For what it’s worth, Consumer Reports gives Jeep products a poor rating.
They also killed the Suzuki Samurai. For that I can never forgive them.
The thing is, there is also a segment of reviews which (consistently) ranks Jeep in the top-10, based on actual owners.
They are what they are. You either like them, or you like Toyotas or one of the others.
Wrangler is Wrangler. No other vehicle like it, anywhere.
I say they are good. Others like Toyotas, or a competitor.
Regarding your original question though. You can get the cheapest model, and then change the wheels, to something bigger, if you are so inclined.
That will entail replacing the tires and the wheels, I believe.
Probably much cheaper to get a basic model, then upgrade that way.
This is part of the reason you see so many different versions of Jeeps. People are always tweaking them.
Jeep has historically poor ratings for reliability. I am are that they have improved, but other brands have improved more.
Jeep is at the bottom of my list for an SUV.
For what its worth, Consumer Reports gives Jeep products a poor rating.
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I wonder why.
Of course those were the people who recommended the XTerra strongly and that was a mess on wheels.
Just for driving on the road. If your daily commute includes climbing over boulders, there are few, if any, comparable vehicles at that price point!
A Golf Diesel will, however, probably seem extraordinarily luxurious compared to a Jeep Wrangler.
Truecar-dot-com says a *new* 2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara goes for $34,100 in my zip code.
I have actually considered buying a Wrangler since I drive down to the beach daily to jog, but it's only a 12 minute drive. They do look cool and you can still buy them with manual transmissions. I'm not sure that I'd want to tackle a daily commute much longer than 12 minutes in one. But at least Wranglers don't depreciate too much if the rough edges drive you crazy.
In 1974, Consumer Reports rate the Fiat 124 the best car. That was the last time I trusted Consumer Reports. The Fix It Again Tony was made by Italian communists.