There are many reasons to choose a Wrangler. And there are many Wranglers to choose from — each with its own strengths & weaknesses. So, we’ve narrowed down the research.
OK, quick question: Best off-road Jeep? You probably picked a Wrangler, right? Well, you’re right. Out of all of the tough and capable 4X4 SUVs that the brand makes, the best off-roader is a Wrangler. It is not only the automaker’s most capable Jeep but its most popular too.
In early 2021, the brand saw its iconic Wrangler post its best-ever first-quarter sales, following the best-ever fourth-quarter sales in 2020. Total Wrangler sales rose 25% to 49,646 vehicles. And because Wranglers are renowned for being durable, long-lasting vehicles, they are also very popular on the resale market too.
Kelley Blue Book has named the 2021 Jeep Wrangler (and the 2021 Jeep Gladiator) among the winners of its 2021 Best Resale Value Awards. This is the 11th consecutive year that the Jeep Wrangler has earned a spot on KBB’s Top 10 list that highlights vehicles’ retained resale value. Wrangler also continues to lead the Off-road SUV category, topping the segment for the third year in a row in 2021.
Jeep’s Wrangler delivers legendary off-road capability thanks to powertrain options that include a:
- 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 with engine stop-start
- 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with engine stop-start
- 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with mild-hybrid e-Torque technology
- 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine with engine stop-start
- 6.4-liter V8 (Wrangler Rubicon 392 and Wrangler 4xe exclusively)
Wrangler continues to feature a body-on-frame design, front and rear five-link suspension system, solid axles, electronic lockers and is one of the few SUVs to offer a six-speed manual transmission in addition to its available eight-speed automatic.
But hold on, don’t go running to the dealership just yet. You’ve got a lot of Wranglers to choose from, and the Jeep Compass, Gladiator, and Grand Cherokee shouldn’t be written off just yet, either. Each Jeep has its own strengths and weaknesses, so you’ll want to make sure you’re getting the off-roader that best suits your needs. And if you still want a Wrangler after you’ve done your research, great! But let’s be sure of it.
Jeep Wrangler Sahara
Introduced in 1986, the Wrangler is not considered to be a direct continuation of the Civilian Jeeps we’d seen prior, but rather a spiritual successor. Though redesigned from the ground up, it looks like a CJ-7, and it feels like a CJ-7, and that’s good enough for us. If you can’t get your hands on an actual WWII Jeep, this is as close as you’re going to get.
If you’re looking for the best off-road Wrangler, check out either a Sahara or a Rubicon. At the very tippy top, you have the limited Hard Rock edition Rubicon, and that’ll run you six figures if you’re lucky enough to find a seller.
If you’re Jay Leno, go ahead and grab one of those. For the rest of us, the choice comes down to the Sahara and the standard edition Rubicon.
We’re picking the Wrangler Sahara over the Rubicon as the best off-road Wrangler, but it’s a close call. Let’s go over the important stats:
- Kelley Blue Book value: $51,923 – $56,334
- Ground clearance: 10.8″
- Towing capacity: 3,500 lbs.
- Engine: 3.6L V6 – 3.0L V6 Turbo Diesel
- Torque: 260 – 442 lb.-ft.
- Horsepower: 260 – 285
- MPG: 22/29 city/highway
For the most part, these stats are pretty much the same, or close enough, between the Sahara and the Rubicon. You’re getting roughly the same driving experience between both trim levels. You’re not going to have your Rubicon stalling out on a steep incline and say “If only I’d bought the Sahara, instead!” They can both handle all-terrain just fine.
We’re giving the Sahara the edge mainly because of payload and towing capacity. The Rubicon’s towing power tops out at 2,000 lbs, while the Sahara pulls 3,500 lbs. If you’re taking a camping trailer with you into the woods, you’ll be glad you have that extra 1,500 pounds of pulling power.
Not to mention, when you drive a Jeep, it’s only a matter of time before someone needs your help pulling their truck out of the mud.
Add to that the extra cargo space. The Rubicon tops out at 31.7 cubic feet, while the Sahara holds more than double that, at 72.4. So this gives us a clear winner when it comes to what your Jeep can carry and what it can tow. If you’re planning to take some extended journeys into the great outdoors, you want a pack mule, and that’s the Sahara.
Unmodified Wranglers feature normal duty suspension with coil-spring shocks. The Sahara drops that setup on top of a set of all-terrain Bridgestones. When you see a Jeep driver bouncing over rocks and hills, the normal duty suspension is what lends the SUV a bit of give. If you’re gunning it over uneven terrain, you may get a little seasick, but you’ll be glad the normal duty suspension is there for a soft landing.
Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
The Gladiator nameplate debuted in 1962 with a more conventional pickup truck design. At a glance, you might not even know that an SJ Gladiator is a Jeep.
The new Gladiators, the JTs, debuted in 2018 for the 2019 model year, and they were built on the Wrangler JL platform. This is the first real pickup truck Jeep has produced since they dropped the Comanche in 1992.
We like the Rubicon for the extra ground clearance and the granite crystal aluminum wheels with Falken Tires. The towing capacity also starts out higher than the Sport at 4,500 vs. 4,000 lbs. Though it peaks a little lower, at 7,000 vs. 7,650 lbs.
- Kelley Blue Book value: $56,713 – $64,325
- Ground clearance: 11.1″
- Towing capacity: 4,500 lbs. – 7,000 lbs.
- Engine: 3.6L V6
- Torque: 260 lb.-ft.
