accomplished off-roader.
Some of its rivals are bought as all-round, 24-7 transports. We think the Wrangler will be bought because it’s a Jeep, a 4WD like no other.
Don’t look to carry half the team to soccer on Saturdays, this is a five-seater. Do take the family out along the beach to that surfcasting ‘spot X’ or take a weekend ramble up braided rivers into the South Island’s backblocks.
This is still very much a tool for seeing just how wild and blue that yonder actually gets. The axles are still ‘live’ (solid), there are low ratio gears in the transfer case and there are locking differentials. The tyres on our Overland were 70-series Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts – so an easy upgrade to boost off-road capability will be a switch to some good All-terrains.
In short, the Wrangler is still something that turns the wilderness into a playground.
This is a 4WD that celebrates 4WDing.
Jeep has added a bunch of driver safety aids – as required by law now – and made rock rails (for extra stiffness) standard, fitted more airbags and upgraded the touchscreen to a 12.3in.
The driver and passenger door airbags are fitted to the interior rollover structure, because the Wrangler is unique in this market: it is the only new vehicle with a fully removable roof. The roof is in three sections: the bigger rear, and two panels over driver and front seat passenger. A set of grunty over-centre clips tie it all in place, and clever gutters moulded into the composite panels direct rainwater to the edges.
Even the doors can be removed for full open-air motoring.
The kids will love it.
Again: no other vehicle on sale in this country offers this feature.
In terms of size, the Overland is 4882mm long (with a 3008mm wheelbase), 1894mm wide, 1838mm high. It has a listed kerb weight of 1900kg.
Wrangler was once a two-door short wheelbase 4WD. No more, it’s four-door or nothing. That’s no bad thing for transporting families or five grown-ups around.
Inside? What to say about a vehicle that has a wash-out interior with drain plugs?
This is a purpose-built off-roader and the Overland’s five-seat cabin is a totally functional space in which it’s easy to immediately feel comfortable.
All dials, knobs and switches are easy to locate and chunky enough to operate while skipping over corrugations or climbing up steep rock steps. More to the point, the key controls essential to adventuring are switch-based, not buried in the new 12.3-inch infoscreen.
Switching to 4WD High or 4WD Low range is still done via a stubby stick to the left of the auto shifter, rather than the push of a button, or the turn of a dial.
There’s leather everywhere – seats, steering wheel, shifter knob – but durable outdoors- tough surfaces also abound.
The inner and outer door handles are chunky great aluminium things where some rivals just go for chromed plastic.
The centre console is home to two cup holders and a neat slot to retain the key fob. Also clever: the four window switches are all set into the dash, accessible by driver or front passenger. Bringing them into the dash avoids the frequent issue of rain getting into the switches when they are door mounted.
The steering wheel and both front seats are heated and the front seats are power-activated and 12-way adjustable.
Driven: the Overland is quite soft on-road, soaking up most imperfections with ease, but it also take some concentration to keep it in line on the open road because the steering is a little vague at the dead-ahead position.
Off-road, we really didn’t expect any strife because it retains all the traditional goodness of the Wrangler with very few compromises. It’s a genuine 4WD with a dual-range transfer case, a ladder chassis, solid axles and well-proven 4WD heritage. On the gravel track to our off-road testing site, there are numerous steering- wheel-jolting corrugations but overall the Overland – with a coil spring at each corner – soaked them up.
On the road to our favourite 4WD tracks off the Klondyke Road near Port Waikato we travelled rural tarmac, then turned onto gravel at Klondyke Road, a popular route for adventure motorcyclists. We drove the narrow gravel track, road across long patches of light to medium corrugations, tackled undulating mud tracks and mud holes, and some challenging low-range 4WD sections.
The steering has a nice weight to it at lower speeds, giving the driver a great sense of sustained control through even the most severe obstacles, but the Overland’s long wheelbase does mean a turning circle of 12.44m, unexceptional among SUVs.
Low-range gearing is very good and the Overland has a well-calibrated off-road traction control that seamlessly launches into action when required, and wasted wheelspin is kept to an absolute minimum.
This Wrangler has 242mm ground clearance and a standard wading depth of 760mm, and was never troubled on climbing steep rock steps, traversing ruts or punching through mudholes. It has approach, departure and rampover angles of 41.8, 36.1 and 21.0 degrees, respectively.
With live axles front and rear, the Overland has plenty of wheel travel to keep moving and under control through truly off-grid country.
The only real compromises in the Overland’s 4x4 set-up are its standard Bridgestone Dueler (255/70R18) highway tyres and, even on those, the Overland walked up and over tough off-road obstacles.
It’s supremely sure-footed during low-range work and visibility is good. Over-bonnet visibility has improved slightly over previous generations but it pays to bear in mind that the front bumper sticks out a fair way beyond the grille.
The driver’s view to the front and side is great, thanks to wheelarch flares that accurately spell out the corner extremes of the vehicle.
Conclusion
It’s a serious off-roader, but it does the job in a smile- generating, irreverent way, refusing to take itself or its rivals seriously in adventure mode.
A rugged, go-anywhere machine that you can clean with a hose and service with a hammer (not literally, but you get the idea).
Wrangler Overland delivers a fun, go-kart style drive and yields a real driver-direct experience you get from few other contemporary vehicles on the blacktop or dirt.
Price? Yes, it’s getting up there, but consider: the 2025 local price for this Jeep is neck and neck with the price of the 2024 Overland in Australia. Given the state of our dollar, that means local buyers are streets ahead of our compatriots across the ditch.
