2000 Jeep Wrangler: Overview

Vehicle Highlights

The 6-cylinder engine in Jeep's tradition-bound SUV gets modifications aimed at smoother operation, standard radios are upgraded, and rear child-seat tethers are added for 2000.
Wranglers come with a soft top and plastic side windows; a hardtop with glass windows is optional. The base SE model has a 4-cylinder engine. Sports and Saharas use Jeep's inline 6-cylinder. Manual transmission is standard; a 3-speed automatic is optional. All Wranglers have 4-wheel drive that's for use only on slippery surfaces. Antilock brakes are optional on 6-cylinder models.
For 2000, the Sport's standard AM/FM radio adds a cassette player and speakers mounted in the roll bar, and the Sahara exchanges a cassette player for a CD player. Also, the optional tilt steering wheel on SE and Sport is now the same leather-covered unit standard on Sahara.

COMPETITION

Ignored in the past, compact SUVs are now some of the hottest-selling vehicles around. The two current Best Buys are the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester. Though they don't offer true off-road ability, they mix the best ride, cargo, and comfort characteristics with all-weather traction. Toyota's RAV4 , which used to be a Best Buy, falls to Recommended based on its noisy engine and cramped rear seating area. Toyota hopes that will change when an all-new RAV arrives in 2001. As immovable as Mt. Rushmore, the Jeep Wrangler continues as our Budget Buy in this segment. Though it has become a status symbol of late, it's most at home crawling over rocks and fording river beds.