- Horsepower: 285
- MPG: 17/23 city/highway
The Gladiator’s suspension differs from the Wrangler’s, using a solid axle in the rear, along with upper and lower forged control arms and a stabilizer bar in addition to the usual coil springs.
If you’re considering a Gladiator over a Wrangler, you’re probably comparing it to the Ford F-150 and the Dodge Ram 1500. You need a capable pick-up that can handle broken roads, mud, hills, and gravel.
For ground clearance, the Gladiator Rubicon stands at 11.1 inches, so that gives you nearly a foot of space to the ground. The F-150 tops out at 9.4 inches, and the 1500 doesn’t get any higher than 10.8 inches.
So, the Rubicon is the clear winner here. You can always throw a lift kit onto a Ford, but you’re probably going to get some death wobble out of the deal.
For towing capacity, the F150 does outclass the Rubicon. The F-150 can pull up to 12,700 lbs., depending on your options, while the Gladiator peaks at 7,650 lbs. A fully decked-out Ram 1500 beats the Rubicon by a slimmer margin at 8,420. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise, of course. It’s hard to beat Ford for sheer pulling power.
But, as to whether an F150 can pull that six-ton load through the same uncertain terrain that a Gladiator can pull a three-ton load, that’s another story.
Fords and Rams are good off-road trucks, but they’re designed from a more general, all-around perspective. The Gladiator is specifically an off-road pick-up.
And here’s the bottom line: It’s a pick-up that feels like driving a Wrangler, right down to the removable top. If that’s what you’re looking for, there’s no second-best option. Whatever class of vehicle we’re talking about, you only get the Jeep experience from a Jeep.
Jeep Compass Trailhawk
The current-generation Compass is a consolidation of the first-generation Compass and the Jeep Patriot, introduced in 2016 for the 2017 model year in hopes of streamlining the Jeep lineup.
The Compass is Jeep’s highway-and-city SUV. This one was specifically designed for people who like Jeeps but who spend more time driving the kids to soccer practice than they do exploring backwoods and bayous. So, what’s it doing on this list?
Well, a 2020 Compass Trailhawk starts at just $23,456, less than half of what you’re going to spend on a Wrangler or a Gladiator. And while it’s not a Wrangler, it is surprisingly capable out in the dirt.
- Kelley Blue Book value: $23,456 – $26,849
- Ground clearance: 8.2″
- Towing capacity: 2,000 lbs.
- Engine: 2.4L I4
- Torque: 175 lb.-ft.
- Horsepower: 180
- MPG: 22/30 city/highway
Now, you can’t take the top off, and it does look like a family-sized station wagon. For some Jeep fans, that alone is a deal-breaker. But if you’re looking for a solid all-around SUV with a little extra oomph on the trail, the Compass is excellent for what it is.
We’re going with the Trailhawk trim level because that’s where you’re going to get the most bang for your buck in terms of off-roading capability. Four-wheel drive costs extra on the Sport but comes standard on the Trailhawk, as do front fog lamps. It’s still not a Wrangler, but these are the features that make it more than just a minivan.
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk
Another Trailhawk. You could say that this trim level is aptly named. After all, you can’t go calling the front-wheel-drive suburb-oriented trim level the Trailhawk, can you? That’s a cool name, and it gives the vehicle a lot of expectations to live up to.
The Grand Cherokee debuted in 1992, but its development dates back to at least 1989 when it was seen in prototype mode as the Jeep Concept 1 show car.
Like the Compass, the Grand Cherokee is more of an all-arounder, but with special emphasis on off-roading. We’ll tell you right now that the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk is not our pick for the best off-road Jeep overall. But, it might be the one that best suits your needs.
- Kelley Blue Book value: $42,770 – $48,791
- Ground clearance: 10.8″
- Towing capacity: 6,200 lbs.
- Engine: 3.6L V6 – 5.7L V8
- Torque: 260 lb.-ft. – 390 lb.-ft.
- Horsepower: 295 – 360
- MPG: 18/25 city/highway
The Grand Cherokee uses a unibody design and has since its debut. That means that the frame and body are all one piece, where most vehicles use a frame with body panels mounted on top. The unibody offers a remarkably safe structure, with the downside being that repairs tend to be more expensive because you can’t just replace a panel at a time, you need to fix or replace the entire shell.
Another benefit of unibody design is in the feel of driving it. If you don’t like all the squeaks and creaks you hear as you take SUVs around corners, the Grand Cherokee has a very solid, stable feel to it.
Overall, the Grand Cherokee provides the most comfortable ride of any Jeep, having debuted as a luxury SUV. If the Gladiator is a compromise between an F-150 and a Wrangler, the Grand Cherokee is one part Cherokee and one part Escalade, with heated seats, including the 60-40 split-bench in the back, plus Alpine speakers and two LCD monitors up front. If you like the idea of roughing it–but in style and comfort–you want a Grand Cherokee.
With the Trailhawk edition, 4×4 comes standard, you have a V8 engine option, and it tows 6,200 lbs. right out of the box. While the Grand Cherokee is generally designed around the road, you may be surprised at what it can do on the trail.
Jeep’s Top Models
When it comes to the top choice among Jeep’s famous lineup of capable vehicles, we’re going with the Wrangler as the best option for off-roading. The 2020 Wrangler Sahara is uncompromising. It’s singular in purpose, conceived, designed, and built specifically for gravel, dirt, and mud. And it’s got that classic Jeep look and feel.
Going down the list from there, we recommend the Compass if you want a daily driver with a Jeep feel. Or consider the Gladiator if you need an off-road-capable work truck, and the Grand Cherokee if you’re after a luxury SUV that does what others don’t.
Photos: Jeep
