Jeep sells two versions of the Wrangler Unlimited: Sport and Rubicon. The Wrangler Unlimited Sport includes full-steel front doors, a black Sunrider soft-top with dark-tinted windows, cloth seats, a tilt steering wheel, air conditioning, and a CD player heard through four speakers. Alloy wheels, a full-size spare tire, and front fog lights are also a part of the package.

A hard top with a rear defroster and wiper, cruise control, a seven-speaker audio system with a subwoofer and tweeters, a six-disc in-dash CD changer, and Sirius satellite radio are optional. Other options include premium cloth upholstery, body-side steps, an electrochromic rearview mirror with compass and temperature display, an engine block heater, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. A Premium Package provides special upholstery, silver dashboard trim, a chrome grille, and body-color fender flares for a more upscale appearance.

The Wrangler’s optional 4.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine comes standard on the Unlimited model, hooked to a brand-new six-speed manual or a carryover four-speed automatic transmission. The stout six produces 85-percent of its 235 lb.-ft. of torque at idle, ensuring maximum engine compression for steep downhill descents. Torque peaks at 3,200 rpm, and horsepower measures 190 at 4,600 rpm, galloping on a set of four 30 x 9.50R15LT Goodyear Wrangler A/T tires. A heavy-duty Dana 44 rear axle equipped with a 3.73 rear end puts the power to the ground, unless the Command-Trac part-time 4WD transfer case is shifted into 4Hi or 4Lo and the front axle gets a healthy dose of torque. Four-wheel-disc brakes are standard, but ABS is not available on the Wrangler Unlimited. As expected of a serious rock hopper, the Wrangler Unlimited rides on live front and rear axles equipped with stabilizer bars and high-pressure gas-charged shock absorbers. Skid plates protecting the transfer case and fuel tank are standard, and power recirculating ball steering makes it easier to maneuver the Wrangler Unlimited in tight quarters.

Step up to the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon if you need maximum four-wheeling capability. It comes with Tru-Lock locking front and rear differentials, heavy-duty front and rear Dana 44 axles with a 4.11 rear axle ratio, and a Rock-Trac part-time transfer case with 4:1 low-range gearing. Large 31-inch tall Goodyear Wrangler MT/R (Maximum Traction Reinforced) tires measuring 245/75R16 claw into the terrain thanks to tread that wraps into the sidewalls, mounted on larger 16-inch machine-finished alloy wheels. Not surprisingly, given the Rubicon’s stout rubber, its approach, departure, and breakover angles are all improved over the Unlimited Sport, and the Rubicon adds half an inch of ground clearance, too.

Wrangler Unlimited Rubicons also have a dark-khaki Sunrider soft-top, a seven-speaker audio system, and heavy-gauge diamond-plate sill guards to protect against body damage. In addition to the wheel and tire package, bystanders can tell you’ve got the most capable Wrangler Unlimited by the Rubicon badge on each side of the hood.