REVIEWS AND ROAD TESTS

Special status

Here’s a statistic that speaks volumes: half of all Jeep TJ buyers venture off-road, where none of the model’s supposed rivals - the Rav4, Vitara and Tracker - can keep up with it!

Its superiority is also evident when it comes to sales, where the TJ enjoys a comfortable lead, with 37% of the market segment.Fans won’t find it unusual that almost all of the TJ’s accessories appear on the option list. The list is long, so the price for the base version quickly climbs to several thousand more when you set out to dress it up properly before taking it out of the showroom. Examples? Here are two: the rear bench seat, and the mechanism used to tip over the front seat. On the latter subject, we should mention that it can accommodate two passengers over short distances, unless it’s folded down to increase cargo space, which is otherwise ridiculous. In the front, you’ll be comfortable if you can ignore the seat cushion that only provides minimal support, and that practically has you sitting on the edge of your seat as you drive.

Formerly too spread-out, instrumentation is now positioned within a cluster, which is easier to move to the right when the TJ is exported to Asia. The soft top features an efficient design, though it takes a while to get the knack of handling it.Before you get behind the TJ’s wheel, leave your prejudices behind and give even the tiniest bit of credibility to the designers’ claim to have made it more "civilized". If you need convincing, consider that the suspension now has coil springs, significantly more comfortable then the old leaf springs that used to keep the vehicle jacked up. This sport utility has greater stability and, in addition, it’s more comfortable on paved roads even though it can provide plenty of feedback as it negotiates holes and bumps on unbeaten tracks. A good thing, we must say, since braking isn’t a model of efficiency, especially without ABS (yes, that’s another option).

There are two engines available to power this "dual purpose" utility. The 2.5-liter is a big and rough four-cylinder, and with power and torque recently re-energized, it’s well- suited to the job, especially when it’s teamed with a manual transmission. The 4.0-liter in-line six-cylinder is quieter provided you avoid the three-speed automatic transmission, which adds a few decibels to the noise level.

Among other things this engine requires a 70-liter gas tank (another option) if you want reasonable range.

The off-road exploits that you can perform in a TJ leave the competition far behind. But unless you’re a diehard all- terrain fan, can you really turn a blind eye to asphalted roads and practicality, two areas where, despite remarkable improvements, the TJ demands a lot of extra thought? In short, are you sure you can spend 12 happy months behind this model’s wheel? Not me!

PROS
Exceptional off-road capabilities
Smooth six-cylinder
Better stability on paved surfaces

CONS
Skittish suspension
Rough four-cylinder
Long options list

CRASH TEST (five stars indicate the best protection)
Driver: * * * *
Passenger: no data