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Sunday, July 28, 1996     Page:

It was, quite simply, one of the most delightful drives I ve taken in
yearsIt was early morning, the sun was shining, the temperature was in the
upper 70s, there was no humidity and the sky was a clear and piercing sapphire
blue.
   
In other words, it was a very unusual Northeastern Pennsylvania summer
morning. At least it wasn t typical of the mornings let alone the days we ve
been having this summer.
    There was nothing typical about my ride, either. It was an all-new 1997
Jeep Wrangler, which Chrysler says represents the most significant changes in
the half-century history of the vehicle.
   
I ve never been a Jeep afficionado, so I ll take Chrysler s word for that.
What I will testify to is that the redesigned Wrangler is a major improvement
over the vehicle it replaces, which I trashed in this column last year.
   
There are enough things I dislike about the new Wrangler for me to trash
it, too, but there are a couple of big reasons I won t.
   
The first is that ride I mentioned earlier. It was incredibly enjoyable,
and it was the Wrangler that made it so.
   
I d lowered the cherry red Jeep s top and removed its side curtains the
night before, after being assured by every local weather forecast that there
was absolutely no chance of rain.
   
Nevertheless, I was still a bit surprised and relieved when I awoke to the
most glorious morning of the entire summer. And I was tickled to have an
open-air vehicle to enjoy it.
   
I ve always been a convertible kind of guy, and nothing is more convertible
than a Jeep. After all, how many other vehicles do you know that allow you to
remove the doors along with the roof?
   
Leaving doors behind, I rode to work in open-air ecstacy, basking in
sunshine, luxuriating in warm breezes and generally feeling like something
special.
   
I still get a warm glow in my belly thinking about that ride. That memory
makes it hard to really rip the Wrangler.
   
The other thing that makes it difficult is something Chrysler s Jeep
Platform General Manager Craig Winn said about the vehicle in a news release:
Our goal for the new Wrangler was pretty straightforward. To make an
acceptable road vehicle and an exceptional off-road vehicle.
   
Alright, I ll buy that. If Chrysler s goal was to make the new Wrangler
simply tolerable uh, acceptable on the road, then it succeeded. And objective
journalist that I am, I ve got to evaluate the vehicle on that basis.
   
Which is a good thing for Chrysler and for all those Jeep jockeys that
verbally abused me last time after I mocked their cherished chariot.
   
Don t get me wrong. There s a lot about the 1997 model that deserves
mocking. Want some examples?
   
The engine is more anemic than anything I ve driven in years maybe ever.
Coupled with a three-speed automatic transmission, it couldn t maintain 40 mph
going up a moderately long and steep paved road.
   
Trying to pass on the highway with this engine is an adventure. I wanted to
pull a Fred Flintstone and stick my legs out and push. The Jeep was so
sluggish I expected to look under the hood and find that one of the gerbils
had died.
   
At the other end of the Jeep, you d have a hard time finding room for more
than a couple of gerbils in the trunk, which measures 2.5 cubic feet. Oh, did
I mention that the trunk is optional?
   
So is the rear seat.
   
A redesigned folding roof, fortunately, is standard equipment. Well, maybe
it s not so fortunate considering the noise it produces at 60 miles an hour or
faster. It s so noisy, in fact, you better bring a walkman if you want to
listen to music on the highway.
   
I found it preferable to just leave the top off, even on the highway. If
you ve ever owned a convertible, you know how crazy that sounds.
   
Then again, unless you ve owned a Jeep convertible, you don t know what a
hassle it can be going from open-air to weather-protected driving. Chrysler
redesigned the Jeep s soft top this year, and it really is relatively easy to
get up and down. But it s about a 15-step process that takes at least a few
minutes, so you can t call it particularly convenient.
   
But I ve got to keep reminding myself what Jeep GM Winn said about this
vehicle. It isn t about convenience, it s about maintaining traditional Jeep
values and the go-anywhere virtues that make it hard for dealers to keep them
in stock.
   
Considering the dramatic improvements made to the breed this year, that
task should be harder than ever for dealers to handle. I m no Jeep expert, but
my guess is that this is the best one they ve ever made.
   
Start with the ride, which is now actually amazingly smooth when you take
into account the Wrangler s diminutive wheelbase and rugged off-road nature.
An all-new coil suspension deserves credit for the relatively plush ride.
   
Handling is also surprisingly good, considering the vehicle s purpose and
ride height. I was very impressed with its agility, maneuverability and road
feel.
   
Off-road feel was great, too, but I expected that. Jeeps have a reputation
for go-anywhere ruggedness, and I d be shocked if the new Wrangler does
anything but enhance that heritage.
   
This year, more people can enjoy that off-road ability at the same time.
There s nearly 10 more inches of rear-seat hip room than last year along with
less dramatic increases in passenger room elsewhere. The back seat is now
actually suitable for carrying two passengers.
   
Finally, the interior is safer and more user-friendly. Despite retaining
the traditional Jeep look, a completely new dashboard sports a pair of
standard airbags, and the optional air conditioner no longer hangs down from
the dash.
   
It just goes to show you what Chrysler s engineers can do if they put their
minds to it.
   
Truthfully, I d like the Wrangler a lot more if they d put their minds to
making it more than just an acceptable road car. But I also get the feeling
that Jeep fans couldn t care less.
   
Assistant Managing Editor Scott Wasser s car column runs on Sunday. You can
e-mail him at [email protected]